Before you even buy a domain name, you need to come up with a list of good ideas for a domain name. So here are a few tips to help you get the best and most valuable domain name.

Grab a pen and paper. You may want to write down a few ideas for your domain name as we go along.

1: It should be the name of your website. Now this may seem obvious to you, but you'd be surprised how many websites I've come across that are titled something other than their domain name. So try coming up with a few domain names that you'd be happy to use as the main title for your website.

2: Don't make it to long, don't make it to short. Good judgment is crucial here. Many argue whether long or short domain names are best. I personally think that around 2 words for a domain name is best. It's easy to remember, and isn't to likely to make a typo.

3: Use of hyphens. To be honest, I don't think this makes a huge difference, but sometimes it can be easy to forget to put the hyphens in. One advantage is that search engines can distinguish your keywords better and thus return your site more prominently in search results for those keywords occurring in your domain name. Another advantage is that more domains are available with hyphens; so if you want 'AcmeVideos.com', it might not be available, but it's more likely that 'Acme-Videos.com' is available.

4: .Com, .Org, .Net, .Biz? If your looking to use your domain for cash (which in this case we are), then you'll want to go for an international ending like '.com', '.org', or '.net'. I always look to use those 3, because those are my favourite. One thing that you really should avoid is to stick to one beginning of a domain. For example, if I'm certain that I want 'ThisWebsite' as the beginning, then there's often the possibility of using 'ThisWebsite.com.au' or 'ThisWebsite.de'. This is a no-no. It is nation-specific, thus putting off potential visitors.

5: Can't think of any names? If your really lacking ideas for a website name, but know what the theme is, then you need a name-generator. Try one of these:

• Webmaster Toolkit Domain Name Generator
• Nameboy
• 123Finder.com

These are the 2 main companies that I would recommend to everyone. They are easy and simple to use, and both have a great reputation.

United States: Hostgator - It currently hosts over 1,000,000 domains, has everything you could possibly need, and is incredibly cheap!

United Kingdom: 123-Reg.co.uk - One of the simplest domain registering websites out there. It's quick and easy to sign up, there's loads of support, and a .co.uk domain is just £2.79!

Domain parking is a method often used by domain registering companies, or individuals who may buy tens or hundreds of domains in bulk, and want to use them as a bit of income.

Once the domain is bought, the web page is normally filled with many text adverts and affiliate links relating to the topic. Sometimes, information on the topic is also added, but this is often generic and not of helpful quality.

Users may come to this domain by a number of ways. One of the top ways is by a user typing in a general word or 2 like 'Golf' or 'Golf Clubs', on the topic they want, in to the address bar. Many web browsers automatically add on a '.com' to the end of it, and the user comes to a 'Parked Domain'

'Domain parking' can also come in handy if you are say, running a business called 'Mike's Golf Clubs', and want to grab the domain name early. You might get the domain name you want, but not have anything yet to put on the domain. So a quick solution, which may give some spare cash, is to park the domain.

For more information on domain parking, go to DomainParking.co.uk

WhyPark is an excellent service that will bring in even more revenue than normal parking will. You get many extra features including:

• Keyword rich titles on every page


• Easy to follow index pages and automatically updated site maps


• High keyword density. Since the only articles that appear on your web site are related to the exact keywords you've chosen, the result is a themed, content-rich web site with high keyword density


• Layout and code optimized for search engines


• New content is added daily keeping search engines coming back for more


• Automated XML Sitemap creation to submit to search engines


• Easily create an unlimited number of custom pages for your website

It is also incredibly easy to use. You don't need any kind of coding knowledge. All you need to do is switch the hosting across to WhyPark (instructions included), type in a couple of keywords and they'll do the rest! It's that easy!

Making money with expired domains is one of the more recent methods of making money from domain names.

The basic idea of it is that expired domains are bought (normally the same day as they expire), so that visitors who want to visit the expired domain, instead vist a - normally - parked domain. It is essentially easy traffic for a small price. The user to the website is then likely to click on an affiliate link to another website on the same topic.

It is pretty hard to get an expired domain manually, so most use a program to snap expired domains instantly. One such excellent program can is 'Expired Domain Name Software by JustDropped.com.