Technology Toolkit

It is no secret that economic times are tight, and it is quite possible that no group is more profoundly affected than small business owners. Every penny counts these days, and it is important that every investment yield a significant return. So in this economic situation, why would you even consider paying top dollar for a premium domain name?

The answer is that premium domain names, also called simple domain names, can make a huge difference for your business.

What is a premium domain name, you ask? A premium domain name is a domain name that was registered at one time but is now available again. Shrewd business owners bought up the most intuitively-named domains long ago such as pizza(dot)com and flowers(dot)com. But owners of these domain names are now willing to part with them for the right price. Some domain names have gone for as much as $7 million, but many are available for anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

Given the amount that a domain name can cost, why would you choose to pay for a premium domain name? Here are 3 reasons.

1. Instant Branding. When you use a premium domain name, you automatically brand yourself. Not only will your domain name be a breeze to remember, but people will instantly associate your product with your name. If your domain name is vodka(dot)com, you would not need to spend much time trying to educate your potential customers about the nature of your product.

2. Increase Search Engine Ranking. Search engines take into account the relevance of your domain name to your product or service, so the easier it is to associate your domain name to your product, the higher your search engine ranking will be.

3. Increased Traffic. Direct navigation occurs when an internet user types a search word directly into the browser address line rather than using a search engine. So if a person types shoes.com into the address line, comes up with your website, and clicks the link to your site, that user has navigated directly to your site. As you might imagine, having a premium domain name can make a huge difference in the amount of traffic that comes to your site via direct navigation. And you did not spend a single penny on marketing that would direct that user to your site!
When you consider the fact that 80% of adults in the United States use the internet regularly, it seems like a good investment to spend whatever it takes to purchase a premium domain name.

If you are a small business owner, consider the possibility of purchasing a premium domain name and set some of your marketing budget aside to do so. Go to the website register.com to see if there is a domain name available that is relevant to your product or service, and then do some research to see what kind of return on your investment you might see if you purchase that domain name. If this kind of research seems overwhelming, consider consulting an internet marketing professional to help you determine whether a premium domain name is a worthwhile investment for your business. An internet marketing professional can also help you access search tools that will tell you which domain names will benefit you the most.

Although it seems like a big investment, purchasing a premium domain name can make a huge difference in the success of your business. A premium domain name will allow you to cut down on marketing spending in the long run, it will increase your search engine rankings, and it will help potential customers associate your business with your name. Consider the investment. It may be well worth it!

As an expired domain trader looking for a good domain name, you may face a number of difficulties and challenges like fierce competition, lightening quick registration by your competitors and exorbitantly higher buying prices. To avoid all these hassles and to buy very good names, you can use a number of domain backordering models offered by well known backordering services. Here are some of the famous and recognized domain backordering models made available by backordering firms:

First Model that offers services by individual and separate registrars:

Some well-known registrars offer this model by refusing to delete the expiring domain name especially at stage 2. However, they may assign a particular name to an individual, who has paid the required fee to backorder the domain. Examples of registrars are: GoDaddy and eNom.

Second Model that offers services with the help of Coordinated Registrars:

This model offers a single window, application point for backordering a domain by multi-registrars. You may need to submit a request through SnapName web portal which eventually works with the registrar of a particular domain just before the final deletion. Examples of registrars are: Network Solutions.

Third Model that offers services with the help of the Registry:

All of us know that VeriSign controls the registry and it has the power to guarantee that any names deleted at stage 2 is redistributed to an interested buyer, who has registered to VeriSign’s much hyped Waiting List Service or WLS. Any ICAAN registered and approved registrars can offer this service. It offers you two distinctive parameters when compared to a standard registrar type of model.

a) First, registrars offer this to those people, who can opt to offer a particular domain to their customers.

b) Second, only the registry has the complete control over the names that reside in the third stage.

Tip: If there are no pending backorder requests for any domains forwarded through WLS, the said name will advance to the fourth stage after which dedicated software can grab it for immediate purchase.

Fourth Model that offers services by using automated registration software:

You can capture those domains that pass the registry at sixth stage. Using good software, you can send electronic requests for registering a domain with the help of an ICAAN accredited registrar. However, this is perhaps the most famous model that poses you several challenges that concerns how quickly you are grabbing an expired domain name. With good software, you can post simultaneous requests at the same time.

Fifth Model that offers you service by using a Multi-model Strategy:

To enhance your chances of winning a good domain name, you may need to use all the above mentioned strategies and models by subscribing to respective services. However, a number of expired domain name traders are approaching VeriSign to use their WLS service to bypass the registrars, who always delete expiring domain names paid and registered through them, provided there is not backorder requests made against those domains. All these models require considerable amount of skills and dedication from you, before you can grab a good expiring domain name.