Various Ways To Make Money With Brand Domain Names

As more people and companies than ever are investing in domain names, it has become evident that not all of these names will realise their full income earning potential. As a Domain reseller and investor with a reasonable sized portfolio ,I have often been asked the best way to make money from these investment domains. The following are the most common ways to create an income stream or maximize resale value.

* Park the name with a parking service
These places pay a percentage of the advertising revenue derived from ads placed on a page displayed when someone visits your domain. Also most of these parking services also offer a sales listing service to enable easy resale marketing of your domain.

* Make your own park page
Similar to the above ,only you create your own small Website with ads and get 100% of the revenue. This however will not be as profitable because the parking services get a much greater traffic flow.

* Develop a small, but content rich minisite
These small minisites are usually filled with articles and contextual ads from Adsense. Also often called AdsenseSites

* Develop a full featured web-site
Selling services or products and also have some ads and paid links.This can be either selling your own products or as an affiliate for an existing online website.

Factors that increase value

At any of the above stages of development and Value adding,you can make money by reselling the Domain/Site for an increased value above the purchase price.

* Keywords & brandability of the name
i.e. http://Become-rich.biz is Keyword rich and is valued higher than http://CrappyNames.com

* Amount of Visitor Traffic
Simple equation More visitors = More Income = Greater Value

* Return from site
(Income for Ads,Sales or Paid Links) . Higher Income earned ,Higher value for the site

* Current Demand for similiar names
If a particular type of name is hot property ,all the similar names increase in value because of the demand.

* Current Search Engine Ranking
If the Name is Not listed by the major search engines or is on page 346 than value is low, conversely if it is listed on the first page of the listings than value will be higher.

* Number of Sites linking to your site
Related to Traffic and S.E.Ranking , More links = more traffic + higher rankings

* How keen is the buyer for name
Buyer may want the name for a specific purpose and will pay a premium to ensure they get it.

Ways to Lose money on Domains

* Register a trademarked name
like “P*yP*lFees.com” because of the Legal hassles. Most High profile companies can afford an expensive legal battle ,can you?

* Pay too much for Domain Name
Just because http://ReallyGreat.com sold for $Big-bucks , doesn’t mean paying $bigBucks for any old name will mean reselling it for an even higher price.

* Get scammed by Email and other types of fraud
Domain investors attract more than their fair share of Scammers A common one is an email claiming to be someone wishing to buy your name, all you have to do is use their preferred Appraisal service to confirm the offered price. It is just a ruse to get you to pay an inflated price for this appraisal.

Domain Name Extension And Its Types And Options

What is a domain name extension? This is the most popular and foremost question when it comes to domain name extension. Many people were really asking that question times every time a subject about domain name and its extensions is tackled. Well, fortunate for them that they are actually left with answers on their hands. However, many of the people today are still not aware of the nature of domain name extension and its types especially those who haven’t heard anything about domain names.

For such matter, it is indeed a nice idea to present some of the facts about the domain name extension and its types for the people to know what a domain name extension is and how it functions in the world of the internet. So here it is.

Essentially, a domain name extension is also called a top level domain name such as .com, .org, .net, and a lot more. It is considered that a domain name extension is the top most part if the domain names under which all of the domains on the web are registered. To further create a vivid idea on the uses of a domain name extension, it is interesting to know that a domain name extension like .com is particularly intended for the commercial organizations. The .net domain name extension is then designed for network services just like the Internet Service Providers or ISPs, and on the other hand, a domain name extension like .org is specifically designed for non-profit organizations. Along with that, it is also interesting to know that such mentioned domain name extensions – .com, .net, and .org – are the most common and they belong on the international front.

When it comes to registering domain names you’ll generally be given quite a few options in regards to the domain name extensions. This refers to whether you register a .COM, .NET, .ORG. US, etc.

Below I’m going to cover some of the more popular domain extensions in addition to some of the new domain extensions. They really aren’t listed in any particular order but I’ve listed them in the order of which would probably be more common to you. When it comes to search engine rankings the domain extension doesn’t really make a difference by the way.

