Find savvy domains easily
With over 60 million domains currently registered, it can be daunting
to try to find the right domain — one that will drive quality traffic to your
Website or parked domain. But how can you ensure you”re making the right decision when you purchase
registered and expired domains? Do your research and you’ll feel confident in
your purchase. In this article, I’ll explain the tools and techniques domain pros use to
determine, or at least reasonably guesstimate how much, and what type, of
traffic a domain receives. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to predict
approximately how much money a given domain will make, and thus gain a better
understanding of the domain’s true value. We’ll discuss three methods for
evaluating the traffic a domain receives:
*Trackers/Direct Methods
*Predictors/Indirect Methods
*Traffic Source
The educated buyer always comes out ahead so read the following to unlock the mysteries
of domain traffic and learn how to determine scientifically if a domain is
really worth the price.
*Trackers/Direct Methods
*Predictors/Indirect Methods
*Traffic Source
.Developed Website.
Traffic counting scripts are one of the simplest and most reliable methods
for determining traffic to a developed Website. Many free professional
statistics programs are available. These can be integrated easily into site
html codes to give buyers the additional reassurance of a 3rd party verified system.
Most trackers will provide sellers with even more info, such as top referrers,
the geographic and chronological breakdown of visitors, and much more.
.Parked Domains…If a domain name is parked, the
parking program may make traffic statistics available automatically through the
domain’s sales listing page. For example, if at the time this article was written,
the traffic attracted by the parked domain, and a site about
uk/united kingdom/leeds/yorkshire
could also be viewed on the domain’s sale page.
Developed Website
Traffic counting scripts are one of the simplest and most reliable methods
for determining traffic to an already developed Website. Many free professional
statistics programs are available. These can be integrated fairly easily into any Website
code to give buyers the additional reassurance of a 3rd-party-verified system.
Most trackers will provide sellers even more information, such as top referrers,
the geographic and chronological breakdown of visitors, and more.
Parked Domains…If a domain name is parked, the
parking program may make traffic statistics available automatically through the
domain’s sales listing page. For example, at the time this article was written,
the traffic attracted by the parked domain, and a
uk website
could be viewed on the domain’s sale page.
It’s worth noting that the visitor count can be manipulated by malevolent
sellers, but in general, parked domain visitor stats serve as a very helpful
guideline for potential buyers.
Alexa.com…Alexa ranks web sites based on the
number of visitors they receive. For example, at the time this article was
written, Yahoo.com ranked first, while blue.com ranked at 212,093 and camera.com
at 717,298. These rankings are based on data derived from Alexa’s toolbar users.
Translating these numbers into unique views, Camera.com received over 10,000
unique views in the month of September while Blue.com received over 70,000
uniques. (Statistics from Sedo.com).
I wouldn’t recommend relying exclusively on any of these tricks as a
bulletproof way to guesstimate traffic. However, taken as a whole, they can shine a bit of light on the question of
whether or not a domain will receive valuable traffic.
Overture Searches…Yahoo! Search Marketing’s
Keyword Selector Tool (known to many of us as Overture) tells you how often a
given keyword was searched on the Yahoo! network. For example, “Yahoo” was
searched 17,858,229 times in September 2005, while “Blue” was searched 178,124
times.
Naturally, a domain name that contains a highly-searched keyword is more likely to
receive traffic. However, the Overture Tool’s usefulness goes beyond that: if
you use the exact domain name (with extension) as the keyword, Overture results
can be used as a predictor for whether or not a domain name receives traffic.
For example, “Yahoo.com” was searched over 11 million times in September,
according to Overture. Our comparison sites fared as follows: “Blue.com” was
searched 794 times, while “Camera.com” was searched 258 times.
Research has shown that Overture searches do sometimes have a rough
correlation with traffic (especially type-in traffic), but as with other
methods, there are many exceptions to the rule.
Traffic Source…If you are wanting to better understand something, go to the
source. This aphorism applies to domain traffic just as well as it does to other
information. Thus, in addition to using the above methods to guesstimate the
quantity of traffic a given domain receives, you may want to use these
techniques to try to determine the source of that traffic.
Traffic source will affect the longevity and conversion of the traffic. In
simpler terms, it will have huge impactts on how much money the domain will
make.
Link Popularity…A web site or formerly-developed
domain name may receive traffic from old incoming links and directory listings.
There are many online tools for checking link popularity; Marketleap.com offers
one of the best tools.
