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Internet bonanza
Get a Great Domain Name
Looking for a memorable
Web site address? Don't
think for a moment that
all the good ones are
gone.
BY MICHAEL RUSSER
Think you missed out on
the great “land grab”
for real estate domain
names? Think again. It’s
been several years since
the rush for memorable
dot-com addresses, and
now there are some real
opportunities for those
who need a catchy domain
name to solidify their
online presence.
Not to mention, great
opportunities exist for
those who were thinking
ahead and stocked up on
great domain names at
the start of the
Internet frenzy. Now
could be the perfect
time to sell.
Turnover Widens Pool of
Names
Many businesspeople make
the assumption that all
the good domain names
are gone, so they don’t
even investigate whether
their ideal address is
available. After all,
it’s been more than a
decade since the Web
began reshaping the real
estate world. Any good
Web site address would
have been snapped up by
now, right?
Fortunately, great real
estate domain names are
coming back into the
pool of availability all
the time. Keep in mind
that hundreds of real
estate practitioners
drop out of the business
ever year. Many of these
people had purchased
domain names they no
longer need or use, so
they are simply letting
them expire.
Here are several ways
you can tap into this
supply to find your
golden real estate Web
address:
-
Just check.
Go to any domain
name registrar (my
favorite is
GoDaddy.com)
and type in your
favorite choices to
see if they’re
available. You may
be surprised to see
what comes up. If
your top choices are
not available, don’t
stop there.
Registrars usually
allow you to see who
owns those domain
names and when
they’ll expire. If
the expiration date
is less than a year
away, and a bit of
further research
reveals the owner is
no longer in real
estate (a quick
Google search can
give you an
indication), then
you have a chance of
getting it as soon
as it becomes
available.
-
Back order it.
If you want to
dramatically
increase your
chances of acquiring
a
soon-to-be-expiring
domain, you can back
order it. Many
registrars give you
the ability to back
order a domain that
is currently owned
by someone else. For
example, GoDaddy.com
charges $18.95 to
monitor the status
of any domain name.
When the domain name
expires, it enters a
grace period that
can last anywhere
from two weeks to
one year, depending
upon the registrar.
The monitoring
service will then
attempt to register
it in your name.
-
Browse expired
lists.
Web sites such as
JustDropped.com
let you browse lists
of domain names that
are about to be put
back into the
available pool. It
lets you search by
keywords so you
don’t have strain
you eyes looking for
anything that might
be valuable to your
business.
-
Domain auctions.
There are lots of
domain name auction
sites available, too
many to list here.
For example,
GoDaddy.com has a
Domain Name
Aftermarket business
that allows you to
bid or make offers
on existing domains.
They are listed in
categories. As of
mid-January, it had
over 25,000 domains
available in the
real estate
category. You will
find the prices all
over the map with
some as low as $5
and others more than
$20,000. It’s worth
checking out.
-
Lease it.
You don’t have to
buy a domain name to
benefit from its
use. Domain leasing
is based on the
principle that many
people simply type
in the domain name
for the type of
product or service
they’re interested
in. Then, they’re
redirected to your
site, giving you
extra traffic. For
example, if you
specialize in
Hollywood real
estate, you may find
that
hollywoodrealestate.com
is available for
lease (which it
actually was until
someone leased it).
If you leased it,
whenever prospects
type in
www.hollywoodrealestate.com,
they would be sent
to your site.
You typically pay a
fixed monthly fee
based on the
anticipated traffic.
Think of this as a
sophisticated form
of pay-per-click,
except that you pay
a flat fee rather
than a per-click
cost. One domain
leasing site that
specializes in real
estate domains,
LeaseThis.com,
also offers to wrap
an appropriately
designed branded
version of the
leased domain name
location around your
site. To see an
example, go to
www.hollywoodrealestate.com
at the top you’ll
see the branded
domain name being
leased, underneath
is the site of the
company that leased
it.
Leasing is smart for
several reasons.
Since you don’t own
the name, this
approach creates a
clear separation
between your brand
and that of the
domain name. So when
you’re ready to
terminate your
lease, it doesn’t
affect the branding
of your own site.
(Tip: Never brand
your site using a
leased domain name,
but always with one
you own.) Also, you
can use it as a
listing tool;
Imagine going on a
listing appointment
for a property in
Hollywood and having
the prospective
seller type in
“www.hollywoodrealestate.com”
and see your site
come up this way.
Their perception is
likely that you
“own” that space.
Have a Domain to Sell?
If you’re one of the
many people who went a
little overboard during
the domain-name purchase
frenzy days, don’t
worry. There are several
ways to turn your hoard
of domains into a
monthly cash cow.
Some people have a few
dozen domain names
sitting idle, while
others purchased
literally hundreds, and
in some cases, thousands
of domain names. Here’s
what you can do to turn
dormant domains into
cash:
-
Cash Parking.
Some registrars give
you the ability to
“cash park” your
domains in such a
way that they
generate monthly
revenue. Here’s how
it works. Let’s say
you own the domain
“www.yourcityrealestate.com”
and “yourcity” is
the name of a city
other than where you
list and sell, so it
is of no direct use
to your business.
You can cash park
this domain through
GoDaddy.com for
$9.99 a month. When
someone types in “yourcityrealestate.com,”
the GoDaddy.com
servers create a
special page filled
with links to other
related sites, all
of which pay for
each click
generated. You get
to keep 80 percent
of the pay-per-click
revenue off your
cash parked domain.
In the examples
GoDaddy.com
provides, you’ll
generate about $8
per month in net
revenue for each
domain name that’s
cash parked with
them. Not bad — it’s
enough to cover your
cost of annual
domain registration
fees about 12 times
over. Obviously, the
actual amount you
receive will vary
widely depending on
how attractive the
domain name is.
-
Find a leasee.
A much greater
income potential
from your dormant
real estate-related
domains is to have
LeaseThis.com lease
them for you. There
is no charge for
this and you get to
keep at least half
of the monthly lease
fees that are
generated. And,
depending on how hot
your domain name is,
the gross monthly
lease fee could
range from $20 to
more than $1,000. If
LeaseThis.com is
able to lease your
domain to one client
who wants to use it
exclusively, then
your income
potential is much
greater (like the
“hollywoodrealestate.com”
example above). On
the other hand, if
you can’t find a
lessee immediately,
you can opt for a
very attractive
cash-parking page
that features real
estate-related
companies that are
willing to pay for
each click
generated, similar
to the Godaddy.com
approach, only much
more targeted. To
see an example of
this go to
www.newyorkrealestate.com.
Either way, the
chances of
maximizing your
return on your
dormant real estate
domains is much
higher with a
company like
LeaseThis.com
brokering them for
you, rather than
using the
cash-parking
services of a
registrar.
Jump on the Opportunity
No more complaining that
all the good domain
names are gone. Huge
possibilities are in
front of you, whether
you are looking for a
memorable Web site
address or have a few
too many unused domain
names. Every day you
wait is costing you
money.
Note:
Mr. Internet, Russer
Communications, and its
staff and officers
receive no compensation
from any third-party
vendors and make no
recommendations as to
the suitability of the
products or services
mentioned in this
article. Always
thoroughly investigate
any product or service
before purchase.
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