Ohashi.US Domain Name Resource
Introduction to Domain Name Reselling - Page 2
First, you need to find an available domain name. There are many services out there who provide WHOIS lookups, but be careful, each day there are more reports that these services even at the most trusted websites could be logged and data sent to third parties to register your names. I personally use a tool called All-in-One tool from DomainState (http://www.DomainState.com) which provides a real-time availability check combined with WHOIS information. It is often good to spend some time searching all sorts of names. There is bulk whois lookup tool called Checker available at FreeWho (http://www.freewho.com). I recommend searching a couple hundred, maybe thousand names, it helps you get a feel for what is being registered and what is not. Keep notepad/word/piece of paper handy and jot down any available ones you think might be worth buying.
A few tips to keep in mind when finding names:
1. Just because you think it may be worth something doesn't mean anyone else
will.
2. Can you even pronounce that? Read the name out loud. (don't forget to spell
check).
3. Can you spell it? We're not targeting spelling-bee champions here...
4. When was the last time you went to xyz-932.com? Hyphens and Numbers are normally
a bad sign.
5. .biz what's that? Extension matters, a lot.
6. There is a market for those extensions, but it isn't very big and they lack
recognition that dot com, org and even net carry with the general public.
7. Is that trademarked? Be careful what you register, infringing on other people's
trademarks could get you in trouble.
8. TheWorldsLongestDomainNameIsntBeingTypedInVeryOften.com
9. Don't add meaningless word(s) to the end because the original isn't available
– target specific niches with related words.
10. There are exceptions to every rule above.
Once you've found name(s) to register you will need a domain registrar. There are two options here, there are ICANN Accredited registrars and resellers. It doesn't really make much difference whether they are accredited or not – there are bad eggs in both categories. Pick wisely. Do your research, figure out what features you need, what price you can afford and what level of support you're willing to accept. There is always a trade off between price, support and features; though some do better than others in all three categories.
Some tips for picking a domain name registrar:
1. Do they look reputable? Spend a minute and just look at the website, if it
can not present itself in a decent manner it probably shouldn't be your first
pick.
2. Give them a call. See if they have a phone number listed, does anyone answer?
3. Try emailing support with a question – is their response time satisfactory?
4. Try putting in some garbage and check their registration process, is it intuitive?
5. If you try and buy something does it use SSL (check if the website address
says https:// in the address bar) indicating your transaction is at least encrypted
protecting your personal information.
6. Check pricing for additional features, costs. Read the fine print, some registrars
have very strange terms of service.
7. What do others have to say about them? Try searching the company name at
popular forums such as DomainState (http://www.domainstate.com) and WebHostingTalk
(http://www.WebHostingTalk.com).
8. If you can't find any information try asking people.
9. Try searching for a coupon code, many registrars have them, they are out
there.
10. No registrar is perfect, they all have problems, some big, some small, but
remember we're all human, it's more important how we resolve those problems
when they occur.