Many web publishers will often try to buy domain names that target a particular keyword that they believe will prove profitable when they go to monetize the site in question. There are a number of ways to monetize a site, such as forms of paid ads, like AdSense, or other methods, such as affiliate sales, CPA offers, and the like, and for most of these models, having a highly optimized domain name is critical to the on-page search engine optimization (SEO) efforts that these models require. When the publisher decides to buy domain names, there are some things to consider. Right now the search engines still give extra weight to domain names that contain keywords for which the publisher might be trying to rank. Currently one of the strongest types of URLs that publishers consider when buying domain names for this method of SEO is known as an “Exact Match Domain”. That basically means that the domain is made up only of the keywords that make up the keyword phrase for which the publisher is optimizing. In other words, if someone was trying to optimize for “big blue widgets”, the domain name that that publisher would try for is “bigbluewidgets.com”. The problem with this method, however, is that if the keyword is popular, several people might be trying to optimize for it, and they all might be trying to get an “exact match domain” for it as well. One possible solution is to use different “generic top-level domains” other than a .com, such as a .net, .org, .info, and so on, which would yield “bigbluewidgets.net” or “bigbluewidgets.org” for instance, but even that approach is limited, and if the keyword is really popular, all the available top-level domains will get used up quickly. Also, additionally, while .com, .net, and .org are considered the best top-level domains for serious business and branding work, domains such as .info and so on are sometimes considered rather spammy, thus narrowing options even further. There are other ways of working around this limitation. For instance, a publisher might decide to add a value-added term to the end of the domain name as a suffix, such as “bigbluewidgetsGUIDE.com” or “bigbluewidgetsINFO.com” or whathaveyou (capitalized for clarity), but that might not always be practical, and there is still some debate as to whether the extra word and the end dilutes the strength and impact of the exact match domain. Well, there are two other effective solutions that a publisher can try, that can prove effective. The first is well known, that of putting hyphens between the words, so that “bigbluewidgets.com” becomes “big-blue-widgets.com”. While there is also some debate as to whether the hyphens dilute the EMD effectiveness, the method is generally considered to be viable. The other method is rather clever and innovative, and has tested to show good results. In essence, the publisher uses the EMD for the main keyword, but then will buy domain names with an extra, random letter added to the end of the name, so “bigbluewidgets.com” becomes “bigbluewidgetsV.com” or “bigbluewidgetsX.com” (capitalization for clarity). Here’s how this works. Google and the other search engines have very strong auto-correct qualities when it comes to working out keyword spellings and discerning string searches. In other words, among other things, Google is essentially one huge spellchecker (for lack of a better term). As such, it will assume that the errant letter at the end of the domain name (V and X in our examples) is a misspelling, and will correct for it in it’s search algorithm, treating it like what it perceives as the intended “bigbluewidgets”. You can test this for yourself. Enter a search string into Google with a purposefully misspelled word, and Google will either auto-correct for it, or provide a choice of search results with either the correct spelling or the misspelling. Likewise, it does the same thing internally when analyzing the keywords in a given domain name. Whether a publisher chooses to go this route, or try something less experimental is ultimately up to the person who will buy domain names for their sites, but definitely consider giving this a try. It has worked for a number of SEO experts in the past, and it might just prove to be the missing key to making your SEO efforts work.

Buy a Domain Name · buy domain name · Choose a domain name · Domain Name

Choosing a domain name is one of the trickiest parts to starting your online web presence. So many different factors go into make a domain name truly helpful, beneficial, and appropriate for your business—it can be hard to know where to start.

If you’ve been doing some research, you’ve no doubt come across some very helpful pointers in helping you narrow down the field of potential domain names into a few that are truly good choices for your business. Here’s a review of the basics:

1. Choose a domain name that fits with your business. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many business owners get distracted by a catchy domain, clever pun, or cool-sounding word in a domain that’s available. Just because it sounds good doesn’t mean it fits with your business; if the domain is vague or unclear, or if it suggests that you have a different kind of business than you actually do, it’s worth your time to move on.
2. Choose a domain name that helps you get found. If you are appealing to a global audience, make sure your main keyword is in the domain address. If you’re appealing to a local audience, make sure your primary geographic term is in the domain address. This helps search engines deliver your site to potential customers who are looking for businesses just like yours.
3. Choose a domain name that’s not to long. This is simple. The shorter your domain, the more memorable your website will be, and the more trustworthy you will appear.

However, these tips aren’t the only ones that will help you buy a domain name that is truly appropriate to your business. There are two elements that people do not often think about that can cause problems down the line. If you’ve decided upon a name that seems ideal based on the criteria above, put it through the following tests before going through with the domain name registration:

1. Is it accidentally inappropriate? Individual words have spaces written in between them when used in a sentence, but domain names don’t have spaces. Write your ideal name out, in all lowercase letters, and see if you’ve inadvertently created any inappropriate words in the middle. Both potential visitors and search engines may avoid your site, so make sure it’s age-appropriate when spelled out as one word.
2. Is it timeless? If you intend for your website to be successful long-term, choose a domain name that is also long-term. Avoid using years or other time-specific words in your address, and avoid trends that will likely go out of style, opting for broader terms that describe all of what you do, not just one product that may be popular right now.