The important thing to look for here is not the quantity of links, but their
quality. A single link from a major web site may be worth thousands of links
from smaller sites. The longevity of link traffic varies widely: a link from a
news article may generate a flurry of traffic that lasts only a week, while a
directory listing may continue to generate steady traffic for years. Another
similar tool worth checking out is URLtrends.com.
.Search Engine Listings…Search engine listings are
a major source of traffic count for many sites. You can guesstimate how much search
engine-engine-derived traffic a web site receives by looking at its “search engine
saturation”. This is an indicator of how often the domain appears in the various
search engine indexes. Again, Marketleap offers an excellent tool for
evaluating search engine saturation.
Just keep in mind that it’s also important to look at how high the site is
listed and how often the keyword is searched. And don’t forget that search
engine listings change frequently, so if this is the primary source of traffic,
expect fluctuations!
Paid Fluctuations…Some traffic may be coming from
PPC advertisements, exit popups or banner ads that the seller has bought. This
is the shortest-lived traffic, because as soon as you buy the domain, the seller
stops paying for the ads! The best way to determine traffic origin is to ask the
seller about traffic sources and view the traffic logs. To ensure the logs are
not modified, ask for access to the logs instead of screenshot of the
statistics.
Without access to the logs, it can be difficult to determine if a domain is
receiving paid traffic, but a smart domain buyer will look for a few key pieces
of evidence: do the domain statistics align with the Alexa ranking and the
number of incoming links? For example, a domain that receives a couple hundred
views a day, and has no Alexa ranking and very few incoming links from
low-traffic sites may likely receive paid traffic. But don’t discount such
domains out of hand: they may be receiving typo-traffic, or may even be a seasonal domain (such as one related to the World
Series).
Expired Traffic…If a domain was formerly
developed, some users may continue to visit because of old links and references,
or simply because they remember the actual name of the domain. This traffic may continue for
years, but naturally, it decreases over time.
If it’s not possible to speak with the current owner about the past
development of the site, a few simple searches can help. In particular, use the
hints above to examine the types of sites that link to the domain. With that
information, you may be able to get some idea of the type of traffic that’s
visiting the domain in search of old content. After the content is removed, many
of the links will be updated or removed and this traffic will eventually dwindle
or expire.
.Typos -n- Variations…Don’t ignore traffic that’s
diverted to the domain name as a result of typos from other high traffic sites.
Check out the traffic that flows to similar or mistyped domains using the tools
above. Also consider traffic generated from variations of names, such as an
abbreviated form of your domain name, or an acronym. If these domains experience
high volumes of visitors, there is just as much of a possibility that this will translate to
high traffic levels for similar sites.
Alexa can be useful tool for doing this — it offers a feature that lists
other web sites that visitors of a given domain also visit. For example, an
Alexa search on: social bookmarking
shows that many visitors to these types of domains also visit other
social
networking websites.
Find the Right Domain…Traffic is crucial for any revenue generating
business on the Web. Finding the right domain with targeted traffic can take
your business — and profits — to new heights. If you haven’t quite had the
time to build that web site, simply park your domains, let your parking company
place relevant advertisements on the domains’ pages, and sit back and monetize
the traffic. Use the tools listed above to determine domain traffic and never
make a wrong buying decision again.
How to Choose and Register Your Own Domain Name
In order to register a domain name you have to use the services of a domain name registrar. The organization responsible for providing standards and procedures for certifying companies as domain name registrars is the ICAAN. The domain name industry is regulated and overseen by this organization.
When it comes to the InterNIC servers only one domain name registrar is permitted. The registers determines the fee for you and some of them have unique domain name.
Domain names can be used for branding purposes, and also you use a domain name to create an identity on the Web. You must come up with a domain name that will catch people’s attention. You can use your business name as your URL. If the name of your company is currently in use, then obtain a URL name similar to what your business is. Purchasing a business name domain name isn’t the only way to go, and when a keyword domain name could do just fine.
The URL of your businesses website has a great effect on online and offline marketing. So, use your common sense when you choose your domain name. Domain names that are complicated for any reason can drive people away from your site. Short domain names register better with people’s memory and are easy to remember.
First you pick a domain name and then you register the name with an official registrar. A one time only set up charge will probably be included in the fee for the technical work that needs to be completed. For your Web site hosting you could pay your provider in a monthly, semi-annual or annual fee.
