Archive for the ‘Domains’ category

Flipping Websites vs Flipping Domains

October 27th, 2009

Flipping Websites vs Flipping Domains

Flipping websites and flipping domain names are both profitable ways to make some money online. While the concept is similar the actual practice of flipping websites is quite different from flipping domains.

Flipping websites is usually a longer-term and more profitable endeavor. On the other hand domain flipping yields less in the way of profits, but it can be quicker and requires less technical knowledge than flipping websites.

Spotting a valuable domain name is not easy. Here are three things (among many) that domain buyers should consider: the domain age, domain length and also domain extension. If you’ve got a domain with less than four characters, then you are onto something that will sell to someone. In fact every single four letter domain combination has been registered in the .COM tld.

As the internet gets more and more popular, good domain names are becoming harder to find. As a result it’s next to impossible to register a new domain name that really is exceptional, so instead if you want to flip domain names you should consider looking at drop-lists for names that are about to be de-registered.

Drop-lists are filled with thousands of domains that are about to be ‘dropped’ from the registrar’s database, as a ‘domainer’ or domain flipper it’s up to you to go through the list and separate the good from the bad. Look at page rank, domain age and back links to discover whether or not the domain’s worth anything, but be aware that there are also many other people doing exactly the same thing.

Once you’ve found some profitable domains it’s up to you to place back orders. If you’re lucky you may just win the domain, but more likely than not someone has already beaten you to it. A good domain name can sell for a small fortune and in the past domains have sold for millions. It all depends on what people are willing to pay.

Regardless of what people say, flipping works and it can generate a substantial income if you can show commitment and passion in this highly expert field. It’s not for beginners or those that think they can make a lot of money in a short period of time, so before you start flipping anything make sure to know your market, because it can be a very expensive investment if you start to make the wrong mistakes.

The bottom line for any form of flipping is that they can all be profitable. It’s simply a case of knowing what people are willing to pay for an item.

Authenticating Domain Ownership

October 23rd, 2009

Authenticating Domain Ownership

When it comes to buying or selling any website regardless of whether or not it is to flip, one of the most important first steps is to verify who the website actually belongs to. This can be easier said than done these days thanks to services such as DomainsByProxy, but it’s actually a relatively straight forward task if you know what you’re doing.

The first thing you need to do is to check the WHOIS registry. One of the best things to do is to use Domain Tools. Domain Tools lets you find out the three most important things about a domain name being the current owner, previous owners and also any recent changes in web host or name server.

You might be wondering why it’s important to know these details, and the truth is it’s ordinarily not but when it comes to buying a website, you need to take every precaution to make sure that what you’re buying really does belong to you. The consequences of buying a hacked website mean that you lose out on your money, and in a few weeks you possibly get taken to court.

By checking the name server history on a site such as Domain Tools you can verify that the domain hasn’t been pointed elsewhere. If you see that the domain name has just recently changed ownership or the DNS server has changed, make sure to query the owner as it could be a sign that the ‘owner’ isn’t quite who they say they are.

One of the best ways to ensure a safe transaction is to be thoroughly vigilant. These days there are numerous websites becoming victims to hack attacks. If you have any cause for concern, then don’t go ahead with the sale. If the domain does look authentic and the owner appears who they say they are, also be wary that you may be buying from a disgruntled ex or someone with a grudge against the real owner. Use an escrow service for anything that’s going to involve money and most importantly before you hand anything over, make sure to see some evidence on paper.

Lastly, trademarked domain names are an important issue. If you are about to buy a website that has a domain name which uses another companies trademark, no matter what the seller tells you, you are breaking trademark law and the most likely reason the site is up for sale is that the previous owner has already been issued with a cease and desist letter, alongside an order to delete the domain name.

Copyright law states that any domain name using a company’s trademark belongs to that company. Facebooktips.com is a violation, microsofttips.com is another violation, and googlesucks.com is another. Make sure to check these issues first, and if a domain appears to be a trademark violation, don’t buy.

Buying a new website isn’t as hard as it sounds, and whilst you do need to be constantly vigilant, the best piece of advice we can give is to make sure that you know what you’re getting yourself into. Once again, the golden rule here is that if it looks too good to be true, chances are it really is.