Jessica Lunsford Blog

Websites offering domain name appraisals are increasingly common, but are all services equal? And is the result actually worth the expenditure?

=== Why Get a Domain Name Appraised? ===

You’ll fall into one of two categories - either buyer or seller. For someone wishing to buy an existing domain name, an appraisal should indicate whther the asking prices is realistic or not (bearing in mind that you may also paying for reputation etc…). For the seller of a domain name, an appraisal can increase the potential sale value and/or your bargaining position in the sale.

=== Are all Domain Appraisal Services Equal? ===

Domain appraisal services can cost anywhere between a few dollars and a few hundred dollars, and it is generally true that you get what you pay for. Many of the lower-priced appraisers use the same software, which given the rate of change of the Internet world, is very quickly outdated. This software also only appraises a few top level domains (TLD) e.g. .com excluding holders of most other TLD e.g. .uk. The software is also very subjective, meaning that two different users can declare very different values for the same domain. Higher priced services tend to appraise each domain individually, and take more factors into account, such as current market conditions, comparable sales and relative searches in addition to factors such as name length, commercial potential and whether the name is easy to remember and spell.

=== Choosing a Domain Name Appraiser ===

When having a domain name appraised, ensure that your TLD is on the list! If the appraiser doesn’t accept country level domains (such as .uk) and charge a low fee, chances are they are using the subjective software described above, and the appraisal will not be worth the expenditure. On the other hand, if you are selling a well-known, highly-trafficked domain, a higher cost and more in-depth appraisal will be money well spent.

Finally, if you are buying a domain name and are shown a copy of an appraisal by the seller, find out where the appraisal is from, before believing everything you see before you!

=== Conclusion ===

Domain name appraisals are a useful tool, but their value depends on how the appraisal is generated, and the actual price of a domain name will ultimately depend on market forces, whatever the appraisal certificate says.

Whether it is for business, pleasure or just something to do, everyone seems to be building themselves web sites these days. It’s getting ever easier to do and there is a growing list of practical purposes for all of them. To make things better there are hundreds of places to buy cheap domain names these days so your site can look that much more professional.

While it was once more cost effective to build a site off of another domain name something like www.freehosting.com/yourname –it never looked that good. For a personal site no one cared, but for a business or organization it took a lot away from its credibility and style. From the very beginning of the world wide web a non independent domain has reeked of tackiness. At the present, such things are only really acceptable when used for personal or not for profit web sites.

The fact that cheap domains are now so easily attained there is no excuse left in avoiding it. If you are already doing business online then the sleeker look is a must. Person after person will tell you that they trust a business more when it is set up online by itself. To a potential customer a domain name speaks in the same professional manner as a 1 800 number. Going the other route suggests the same level of professionalism as a cheap storefront sign. This tells us that by taking advantage of a cheap domain name as opposed to a free tacked on name communicates that the business is that much more committed to itself.

Further more, as any marketer will tell you, name recognition is an important key to winning over clients. Once they are able to remember the business’s name they should be able to do nothing more then type it into their browser and add “.com” to find out more about it. Passing on a cheap domain name and using the secondary name alternative means your potential clients have that much more to remember; and marketing experts tell us plainly that they won’t remember.

Personal websites don’t need this. For people looking to share family photos, journals, literature or art there are thousands of web communities that offer to host. In most instances there isn’t a lot of reason to go any other way. Still the temptation is there. Frankly, if you’re having fun doing it and you want a personal site that looks that much cooler then take advantage of all that cheap domain registration out there.

The perk in going that route for a personal site is that advertising and name recognition isn’t a big concern. Most people shopping for cheap domain names for these kind of private sites only want the name to be cute and appealing to friends and family. The “.com” isn’t as important here. This makes cheap domains cost even less money because the “.net,” “.us,” and other extensions aren’t as sought after.

So maybe it’s time to get rid of that extra long web name you picked up for free. Try this out and be a master of your own domain.

Christopher M. Luck has an extensive background in dealing exclusively with cheap domains online and is now offering his free domain tips to the public. If you are at all interested in Christopher’s personal domain advice, tips, or secrets, you can visit his internet blog

In Part 1, we discussed how to come up with your new
domain name. In this article, we will look at
inexpensive places to register your newfound beauties.
You’ll find, as with Lay’s potato chips, “no one can eat
just one.” Once you make your first purchase, you’ll most
likely find yourself registering other names as well;
maybe to use as redirects to your
existing site, or possible new business ideas for all
those new sites you’d like to launch.

Due to the temptation to “load up,” you’ll want to find
a cheap but reliable domain registrar to park them
with. If you don’t, you’ll find your new “habit”
leaving a big hole in your wallet.

As with most things in life, prices vary –
from as little as $8.00 up to $35.00 per year. My suggestion
to you is to never spend more than about $10.00
per domain annually. My favorite place to register names charges
less than that. When researching a registrar, do make note
of what services they offer and their support policies.