Most domain registrar services have tools available for you to get your web site set up and running quickly.
It will be much more better if you purchase a .com domain name instead of a .info, .net, .biz or other. If your chosen domain name is not available in a .com, keep looking until you find one that isn’t taken. Having a .net (or another extension) website is not a bad thing. It’s just that .com extension sounds like you’ve been on the net a long time.
One strategy for staying ahead of your competitors is to investigate how long they have had their domain names registered. If your domain name expires, there’s a good chance that someone will register your domain name immediately after it expires. If you lock your domain name down with a long-term renewal, you push off its expiration for a while, keeping those who jump at the chance to scoop up expired domains at bay.
Keep in mind that your domain name is an extension of your business. Internet marketing will give you better results as long as you pay attention and practice what I’ve told you in this article.
Finding high traffic and high PR domains
With over 60 million domains currently registered, it can be daunting
to try to find the right domain — one that will drive quality traffic to your
Website or parked domain. But how can you ensure you”re making the right decision when you purchase
registered and expired domains? Do your research and you’ll feel confident in
your purchase. In this article, I’ll explain the tools and techniques domain pros use to
determine, or at least reasonably guesstimate how much, and what type, of
traffic a domain receives. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to predict
approximately how much money a given domain will make, and thus gain a better
understanding of the domain’s true value. We’ll discuss three methods for
evaluating the traffic a domain receives:
*Trackers/Direct Methods
*Predictors/Indirect Methods
*Traffic Source
The educated buyer always comes out ahead, so read on to unlock the mysteries
of domain traffic and learn how to determine scientifically if a domain is
really worth buying.
Trackers/Direct Methods…
Ideally, you could skip all of the guesswork and find out how much traffic a
domain receives directly from the domain owner. The easiest way to do this is
simply to ask the seller. However, the seller may make a mistake (or simply be
dishonest), so it’s always a good idea to double-check the numbers using one or
more of the following methods.
Developed Website…
Traffic counting scripts are one of the simplest and most reliable methods
for determining traffic to a developed Website. Many free professional
statistics programs are available. These can be integrated easily into Website
code to give buyers the additional reassurance of a third-party-verified system.
Most trackers will provide sellers even more information, such as top referrers,
the geographic and chronological breakdown of visitors, and more.
.Parked Domains…If a domain name is parked, the
parking program may make traffic statistics available automatically through the
domain’s sales listing page. For example, if at the time this article was written,
the traffic attracted by the parked domain, and a site about
uk/united kingdom/leeds/yorkshire
could also be viewed on the domain’s sale page.
It’s worth noting that visitor numbers can be manipulated by malevolent
sellers, but in general, parked domain visitor stats serve as a needed
guideline for potential buyers.
.Predictors/Indirect Methods…What should you do if a domain is not parked
and the owner will not or cannot provide you with visitor statistics? Fortunately, a
few handy tricks can be used to help you get a rough indication of whether or
not a domain receives any traffic.
I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on any of these tricks as a
bullet-proof way to guesstimate traffic. However, taken as a whole (and with a
hefty spoonful of salt), they can shine a bit of light on the question of
whether or not a domain will receive valuable traffic.
.Alexa.com…Alexa ranks web sites based on the
number of visitors they receive. For example, at the time this article was
written, Yahoo.com ranked first, while blue.com ranked at 212,093 and camera.com
at 717,298. These rankings are based on data derived from Alexa’s toolbar users.
Translating these numbers into unique views, skechy.com received over 10,000
unique views in the month of Sept. while all4uk.com received over 70,000
uniques. (Statistics source: Sedo.com).
Many high-traffic domain names will receive an Alexa ranking just from their
type-in traffic. In general, an Alexa ranking under 1,000,000 for an undeveloped
site is a good indicator that the domain receives decent traffic (e.g. several
thousand monthly uniques). Rankings over a million are less reliable, but
usually any sort of Alexa ranking means the domain receives at least some
traffic. As with all of these methods, Alexa should be used as a guideline only:
sometimes even domains for which Alexa returns “No Data” (too low to rank) will
still receive traffic. Ranking.com offers a tool that’s similar to Alexa’s.
Overture Searches…Yahoo! Search Marketing’s
Keyword Selector Tool (known to many of us as Overture) tells you how often a
given keyword was searched on the Yahoo! network. For example, “Yahoo” was
searched 17,858,229 times in September 2005, while “Blue” was searched 178,124
times.
