Make a Fortune with Domain Names

Have you heard about domain names that sold for over a million dollars? Inspired by this, you imagine registering a great domain name, hanging onto it for a while, and then selling it off to become the next multi-millionaire. It could happen, but don't count on it!

First of all, many of the truly great domain names are already taken. Second, the dot com bust took some of the wind out of inflated domain name prices. (If you sell your domain name for millions of dollars worth of stock in a publicly traded dot com flop, what is the name really worth?)

The cybersquatter buys domain names totally on speculation. Sometimes he will register names of famous brands, companies, or individuals. Time and again, these domain name speculators learn the hard way that they must respect intellectual property rights. They hope that some large corporation will pay big bucks to them for the use of the company's own (already trademarked) name. Instead, they end up with threatening letters from a law firm for their attempts at extortion.

However, you can still make money from domain names if you are sensible in your approach. Here are some suggestions on ways to profit.

1. Affiliate Programs: Use your domain name to promote an appropriate affiliate program. Either redirect to the affiliate site or write a review that links to them.

2. Informational Sites: Create content and then profit from it by earning advertising revenue through Google AdSense or a similar program.

3. Redirect to Your Own Site: Some reasons you might want to do this include preventing competitors from using a particular domain name and benefiting from searches some users perform by domain name. (For example, if they wanted to order flowers, they might just type "flowers.com" in their web browser. You could get some traffic and sales this way.)

4. Product Sites: Create your own or sell someone else's product appropriate to your domain name.

5. Park Your Domain Names: You might feel that your name has real potential for resale value. There are companies that will allow you to park your domain on their servers, advertise that your name is for sale, and split advertising revenue with you.

The trick is to generate traffic for your domain name. That traffic in turn will create revenue. Then, when you go to sell your domain name, you will have a few things going for you.

First, you will have a fully developed website. A fully constructed building on a piece of land increases the value of the real estate property. Similarly, the value of your domain name is enhanced by a complete and operating website.

Second, you have traffic. Just as a shopping mall with no traffic results in no sales, so a website must have traffic to generate income.

Third, you have income. An income property, such as an apartment building, can be appraised on the basis of its income (as well as other factors). Similarly, the gross income, net profits and cashflow of a website have value. For example, if someone offered you $1,000 for your domain name and website when it was generating $10,000 per day in profits, you would likely laugh at him.

You really can profit from your domain name investments by adding value and properly developing your web properties.

Resource Box

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.

For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas,
visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

To learn how you can really profit from domain names,
visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/domain-names.html

In July 2007, the domain name, Chinese.com, was sold by Sedo.com for over $1.1 million. During that same auction, resume.com sold for $300,00.00 and spices.com sold for $220,000.00. For the active domain investor, a simple name can yield big-time profits.

Which domain names sell the best? One-word dot coms still outsell longer domain names, but most domains consisting of even two and three word combinations can sell for thousands of dollars. In a recent auction, FreeStuff.net sold for $28,000.00 and RareCars.com sold for $27,000.00.

Even more outlandish names can still yield impressive and fast sales. "Long Tail Names" or domain names consisting of longer phrases are frequently available and still sell for surprisingly high dollars. With a little good trend spotting and some common sense, it's fairly easy to identify good domain names that will turn a good dollar.

There are a variety of free online tools available to new domain name speculators. Most domain registry services offer such tools to their visitors and customers. Professional domain name investors may employ more extensive market research, statistics and expert advice to make their final purchasing decisions.

How long does it take for a domain name to turn a profit? It all depends on the name itself and the current market trends. Experienced domain name investors know exactly how to pinpoint the best names, determine their value and where to sell them for top dollar.

Typically, an independent domain name brokerage will act as a middleman and handle the transaction from the initial contact through the final payment for the domain. In most cases, this domain name broker will 10% to 15% for their efforts, making this fast money for both the seller and the broker.

