Are you interested in investing in domain names, or looking for resources to help you grow or manage your domains portfolio? Well, you’re in the right place! The domain investor resources below can help you get started or level up your domaining.
What is a domain investor?
First things first: a domain investor — aka domainer — is someone who thinks of domains as commodities. A domainer registers domain names deemed valuable, with the goal to sell the names to interested third parties.
Related: 5 tried-and-true tips for buying and selling domain names for profit
Domain investor resources
So, what domain investor resources should you have in your domainer arsenal? Here is a list of different resources and what you can expect when using them.
Bulk domain search
Why spend hours searching for each domain name individually when you can search for up to 500 domain names at a time?
Bulk domain search is especially great for searching those niche names and phrases that might have similar or creative spellings that are recognizable to the public — as well as those who are looking to turn over larger numbers of domain names to build and maintain a quicker more comprehensive inventory.
It’s the ideal way to weed through domain names that might already be owned, might not be available for other reasons, or that just might not be the most sought after.
WHOIS
This handy tool helps you locate information regarding important domain data, including availability, ownership and expiration.
Having all of this information in one place minimizes research time and provides you with the detailed general information needed to plan a strategy for each domain possibility.
This information is valuable when determining whether or not a domain name will be available anytime soon, or if the owner has had the particular name for a long time and the chance of it becoming available are minimal — so you can change your strategy and focus, if need be.
Domain value appraisal
If you’re unsure of the value of a particular domain, a good domain value appraisal tool provides access to expert opinions regarding the worth of a specific domain, free of charge.
Experts review potential domain names for their consumer interest, availability, SEO rankings and an assortment of other factors that make a domain name worth buying.
Domain broker service
Once you have your mind made up that you want a specific domain for your portfolio, a domain broker service will help you acquire those domains that might be owned or tied up by someone else.
And they will do it in a manner that accommodates your particular budget and circumstance.
A domain broker is one of those domain investor resources that can save a domain investor a lot of money — by doing the haggling for them. A broker will have the facts and information needed regarding a particular domain purchase to acquire the preferred domain name at a reasonable cost allowing the domainer to potentially make a profit when it is sold.
Domain transfer
Once you have your domain inventory and are ready to start making some sales, a domain transfer tool allows you to transfer a domain name you own to another owner quickly and efficiently.
Bulk domain transfer
For those who are heavily invested in their domain inventory and turning over a high volume of sales, this bulk domain transfer resource allows you to transfer as many as 500 domains at one time, cutting down on time involved with completing large numbers of domain transfers.
This is one of the best domain investor resources, especially when you consider that there are numerous extensions for every domain name (i.e. dot.com, dot.org, dot.net) and as mentioned you will want to capture all formats to keep your inventory viable and profitable.
GoDaddy Cash Parking
One way to make those slower-moving domain names in your inventory work for is to create a basic one-page website using the inventoried domain name that is marked for sale. You generate a small monthly fee while also exposing the ownable website to a wider view of potential buyers.
Using these slow-moving domain names as advertising platforms will bring in a passive income through monthly sales fees that can be very profitable when done in bulk — and that’s why CashParking is one of those indispensable domain investor resources.
As a sales tool when marketing your advertising space to companies without websites, explain that the site click count will provide the advertiser with an overall idea of the traffic that the name and its variations attract organically. Follow-up by providing a few tried and true ideas for increasing the volume of viewers.
Domain backorder
Just because a domain is not available at the time you originally research it does NOT mean it won’t become available at one point or another. This is where persistence pays off (as long as you don’t become a site-stalker or spam marketer in the process).
A great monitoring tool for staying on top of your unavailable conquest lists is the domain backorder list.
By placing your name on the list, you will be notified in order when the name becomes available.
It’s wise to keep an additional spreadsheet of those domains that you are waiting to become available and periodically check to see if they are still taken. Since domain names are typically registered for a year at a time, include all discoverable information regarding the domain registration such as date domain was registered, type of business using the domain, owner, any lapses in ownership, changes in ownership, etc.