So of course, a domain name that contains a highly-searched keyword is more likely to
receive traffic. However, the Overture Tool’s usefulness goes beyond that: if
you use the exact domain name (with extension) as the keyword, Overture results
can be used as a predictor for whether or not a domain name receives traffic.
For example, “Yahoo.com” was searched over 11 million times in September,
according to Overture. Our comparison sites fared as follows: “Blue.com” was
searched 794 times, while “Camera.com” was searched 258 times.
Research shows that Overture searches do usually have a rough
correlation with traffic (especially type-in traffic), but as with other
methods, there are many exceptions to the rule.
Traffic Source…If you are wanting to better understand something, go to the
source. This aphorism applies to domain traffic just as well as it does to other
information. Thus, in addition to using the above methods to guesstimate the
quantity of traffic a given domain receives, you may want to use these
techniques to try to determine the source of that traffic.
Research has shown that Overture searches do sometimes have a rough
correlation with traffic (especially type-in traffic), but as with other
methods, there are many exceptions to the rule.
Traffic Source…If you want to better understand something, go to the
source. This aphorism applies to domain traffic just as well as it does to other
information. Thus, in addition to using the above methods to guesstimate the
quantity of traffic a given domain receives, you may want to use these
techniques to try to determine the source of that traffic.
Traffic source will affect the longevity and conversion of the traffic. In
simpler terms, it will have a huge impact on how much money the domain will
make.
Link Popularity…A web site or formerly-developed
domain name may receive traffic from old incoming links and directory listings.
There are many online tools for checking link popularity; Marketleap.com offers
one of the best tools.
The important thing to look for here is not the quantity of links, but their
quality. A single link from a major web site may be worth thousands of links
from smaller sites. The longevity of link traffic varies widely: a link from a
news article may generate a flurry of traffic that lasts only a week, while a
directory listing may continue to generate steady traffic for years. Another
similar tool worth checking out is URLtrends.com.
Search Engine Listings…Search engine listings are
a major source of traffic for many sites. You can guesstimate how much search
engine-derived traffic a web site receives by looking at its “search engine
saturation”. This is an indicator of how often the domain appears in the various
search engine indexes. Again, Marketleap.com offers an excellent tool for
evaluating search engine saturation.
Just keep in mind that it’s also important to look at how high the site is
listed and how often the keyword is searched. And don’t forget that search
engine listings change frequently, so if this is the primary source of traffic,
expect fluctuations!
Paid Fluctuations…Some traffic may be coming from
PPC advertisements, exit popups or banner ads that the seller has bought. This
is the shortest-lived traffic, because as soon as you buy the domain, the seller
stops paying for the ads! The best way to determine traffic origin is to ask the
seller about traffic sources and view the traffic logs. To ensure the logs are
not modified, ask for access to the logs instead of screenshot of the
statistics.
Without access to the logs, it can be difficult to determine if a domain is
receiving paid traffic, but a smart domain buyer will look for a few key pieces
of evidence: do the domain statistics align with the Alexa ranking and the
number of incoming links? For example, a domain that receives a couple hundred
views a day, and has no Alexa ranking and very few incoming links from
low-traffic sites may likely receive paid traffic. But don’t discount such
domains out of hand: they may be receiving typo-traffic, or may even be a seasonal domain (such as one related to the World
Series).
Expired Traffic…If a domain was formerly
developed, some users may continue to visit because of old links and references,
or simply because they remember the domain name. This traffic may continue for
years, but naturally, it decreases with time.
If it’s not possible to speak with the current owner about the past
development of the site, a few simple searches can help. In particular, use the
hints above to examine the types of sites that are linking to that domain. With this
information, you may be able to get some idea of the type of traffic that’s
visiting the domain in search of old content. After the content is removed, many
of the links will be updated or removed and this traffic will eventually dwindle
or expire.
Typos -n- Variations…Don’t ignore traffic that’s
diverted to the domain name as a result of typos from other high traffic sites.
Check out the traffic that flows to similar or mistyped domains using the tools
above. Also consider traffic generated from variations of names, such as an
abbreviated form of your domain name, or an acronym. If these domains experience
high volumes of visitors, there is a possibility that this will translate to
high traffic levels for similar sites.