While some domain name investors have demonstrated uncanny skill and timing in scooping up and reselling domain names quickly, the average speculator may first need to build some equity in their domain name to increase its asking price. A domain's value typically increases the longer it has been around, the more ad revenue it is generating, and the greater the amount of traffic it has flowing to it. In the long run, a name purchased for ten bucks can yield thousands.

Playwright, William Shakespeare, may never have really known what was truly in a name, but for today's domain investors, they know that a good domain name is worth its weight in gold.

Resource Box

Learn how to profit from domain names at
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/Domains-Into-Dollars.php

Whether you want to come up with your own original name or wish to buy someone else's, here are some strategies for obtaining a profitable domain name.

1. Do It Now!

If you do think of or find a good domain name, don't procrastinate. Register or buy it now!

I've thought of a good name, checked it for availability, and then slept on it. When I went to register, the name was gone.

Years ago, one of my clients delayed in registering his company name and within a month someone else registered it.

The situation is even worse now. There is a lot of domain name speculation going on. Many simply register a name in the hope of selling it later to someone who desperately wants the domain.

It's really true in the domain name registration world: If you snooze, you lose.

2. Register Dot Com

There are practical reasons why you should consider registering a dot com if at all possible.

When you go to sell, dot coms generally seem to go for more money than other Top Level Domains. Why is that?

It has been suggested that dot org or dot net are perceived to be second-rate because the owner either couldn't afford to buy the dot com name or their competitor had the foresight to register it first. (Obviously, an ISP having a dot net or a non-profit organization having a dot org would not necessarily be perceived in this way.)

Additionally, dot coms are easier for people to remember. If you have a dot org or a dot net, it is just one more thing for people to have to remember. First, people have to remember your website's name; then, they have to remember that your TLD (Top Level Domain) is not the commonly assumed dot com. You could lose some traffic to your dot com competitor.

3. Is It Practical?

Do you have a business use for the domain name? Is your name short and memorable? Does it describe or brand your business? Does it infringe on any trademarks? Is it free of hyphens, numbers, and other extraneous or confusing elements?

Give some careful thought to the above factors before registering or buying your domain name. It could be one of the best investments you ever made.

Resource Box

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.

For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

To learn how you can really profit from domain names, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/domain-names.html

"Domain Flipping" has become a tremendously popular way of earning money. Everyday people are buying and selling domain names they think will have strong commercial appeal. Sometimes domains have just the right sound, sometimes they have consistent traffic, and others have great content and products. The key is to find a good name and move on it %u2026 before someone else does.

What makes a good domain name? It helps when it relates to a popular trend like music, games, or movies. The domain name speculator must be careful, though, to avoid any domain name that could be considered a trademark or copyright infringement. If they fail to heed the warnings, they'll usually find themselves on the short end of a lawsuit and lose the domain name and a lot of money in the long run.

One of the easiest ways to make money with a domain is to generate consistent traffic. If the domain name has a popular, generic sound to it, it's quite possible it may generate a lot of type-in traffic.

Type-in traffic is when surfers simply type a common word or phrase directly into their web browser. Now you may assume that most people use search engines to find what they are looking for, but a recent UCLA study reported 86% of online consumers reach websites though type-in navigation.

With all of this free traffic, it's easy for a domain investor to sell even a relatively new site within a matter of days or weeks. A quick search of domains on auction sites such as eBay will reveal a vast list of domains available for purchase, usually at huge multiples of the original cost. Domains they were originally purchased by a savvy investor can be sold for over $500.00 in three days or less.

And at larger domain auction houses such as Moniker.com, the best domain names available can fetch upwards of $50,000.00. In fact, in early 2007, this auction house sold NewYork.info for $70,000.00 and Travel.info for $116,000.00.

A good domain name doesn't have to end in .com anymore either. With the increasing diversity of domain name extensions and the growth in the wireless market, domain name extensions seem to matter less and less.

So if you want to get in while the going is good, start brainstorming domain names, and maybe you'll be the next person to flip a million dollar domain name.

Resource Box

Learn how to profit from domain names at
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/Domains-Into-Dollars.php