Let’s cover your options:

1) NameBargain.com: My favorite, where I register all
of my domains: $8.88 per year. Sign up for .com,
.net, .org, .biz, .Info, and .Us. Transfer names for
only $7.95. You can handle all of
your domains from one easy interface and
see all of your listings at a glance.

2) GoDaddy.com: At $8.95 a year, GoDaddy is #1 with
many Web entrepreneurs. From what I’ve seen and
read online, they’re very reliable and have great
prices. Includes free domain forwarding and free
parked page with every domain registered.

3) DomainOfMyOwn.com: $12.99 per year for new name
registrations and only $11.98 for transferred names.
Once a member, you can manage your domains with
their user-friendly interface.

4) DotEasy.com: If you want to register a domain
name and get free hosting to boot, you can’t beat
this package deal. For only $35.00, a year you
can buy and host your newfound name. This is
a nice service if you want to put up some
mini-sites inexpensively.

There’s also a big market for expired
and deleted domains. You would not believe how many people
forget to renew their domains and let
some really super ones fall through the cracks.
Many of them already have a high ranking in the
search engines and increased link popularity.

The trick to expired domains is knowing where to
find them so you can cash in on them before someone
else does. Many sites will charge for this privilege,
but there are some freebies (if you know where to
look):

http://www.DeletedDomains.com: I love this site
and the best part is it’s totally free. Just
type one or two keywords into the search box
and it will come back with all kinds of little
gems for you. You will find so many good names
to register that if you’re a “Domain Junkie” (like
me), you could find yourself in real financial
danger here. Remember, I warned you.

http://www.Recycled-Traffic.com: Pick up on
“recycled traffic” by snapping up domain
names that have expired and benefiting from
their already established traffic. Search
through this index according to keyword and
search engine ranking.

http://www.DroppedDomains.com : Do free searches
by keyword. Look for deleted domains available
soon or ones available to register right away.
You can exclude domains that contain dashes or numbers
if that’s not your cup of tea.

So now that you know where to purchase domains
you need to know how to manage them. It’s not
unusual for one person to own 20 or more names, and
keeping track of them and knowing when to renew
them can quickly become a full time job. I
should know; I own over 30 myself. My recommendation
to you is to register all of them at the same
place. Preferably, a registrar that will allow you
to modify your own DNS and make any other changes
at will.

In the beginning I had many sites registered at
many different places and it was tough trying to
remember which domain was where. Don’t make the
same mistake I did. Find a registrar you feel
comfortable with and stick with it. There are
also some excellent tools that can help make
managing your domains a breeze:

1) WatchMyDomains Pro: http://WatchMyDomains.com

Software that will automatically monitor all of
your domains, regardless of where they are registered.
Highlights names that will expire soon and much
more in a nice list format. Download a 21-day
free trial.

2) Easy DNS: http://EasyDns.com/dnsmanager.php3

Manage all of your domains from one easy
web interface.

3) Domain Manager Pro: http://DomainMgrPro.com

Software that will help you track multiple domains
and register data and also the websites (if any)
connected with them. Download a trial version
at the site.

The longer you’re active online, the more you’ll be struck with great
ideas; resulting in domain names you’ll want to register.
Remember, don’t pay more then you have to, keep
your eyes peeled for expired bargains, and make
sure you have some form of management tool in
place.

Domains are indeed like chips; you really can’t register
just one. In Part 3 of this article we’ll look
at some fun and useful things you can do with
your newfound gems.

Merle has been “working” the Net for over
8 years and has a Special Gift just for you.
Download my FREE E-book “50 Easy Ways to
Promote Your Website”. Get your copy now at
http://www.WebSiteTrafficPlan.com

You have permission to publish this article
electronically or in print, free of charge,
as long as the bylines are included.

Are you still paying $25, $35, or more for a new domain name? If so, you are paying too much as domain name prices continue to drop. You can save money on new domain names; please read on to learn how you can find big savings.

Avoid the Big Registrars - The priciest domain names are sold through the legendary and established domain name registries. Many have been charging their customers $25 or more for years, but you don’t have to pay that much! They want you to think they are “it” when it comes to registering your domain names; quite frankly, they aren’t “it!”

Shop the Domain Specialists - Today, there are several well known companies charging just $10, $8, even $5 for new domain names. I cannot name the companies, but one noted provider has a popular Super Bowl ad to its credit.

Free, Via Your Web Host - A big “come on” for some web hosting providers is to offer a domain name free for one year to all new customers. Simply commit to hosting your site with them for one year and a domain name is included for free.

Of course, some sites will charge you more for a .com name vs. a .net or .biz account. Others will discount their prices even further if you commit to longer terms, lasting as long as ten years. Select the plan that works best for you.

So, quit paying too much for your domain names; you have a choice. Shop around today and save money for all of your sites.

Copyright 2006 - For additional information regarding Matt Keegan, The Article Writer, please visit his blog for wit, quips, and freelance writing tips.