Alexa can be useful tool for doing this — it offers a feature that lists
other web sites that visitors of any given domain also visit. For example, an
Alexa search on: social bookmarking websitees
shows that many visitors to these types of domains also visit other
social
networking sites.
Find the Right Domain…Traffic is crucial for any revenue generating
business on the Web. Finding and choosing the right domain with targeted traffic can take
your business and -profits- to new heights. If you haven’t quite had the
time to build that web site, simply park your domains, let your parking company
place targeted advertisements on the domain’s index page, and sit back and monetize
the traffic. You can do this at sedo by taking advantage of their optimize keyword
tool. Also, use the tools listed above to determine domain traffic and never
make a wrong buying decision again.
Hit the jackpot with high PR domain names to build you site on
With over 60 million domains currently registered, it can be daunting
to try to find the right domain — one that will drive quality traffic to your
Website or parked domain. But how can you ensure you”re making the right decision when you purchase
registered and expired domains? Do your research and you’ll feel confident in
your purchase. In this article, I’ll explain the tools and techniques domain pros use to
determine, or at least reasonably guesstimate how much, and what type, of
traffic a domain receives. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to predict
approximately how much money a given domain will make, and thus gain a better
understanding of the domain’s true value. We’ll discuss three methods for
evaluating the traffic a domain receives:
*Trackers/Direct Methods
*Predictors/Indirect Methods
*Traffic Source
The educated buyer always comes out ahead, so read on to unlock the mysteries
of domain traffic and learn how to determine scientifically if a domain is
really worth buying.
.Trackers/Direct Methods…
Ideally, you could skip all of the guesswork and find out how much traffic a
domain receives directly from the domain owner. The easiest way to do this is
simply to ask the seller. However, the seller may make a mistake (or simply be
dishonest), so it’s always a good idea to double-check the numbers using one or
more of the following methods.
.Developed Website.
Traffic counting scripts are one of the simplest and most reliable methods
for determining traffic to a developed Website. Many free professional
statistics programs are available. These can be integrated easily into site
html codes to give buyers the additional reassurance of a 3rd party verified system.
Most trackers will provide sellers with even more info, such as top referrers,
the geographic and chronological breakdown of visitors, and much more.
.Parked Domains…If a domain name is parked, the
parking program may make traffic statistics available automatically through the
domain’s sales listing page. For example, if at the time this article was written,
the traffic attracted by the parked domain, and a site about
uk/united kingdom/leeds/yorkshire
could also be viewed on the domain’s sale page.
Developed Website
Traffic counting scripts are one of the simplest and most reliable methods
for determining traffic to an already developed Website. Many free professional
statistics programs are available. These can be integrated fairly easily into any Website
code to give buyers the additional reassurance of a 3rd-party-verified system.
Most trackers will provide sellers even more information, such as top referrers,
the geographic and chronological breakdown of visitors, and more.
Parked Domains…If a domain name is parked, the
parking program may make traffic statistics available automatically through the
domain’s sales listing page. For example, at the time this article was written,
the traffic attracted by the parked domain, and a
uk website
could be viewed on the domain’s sale page.
I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on any of these tricks as a
bullet-proof way to guess the amount traffic. However, taken as a whole (and with a
hefty spoonful of salt), they can shine some light on the question of
whether or not a domain will receive valuable traffic.
Alexa.com…Alexa ranks web sites based on the
number of visitors they receive. For example, at the time this article was
written, Yahoo.com ranked first, while blue.com ranked at 212,093 and camera.com
at 717,298. These rankings are based on data derived from Alexa’s toolbar users.
Translating these numbers into unique views, Camera.com received over 10,000
unique views in the month of September while Blue.com received over 70,000
uniques. (Statistics from Sedo.com).
Many high-traffic domain names will receive an Alexa ranking just from their
type-in traffic. In general, an Alexa ranking under 1,000,000 for an undeveloped
site is a good indicator that the domain receives decent traffic (e.g. several
thousand monthly uniques). Rankings over a million are less reliable, but
usually any sort of Alexa ranking means the domain receives at least some
traffic. As with all of these methods, Alexa should be used as a guideline only:
sometimes even domains for which Alexa returns “No Data” (too low to rank) will
still receive traffic. Ranking.com offers a tool that’s similar to Alexa’s.
Alexa.com…Alexa ranks web sites based on the
number of visitors they receive. For example, at the time this article was
written, Yahoo.com ranked first, while tisstiss.com ranked at 212,093 and folkk.com
at 717,298. These rankings are based on data derived from Alexa toolbar users.
