Chapter 5: Tips and Tricks of Domainers-Domain Names Revealed
Thus far, I have covered several methods on how to make money with domain names. All of the above mentioned methods can work great if they are executed successfully. Now I would like to change gears and give some tips & tricks about domains that I have learned from my own personal experience. These can help save you money, boost your sales, and more.
Domain Name Buying Tips
When it comes to buying your domains, you should seek the lowest price possible. Even a $0.50 difference adds up to a large amount if you register several domains. Here are some tips to save money when buying your domains.
1. Shop around- The domain registrar market is highly competitive. You can often find that one company offers domains for a significantly lower price than another. You can typically buy new domains from $1.99-$8.99 (or lower). Again, you can use any company you want. I prefer Godaddy for the “quick flips” because you can simply “push” the domain to the buyer’s Godaddy account.
2. Coupon Codes- Before I make a domain purchase with a registrar, I always do a quick “Googling” for coupon codes I could use. Often times, coupon codes can be found online for domains, hosting & more. I can often find coupons for: 10% off entire order, $5 off if the order is a certain amount, etc. This is a great way to cut down your registration expenses. It only takes a second to search, and it could save you a significant amount of money.
3. Register in the Bulk- If you register domains in the bulk, you can often get a small discount. Again, you would want to check the registrar’s pricing information, but this may be better than using coupon codes.
4. Get Bundled Discounts- The registrar you use may offer special bundle discounts that you can use to save money. For instance, Godaddy often advertises that if you make any non-domain purchase, you can add a domain for only $1.99. This is great if you are purchasing any other item such as hosting. This has no quantity limit, but the only draw back is you can only get one $1.99 domain for every 1 non-domain item. So if you wanted to buy 10 domains for that price, you would also have to buy 10 non-domain items.
5. Watch for Specials- Many domain registrars will run special promotions & holiday discounts. Sometimes you can snatch a good TLD for only $0.99. So it is a great idea to watch out for these specials & register in bulk when you have the chance.
6. Domain Kiting/Tasting- Domain kiting is a process where a domain registrar registers domains is a massive bulk (thousands or even hundreds of thousands). They pay the necessary registration fees. They will then place ads on the page and earn revenue from any type-in traffic. They do this for 5 days at a time. This is because they have a grace period where they can get a full refund within that amount of time. When the 5 days have expired, they will then request a full refund on all of the domains. They repeat this process
over & over again making money from advertising without having to actually pay the price (the money is refunded in full each time). It used to be that only major registrars could do this. Now, companies such as Pool.com have enabled individuals to take part in this scheme. Only now it is called “domain tasting.” Why tasting? Because instead of getting a full refund, theyallow you to try the domain for about 4 ½ days. If you decide you don’t want it, you can request a refund (minus a fee of around $0.10). This is something you may want to keep in mind. This way you can always test a domain and if you decide it was a bad idea, you lose $0.10 at most. If you decide not to keep it, you can get rid of it within the 4 day time frame.
Domain Name Selling Tips
Whether you are buying a domain to flip instantly, or you decide to use it in another way to make money, you will eventually want to sell it. Of course, I have already covered the top websites I use to sell my domains (Sedo.com, Afternic.com, TDNAM.com, eBay.com, etc.). Here are a few selling tips to help you get the most out of your domain:
1. List the domain on as many selling sites as you can. The more exposure you can get, the better your chances are of selling the domain for your asking price.
2. If you are having trouble selling your domain, consider the price. If it is too high, it may be hard to find a buyer. If it is too low, you are losing revenue that you could have made otherwise.
3. Consider adding some selling promotions if needed. You can try things on a the site you have the domain listed such as featuring your listing, bold, highlight, etc. This may not be appropriate for every domain you sell, but you may want to experiment to find out which method allows you to sell domains the fastest.
4. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box for your marketing methods. For instance, you could run a banner or PPC campaign advertising your domain for sale. If the domain is in a certain niche (say insurance), then you could use the option on a ppc to advertise on popular insurance sites. Also, don’t be afraid to advertise in free online classifieds, press releases, email campaigns, newsletters, domain name forums, social networking sites, affiliate/brokerage programs, and more. Sometimes, your domains will sell
with little effort, and sometimes you have to “find” the buyer. You do this by using as many marketing methods as possible. Also, you could contact businesses that are related to your domain & offer to sell it.
5. Try different ways to profit from selling domains. You could find quality unregistered domains, and offer a “free” domain as an incentive to buy another one of your more expensive products. By using the domain as a “free gift” you could boost sales for as low as $1.99!
6. Also, you can sell bulk quantities of domains. For instance, if you have a great domain, register the .com, .net, .org, etc. along with it. Also, consider the plural version of the domain. Or you could simply offer a few domains that are related as one package (e.g. insurance related domains, etc.).
