Safe Domain Name Transactions

After reading an excruciatingly long thread on DNForum that deals with allegations of scamming, stolen domain names, missing funds…etc, I wanted to share some general advice when buying and selling domain names. The advice I give is only based on how I personally do business, and I recommend using an attorney if that makes you more comfortable.

Before I purchase a domain name, I always check the Whois history to make sure the name looks like it is free and clear of problems. Frequent changes in ownership, different/inconsistent email addresses or phone numbers, and incorrect-sounding information always ring bells in my head and requires further checking. I also like to search using Google and the domain forums to see if the name has ever been in a dispute or had “issues.” Because I mostly (more…)

Importance of Keyword Searches for Domain Buying

When buying a keyword domain name, it is important to know how many people search daily for the keywords that make up the domain name. You might have the most targeted website for the keywords, rank number one in the search engines and have the best website design, but if nobody is searching for those keywords on a frequent basis, it will be difficult to earn a return on your investment.

Many people reference Google’s search results to cite how much information exists for certain keywords. While Google will show how many times the keyword is mentioned on the Internet, it fails to show how many people are actually searching for it. Using Google for this can be misleading, because there can be much more information about a topic than people searching for it.

The Overture search tool  was a good indicator of the number of searches that were performed monthly but Yahoo has eliminated that tool.  I’ve used Wordtracker and KeywordDiscovery before and both offer good indications of what keywords people search. If you own the domain name of these keywords, you have a strong search engine optimization advantage over everyone else. Once you upload relevant content and have someone optimize your site, you could see an increase in revenue.

Lease to Own a Domain Name

I was giving advice to someone today about buying a domain name that is currently generating significant parking revenue. The owner is using a min-site with Adsense to generate this revenue (we’ll say $5,000 annually for the sake of this post), and the potential buyer thinks he could earn much more if he develops it further. The owner’s asking price is steeper than the buyer is willing to spend (let’s say $100,000), but I think the  buyer can get creative with his offer in an effort to strike a deal.

In a situation like this, I think a lease-to-own offer would be (more…)