Buy a Domain Name · Choose a domain name · domain address · Domain Name · Domain Name Registration · online web presence · search engines

Think there’s no such thing as squatting on the internet? Think again. Domain name squatting has been getting increased criticism as this questionable practice receives more widespread attention worldwide.

What is domain name squatting? Well, think about what traditional property squatting is. People move into a space and live there; it may not technically be their property, but no one was using it. Domain name squatting is similar. Someone buys the domain name of a high profile individual; it’s not actually their own name, but no one had bought the rights to the URL, so nothing stopped them from creating a site there.

But that’s where the differences end. While itinerant squatters are generally just looking for a free place to live, domain name squatters are looking to profit from snapping up the name. Why would someone pay a lot of money to recover a domain for a site they had no previous intention to build? Well, because it may be damaging for that domain name to exist under the control of someone else.

When a person’s name is the entire domain name, it will perform very well in the search engines when that name is searched for; after all, it’s a perfect match. Domain name squatters may even pursue SEO to get the name ranking highly. When it comes up on the top, they can redirect visitors to damaging pages, including inappropriate content, sites with poor security reputations, and competitors’ websites. This can be incredibly damaging to the person whose name has been ‘squatted,’ so they may be willing to pay high sums of money to gain domain registration control over the address.

To clarify, this is not the same as buying a domain name and building a brand around it, then selling it to a company or business who would benefit from owning that name. If you buy a domain name that you think will be potentially popular or useful to a company down the line, but it’s not a trademarked name or the name of an individual person, that’s one thing. But if you buy a domain name with the sole purpose of pressuring that person to buy it from you to avoid negative branding, that can be considered extortion and is against internet protocol.

Knowing the risk of domain name squatting is a good argument for buying up domain names similar to your own name or your business name. There’s no guarantee that someone will squat it if you don’t buy it, but there is a guarantee that they can’t squat if you get to it first.

Buy a Domain Name · buying a domain · Domain Name · Domain Name Squatting

I am set to launch my company online, but the domain name I want, which is a “.com” is already taken. I am a UK business, and although I have already secured the “.co.uk” name I really want my main website to be on the .com as this is the most popular domain extension. What can I do?

There is no doubt that the .com extension is the most popular and recognised domain extension on the World Wide Web. But more often than not, the domain name you desire will have already been registered by someone else. Why is this though? Well, it’s a combination of reasons. Essentially, cheap domain names or even free domain names are regularly offered by a lot  of registration companies. Every single day, literally thousands of people are looking to buy domains, and consequently, hundreds of thousands of domain names are registered every day. Together with the fact that the .com extension is the original extension which has no geographical boundaries or other restrictions, making it the most desirable extension for someone looking to buy domain names.

The first thing to do is to find out who has registered the domain name you want. If there is no website linked to the domain name, you can perform a simple ‘whois’ domain name search. The whois search will list the contact’s (registrant) name and email address.

It’s easier to negotiate directly with the registrant of the domain name if the name doesn’t link to a website or email address. When negotiating, don’t sound too desperate or pushy, it’ll only raise the asking price!

If the domain name is not being used and is close to expiry, it may be prudent not to contact the current registrant, as this may arouse the registrant’s interest in an otherwise dormant domain name. In this case, you can do one of two things.

1. Let the domain name expire and wait for about 45 days after the expiry, which is when the domain should become available to register again.
2. Place a back order with the domain name’s registrar (the domain name registration company).

Option 1 is risky as you don’t know who else is interested in the domain name and may register it before you. Option 2, at least lets you bid for the domain name, even if others have placed back orders on the same domain name.

If you are successful in obtaining the domain name, it’ll be a good idea to register it for multiple years, up to 5 or even 10 years. This way, you won’t be at risk in losing the name because you forgot to renew. Domain names are pretty cheap to register, so it’s always a good idea to buy a domain name for multiple years.

If for whatever reason you’re not successful in obtaining your desired domain name, all is not lost. You could try variations of your company name with either the name of a main product or service you offer, or include the name of the industry you are in. In fact, doing this will improve your search rankings on the search engines because your domain name is more specific. You could also try hyphenating a domain name to give it more clarity and at the same time get a domain name close to the one you originally wanted.

Finally, if you are a UK business, it may be better if you hosted your main site on the .co.uk extension, as this shows your visitors/customers that you are a UK based company.

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Buy a domain name today and you could set yourself up with a nice little nest egg. That’s because domain name registration in the UK can cost as little as a few pounds a year, yet yield hundreds of thousands when sold to the right buyer.

So how do you know which domain name is the right one for you to invest in? Well the simple answer is you don’t, but with good foresight and general market awareness of future products, trends, events and so forth, you can speculate on what types of domain names will be hot property in years to come. In fact, if you’re lucky, you might even find some really good domains still available today.

Your best bet is to register a good number of domain names; after all, you need only strike with just one of them to return a tidy profit. Once you’ve selected the domain names you want to register, look for a cheap UK domain name registration company that offers secure and swift domain name registration. Then place a holding page that points all your domain names to an enquiry or bidding area. If you take up hosting, some domain hosting companies offer free domain names too.

Finally for anonymity it is highly recommend that you protect your privacy when registering the domain names by selecting a service that hides your personal details from the domain name public registry.

Good luck with your searches!

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