TLD – Top Level Domains
There are three types of top-level domains that are classified by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) which I’ve described below.

TLD – These are the most common extensions that you’re probably familiar with. They are made up of .COM, .NET & .ORG domains.

ccTLD – These are country code domain name extensions and they are generally made up of 2 characters. Some of the ccTLD extensions that you’re probably familiar with are .US for United States, .CA for Canada, .JP for Japan and .CN for China.

gTLD – These are generic TLDs and are generally made up of 3 or more letters. Some of the gTLD domain extensions that you may be familiar with are .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME & .MOBI.

Domain Extension Meanings
Below you’ll find some of the more popular domain extensions and the domain extension meaning.

.COM (Commercial) – Generally intended for commercial use. By far the most recognized domain name extension.

.NET (Network) – This was originally intended for network oriented sites such as internet service providers. This definitely isn’t the case any longer. People will register .NET domains for commercial use, generally if the .COM extension isn’t available or if they’d like to protect their main .COM domain by registering all available extensions.

.ORG (Organization) – This domain extension was originally intended for non-profit or trade organizations. Again, this is no longer the case and is generally registered by anyone looking to protect their main domain by registering all available domain extensions or simply because a better extension isn’t available for registration.

.BIZ (Business) – This is a gTLD that is generally registered to classify their website as a business. Although it’s not a commonly recognized extension, I feel that it’s a great alternative if the .COM extension isn’t available and for only $8.95 per year through www.SiteToad.com it certainly wouldn’t hurt to register the extension so that your competition doesn’t try to squat on it.

.US (United States) – This ccTLD generally refers to US based companies. Although the domain has been out for quite some time now it’s possible to find some very good domain names with this extension.

.INFO (Informational) – This gTLD is generally used as an extension for informational websites. I believe that other than .COM, .NET & .ORG, it’s the most popular domain extension used. If you are developing an informational website it’s definitely a domain extension that I’d register.

.MOBI (Mobile) – This domain extension, as of this writing, is fairly new. Although majority of the domain name owners registered their domain name with the .MOBI domain name to protect their brand, it is primarily reserved for website built for displaying on mobile devices.

.TV (Television) – In my opinion it’s used primarily for media, primarily video, related websites.

.WS (Website) – This is actually a ccTLD for Western Samoa but was converted to a domain extension commonly used as an acronym for ‘website’. Although it seems that it would be a great extension I don’t feel that it really ever took off and you can find very good domains available with the .WS extension.

.ME (ME) – This is the newest domain, as of this writing. It was originally the ccTLD of Montenegro but would generally be used for personal related websites such as family websites or blogs another option would be to pose your resume or even artwork that you may have done. The other use would be to create a very memorable personal email address.

.NAME (NAME) – This is a gTLD that’s intended for personal use. You’ll find that this extension is used for personal / family websites or simply used for name related email addresses.

.CA (Canada) – This is a ccTLD that is generally reserved for Canadian based businesses.

.CO.UK (United Kingdom) – This country code domain is generally reserved for commercial related websites based in the United Kingdom. Although it’s not restricted to just UK based business, I see very little value in registering the domain extension unless you plan on doing some sort of business in the UK.

.CN (China) – This is the ccTLD for China. This domain is not restricted to companies based in China and can basically be registered by anyone that would like a .CN extension.

A Final Word On Domain Extension Meanings
Although I only covered 14 domain name extensions there are many many more extensions that you can register. Many of them are country code domains that are restricted to businesses or individuals living in that particular country.

For further information, such mentioned domain name extensions are called as the “Big 3” for the reason that they accessible to anyone, without limitations, and now widely recognized in all parts of the globe.

In terms of the a country by country basis since most countries now have a matching top level domain name, under which domain names are sold, the most common domain name extensions are based on two characters ISO country codes.