7. Make a pitch page! Sometimes when you register a domain, the registrar will offer you a free credit for 1 month of web hosting for each domain you purchase. Of course, this hosting usually displays ads, but you could still use this to your advantage. Make a simple “pitch” page explaining all of the benefits of your domain(s). Or, list all of the domains you have for sale on one pitch page, and drive traffic to that pitch page. Since you usually get 1free hosting credit per domain, you can switch every month from the old hosting credit to a new hosting credit. Then copy & paste your list of “for sale” domains (or the sales pitch) into the new 1 month free hosting. Then redirect all your advertising traffic to the new URL.
8. Be sure to include any raw data that show’s your domain value. Things such as traffic logs, appraisal values, back links, amount of time it has been registered (domains registered for a long time are usually worth more money) and more can make the buyer have more confidence that they are making a good decision. Also, remember to include important information such as the domains expiration date, where it is registered, and how you plan to transfer the domain (free push, etc.).
Adding Value to a Domain Name:
Here are a few tips on adding value to domains. Sometimes, you can increase your domain’s value by doing one or more of these simple things:
1. Submit the domain to search engines and directories. This very simple to do and it could take only a few minutes. You can go to each major search engine (Google.com, etc.) and directory to manually submit the domain, or use a free online service that does it for you. There are several websites that offer free search engine submission. By having the domain show up in several search engines, it will make it more valuable. Of course, you may want to have a simple site set up for the domain when you do this.
2. Build a few back links. By taking a few minutes to build some back links, you could make your domain worth more money. This is simple, go to a few forums & use the domain as a signature. If you have a few websites, make a quick back link to the domain.
3. Brand the domain. What do I mean by brand? I mean you could make a creative logo & sell the logo with the domain. Some professionally designed logos can costs hundreds of dollars. If you do this yourself and “sell” the complete domain & logo image, you could add hundreds to the value of the domain.
4. Build a simple website template. Again, this goes along with the logo idea. You could use an HTML editor to build a simple 1-5 page website template. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You can combine this with the logo idea and sell the whole package. Again, this alone could add hundreds to the domain’s value, and you can simply email the html code as an attachment after you transfer the domain.
5. Watch out for new trends. This is a big one. Every year new fads, diets, products, diseases, etc. hit the market. There is always a rush to register a domain related to that fad. Why? Because it will typically receive a significant amount of type-in traffic due to the rush in popularity. As long as you don’t infringe any copyrights or cybersquat, this can prove extremely profitable. Keep up with the latest domain news by browsing popular domain forums. Network with other domainers & learn as much as you can & stay up-to-date. You never know when you may get a hot inside tip before anyone else!
6. Keep the domain & let it rise in value. Every day, new domains & are registered. Imagine the domain market in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years. A certain domain may not be worth much now, but in the future, it could be a gold mine. This is because all of the quality names are slowly getting snatched up by eager domain investors, individuals, and companies. By keeping domains, you can use them to earn money each year to cover your fees and provide a small profit, and then turn around in a few years and cash them in big time!
7. Use the domain as a sub-domain with a popular website. Again, this will allow the domain to build a strong presence on the web. This will increase its value.
8. Watch for new extensions. Always keep a check on the latest extensions that are being developed & sold. Normally, every time there is a new domain extension added for registration, there is a huge “gold-rush” by other domainers to register the top words. If you are lucky enough to grab up one of the most popular one word domains, you could get a huge payoff.
Some Final Words About Making Money with Domain Names:
The domain name market is still active. There are multiple ways to make money with domain names. I have been able to use the methods I have described to earn money with them. It is my deepest wish that you too will be able to use the information from this guide to cash in on the domain market & improve your life.
Hang in there and don’t give up. It took me months of searching to figure out how domain names worked & how to make money with them. On my very first domain transaction, I listed one domain for sale on an auction site. It didn’t sell. I almost gave up on the whole idea completely. I decided to re-list the domain. It sold the next time around for a profit. After learning the information I needed, it took only 2 weeks to earn my first domain profit. Since then, I have dealt with numerous domain transactions. I have also used the other techniques I described other than selling them to earn additional money.
My best advice would be to simply start slowly. If you are completely new to domains, start with just one & build up your experience & confidence. After you are successful with one method, then you can slowly grow & expand. Then you can work your way into using other methods. Things may not go perfectly the first time. It doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t work. It may just take time, more effort, or a different strategy.
Never give up in life!
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
-Michael Jordan
Conclusion:
I hope you have enjoyed this online e-Book on making money with domains. If you found it interesting, please feel free to refer others to this site, or add it to your “dig” or other social bookmark. Thanks again for taking the time to use this site, and keep checking back for more great free tips, software, e-Books, and much more!
How to Make Money With Domain Names-Intro
What Is a Domain Name Exactly-Chapter 1
How to Find Profitable Domain Names-Chapter 2
How to Estimate and Appraise Domain Value-Chapter 3
How to Make Money and Profit from Domains-Chapter 4
How to Make Money and Profit from Domains-Continued
Domain Name Tips & Tricks-Chapter 5
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Posted under Domain Names, eBooks
This post was written by Ben on May 31, 2009