Translating these numbers into unique views, allready.biz received over 10,000
unique views in the month of September while pummle.com received over 70,000
uniques. (Statistics from Sedo.com).
Many high-traffic domain names will receive an Alexa ranking just from their
type-in traffic. In general, an Alexa ranking under 1,000,000 for an undeveloped
site is a good indicator that the domain receives decent traffic (e.g. several
thousand monthly uniques). Rankings over a million are less reliable, but
usually any sort of Alexa ranking means the domain receives at least some
traffic. As with all of these methods, Alexa should be used as a guideline only:
sometimes even domains for which Alexa returns ‘No Data’ (too low to rank) will
still receive traffic. Ranking.com offers a tool that’s similar to Alexa’s.
Research has shown that Overture searches do sometimes have a rough
correlation with traffic (especially type-in traffic), but as with other
methods, there are many exceptions to the rule.
Naturally, a domain that contains a highly-searched keyword is more likely to
receive traffic. However, the Overture Tool’s usefulness goes beyond that: if
you use the exact domain name (with extension) as the keyword, Overture results
can be used as a predictor for whether or not a domain name receives traffic.
For example, ‘Yahoo.com’ was searched over 11 million times in September,
according to Overture. Our comparison sites fared as follows: ‘Blue.com’ was
searched 794 times, while ‘Camera.com’ was searched 258 times.
Research has shown that Overture searches do sometimes have a rough
correlation with traffic (especially type-in traffic), but as with other
methods, there are many exceptions to the rule.
Traffic Source…If you want to better understand something, go to the
source. This aphorism applies to domain traffic just as well as it does to other
information. Thus, in addition to using the above methods to guesstimate the
quantity of traffic a given domain receives, you may want to use these
techniques to try to determine the source of that traffic.
Traffic source will affect the longevity and conversion of the traffic. In
simpler terms, it will have a huge impact on how much money the domain will
make.
Link Popularity…A web site or formerly-developed
domain name may receive traffic from old incoming links and directory listings.
There are many online tools for checking link popularity; Marketleap.com offers
one of the best tools.
The important thing to look for here is not the quantity of links, but their
quality. A single link from a major web site may be worth thousands of links
from smaller sites. The longevity of link traffic varies widely: a link from a
news article may generate a strom of traffic that lasts only a week, while a
directory listing may continue to generate steady traffic for years. Another
similar tool worth checking out is URLtrends.com.
.Search Engine Listings…Search engine listings are
a major source of traffic count for many sites. You can guesstimate how much search
engine-engine-derived traffic a web site receives by looking at its “search engine
saturation”. This is an indicator of how often the domain appears in the various
search engine indexes. Again, Marketleap offers an excellent tool for
evaluating search engine saturation.
Just keep in mind that it’s also very important to look at how high the site is
listed and how often the keyword in the domain is searched. And don’t forget that search
engine listings change frequently, so if this is the primary source of traffic,
expect fluctuations!
Paid Fluctuations…Some traffic may be coming from
PPC advertisements, exit popups or banner ads that the seller has bought. This
is the shortest-lived traffic, because as soon as you buy the domain, the seller
stops paying for the ads! The best way to determine traffic origin is to ask the
seller about traffic sources and view the traffic logs. To ensure the logs are
not modified, ask for access to the logs instead of screenshot of the
statistics.
Without access to the logs, it can be difficult to determine if a domain is
receiving paid traffic, but a smart domain buyer will look for a few key pieces
of info: do the domain statistics align with the Alexa ranking and the
number of incoming links? For example, a domain that receives a couple of hundred
views/day, and has no Alexa ranking and very few incoming links from
low-traffic sites may likely receive paid traffic. But don’t discount such
domains out of hand: they may be receiving typo-traffic, or may even be a seasonal domain (such as one related to the World
Series).
Expired Traffic…If a domain was formerly
developed, some users may continue to visit because of old links and references,
or simply because they remember the actual name of the domain. This traffic may continue for
years, but naturally, it decreases over time.
If it’s not possible to speak with the current owner about the past
development of the site, a few simple searches can help. In particular, use the
hints above to examine the types of sites that are linking to that domain. With this
information, you may be able to get some idea of the type of traffic that’s
visiting the domain in search of old content. After the content is removed, many
of the links will be updated or removed and this traffic will eventually dwindle
or expire.