By doing so, you will be able to more effectively target when to look at each name should the unthinkable happen and you forget to add yourself to a domain backorder list.
Auctions
Domain auctions are an excellent way to purge longstanding inventory while helping out cash flow.
From a more lucrative angle, auctions can provide public access to higher sought-after domain names triggering competition when determining the sought-after domain’s actual value versus perceived value.
Auctions also provide a wider captive audience when trying to sell domain names that might be less sought after.
GoDaddy Discount Domain Club
Another great way to keep overhead at a minimum is by using domain investor resources to get a discount, such as with GoDaddy Discount Domain Club.
This site in particular not only offers industry-low prices on transfers, renewals and new domains, creating year-round domain savings.
It includes free membership into GoDaddy Auction and CashParking Premium starting your investment out almost $18 ahead through lower overhead costs.
Other domain investor resources
For starters, domain conferences are a great domain investor resources for networking, keeping up with new and improved tools, and staying abreast of changes in the extremely fast-paced internet domain industry.
A domainer can stay up to date on industry standards, changes and domain news by subscribing to domainer news, publications and topic-related blog sites. Two good publication resources are:
There are also domain investor resources on YouTube that cover many different aspects and methodologies of running a domain investing business, along with forums and social media groups focused on domain investing — the challenges, tips, pitfalls, and successes that other domain investors have already traversed to give new-comers a leg up in an often misunderstood business.
Domain Name Wire recommends that any new or current domain investor who might be stumbling through the process read the informative first-hand article by an experienced NYC-based domain investor that provides an overview of the successes and challenges he went through while building his business.
Another great resource for any domain investor is this domain investing guide. This handy resource provides information regarding:
- Buying and selling domain names
- Evaluating and appraising domain names
- Regulatory and legal issues
- Other information regarding domain name investing
That makes it the ideal all-encompassing guide for those details that might not be readily thought of by anyone running their own domain investing business.
In addition, NamePros.com’s blog article “10 Best Free Resources for a Domain Investor” lists several popular and reputable resources for tracking expired domains, watching training videos, keep up on industry news, and follow auction updates.
Speaking of websites, check out other domain investor resources such as:
- NamePros.com — Provides updates, industry insider information, forums, news and a host of other tips and tools.
- ExpiredDomains.net — Minimizes the amount of time spent reviewing domains that you are waiting to expire with daily updated expired domain listings, easy to use search tools, and aftermarket listings.
- DomainSherpa.com — A free one-stop-shop for videos, updates, insights and interviews with developers, end-users, SEO experts and domain investors.
- Domaining.com — Considered the domain investing go-to website by many industry insiders because of its many resources, up-to-date news, and blog articles, as well as a variety of other useful resources.
The information these sites offer can save domain investors time and money by eliminating wasted time monitoring potential domains that might already be taken. This provides valuable information about the industry and changes happening throughout the industry, offers free training resources, and minimizes the pitfalls associated with domain investing through other investor’s experience and knowledge.
For those looking for advice from others who might be struggling through the same obstacles and challenges in the domain investor industry, dynadot.com’s community page is a great domain investor resource. It gives domainers the chance to interact, discuss common issues, work through specific challenges together, and network with other domainers efficiently.
And if the above domain investor resources are not enough, check out Que.com’s article “Domain Investor Resources”.
This blog listicle includes domain tool resources from bloggers, investors, web-hosting companies, registration information, escrow services, after-market and auction information among other industry-related resources.
Did those domain investor resources help?
Domain investing is a high-yield business, when done correctly. And having the correct domain investor resources is vital to anyone, whether you are a new start-up or have been in the business for years.
So, before you dive into randomly investing in an inventory of domain names, do your homework, gather your domain investor resources, and establish a plan of action.
That will direct your investments in an already proven direction rather than haphazardly gathering domains that might not be a profitable investment. And when you’re ready to begin building your investment portfolio, tap into the power of domain investing tools to start, grow and manage your domaining venture.
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