In terms of a country by country basis, the common domain name extensions are based on the two-character ISO country codes and this is for the main reason that many countries offered these kinds of domain name extensions. Among such kind of domain name extensions is the .fr for France, .jp for Japan, and so on and so forth. Most popular country top level domains include the .fr for France, .jp for Japan, and http://.co.uk. It is well noted that these domain name extensions are generally under the control of the government and so adding a level of stability and durability seemed so tough to match.

Besides, during the year 2000 the ICANN approved a new set of domain name extensions which is composed of seven new top domains such as .aero, .biz, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, and .pro. They are generally called “alternative top level domain names” and that they are officially known, thus they will work in all parts of the globe, in any browser or other software.

And just recently, five organizations have proposed for the creation of the newest domain name extensions which are noted to be applied or to function officially on 2005 if the proposal will be approved. And it is interesting to know that what is included as the newest domain name extensions are .asia, .cat, .jobs, .mail, .mobi, .post, .tel, .travel, and .xxx.

Update – March 2012
Small businesses are facing a big choice when it comes to their Web presence.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, is accepting applications for the chance to create and manage new top-level domains—the part of the Web address to the right of the dot, like “com” and “org.” People who manage websites will have the chance to acquire addresses at those new top-level domains, also known as TLDs.

The Wall Street Journal
Many Web veterans argue that the new addresses are a potential boon for small companies. Businesses will be able to get TLDs that better reflect their brand—perhaps “.food” for restaurants or “.realestate” for brokers—and let them do better marketing. There’s also the chance that the new TLDs may offer better security protections or even vet the sites that use the domain.

Critics, though, say the new addresses will cause confusion for customers and headaches for businesses. Marketing a new TLD will take precious money and time, they argue, and there isn’t a big demand for existing niche TLDs to begin with.

Multiple Uses Of An Expired Domain Name

Expired domain names can provide you a reliable ongoing, residual income for many years. They can also provide you a kind of leverage that ensures a steady flow of income. However, before you buy and register an expired domain name, you will need to consider the type of uses and benefits that you can derive from it, so that you can gradually create a viable income source. In simpler terms, an expired domain name is that domains that are just registered for specific period. In case, they are not renewed, they will expire and become available for purchase by anyone.

An expired domain name could be very precious and invaluable, as it has had a considerable amount of time and effort spent on advertising and promoting it over the web. The combined effect of time and effort gives you a host of benefits and advantages, as soon as you register a particular expired domain name. Here are some benefits and advantages attached to an expired domain name:

• Advertising Revenues: A number of expired domain names accrue passive income to you, which trickle slowly over a period. The expired domain name that you register might have had a series of different advertising campaigns paying out different returns. For example, a corporate services advertising campaign will always pay more than a health advert campaign that pays lesser payout.

• Another notable benefit with an expired domain name is the large inventory of site visitors. The expired domain that you own may have had a series of dedicated and loyal visitors. These visitors always from an invaluable link or traffic to your site. More the links you get to your domain, higher will be the search engine rankings. Similarly, more visitors also mean, more number of clicks your advertising links are likely to get. All these user friendly actions will result in an increased income.

• The power of selling: A good expired domain name is a powerful tool that can result in very handsome gains to you. Recently, trading in expired domain names is getting popular as a mode of earning large profits. There are instances, when expired domain names dealers making millions of dollars within the blink of an eye-lid! There are several ways and means, by which you can use an expired domain name to make big gains. You can either develop a web site on one of those expired domain names or sell them as they come to you. However, you will need a very good and strong expired domain, before you can sell it to others.

• Selling expired domain name traffic: This is yet another example of setting up a strong and stable financial base with your expired domains. A large inventory of expired domain traffic means more number of people visiting your domain. Once you lay your hands on an expired domain with a known history of traffic, you can sell both the domain and the attached traffic for a lucrative profit.

Careful planning and a viable buying strategy will help you buy a good and meaningful expired domain name that can become a big money-spinner in the times to come.