Typos -n- Variations…Don’t ignore traffic that’s
diverted to the domain name as a result of typos from other high traffic sites.
Check out the traffic that flows to similar or mistyped domains using the tools
above. Also consider traffic generated from variations of names, such as an
abbreviated form of your domain name, or an acronym. If these domains experience
high volumes of visitors, there is just as much of a possibility that this will translate to
high traffic levels for similar sites.
Alexa can be useful tool for doing this — it offers a feature that lists
other web sites that visitors of any given domain also visit. For example, an
Alexa search on: social networking website visitors
shows that many visitors to these types of domains also visit similar
social
bookmarking sites.
Find the Right Domain…Traffic is crucial for any revenue generating
business on the Web. Finding and choosing the right domain with targeted traffic can take
your business and -profits- to new heights. If you haven’t quite had the
time to build that web site, simply park your domains, let your parking company
place targeted advertisements on the domain’s index page, and sit back and monetize
the traffic. You can do this at sedo by taking advantage of their optimize keyword
tool. Also, use the tools listed above to determine domain traffic and never
make a wrong buying decision again.
Making a Wise Domain Purchase: How it Affects Your Online Busines
Your domain purchase is the first step taken in creating your new online business. The right domain name can help you achieve better search engine ranking and even brand your business but choose wrong and it could adversely affect your success.
Getting Specific Can Help
In many instances the more specific you get with your domain name in terms of keywords relating to your business the better. For example, an online business that sells only wine gift baskets should choose a domain name which reflects this. ‘Winegiftbaskets.com’ or winebaskets.com’ is likely to bring in more targeted visitors that simply ‘carolsgiftbaskets.com’.
The Long and Short of Domain Names
Generally speaking there are two routes a business owner can take when buying domain names. One is to choose the slightly longer, more descriptive long tail domain name while the other is to find a short and unique name for their website.
A long tail keyword, simply put, is a string of words used together to form a specific search phrase. The term “small business loans” is a good example of a long tail phrase. By using a long tail keyword that describes your business when making a domain purchase you greatly increase the chances of your website ranking well in the search engines for that exact phrase.
The ability to rank faster and higher for a search term that specifically describes what your business offers can mean the difference between soaring sales or an online failure for your business. So, as a business owner trying to establish his presence on the internet, buying domain names that describes your business and helps you rank well in Google is a boon to be grabbed.
On the flip side many businesses forgo the longer, more descriptive domain names in lieu of a short, catchy domain name. Geico and eBay are perfect examples of companies that have gone this route and succeeded. Their names have become synonymous with their respective products and services but this wasn’t achieved without some clever marketing.
This domination of their respective niches isn’t achieved by a smart domain purchase alone. A lot of effort must go into marketing for it to become a household name. While choosing a long tail keyword gives you an edge in the search engines initially many argue that a shorter and easier to remember name may pay off in the long run if you have the marketing talents to back it up.
What Not to Do When Buying a Domain Name
Finding a really good and available domain name is becoming more and more difficult each time another one is created and registered. In desperation for a suitable domain name some business owners make poor choices in their domain purchase that can adversely affect their business. The use of hyphens between words is one of the quickest ways to make your domain name look unprofessional, not to mention how much harder they are to remember or say aloud to potential customers.
While the .com domain name should always be your first choice when making a domain purchase when it comes to hyphens you would be better off buying the non-hyphenated .net or even .org version of the same domain name instead. If you must hyphenate do so only once between a two word domain name and not a hyphen more.
It Gets Better with Age
Just as with a fine wine, aged is often better when it comes to a buying a domain name. Buying a new domain name means you are essentially starting from square one in the eyes of the search engines and search engine placement. On the other hand older domain names often come with pre-existing backlinks from other websites and possibly PageRank, a rating system that Google uses to place importance on websites baring that domain name.
Backlinks, along with a rating system Google uses called PageRank, are likes votes of confidence for that particular domain. When you purchased expired domains all these “extra goodies” automatically come with the package. Purchasing an expired domain may cost you a little more than a new one but it is considered a wise investment in your business’ future. Yes, you will still need to market your new business but you’ll have a leg up you didn’t by buying a new domain.
Your domain name should not be a choice you make lightly. It serves as the “face” of your business to the Internet world as well as the offline world. So choose wisely and strive to make the domain purchase that will benefit your online business the most.