Domain Marketplaces And Auction Sites
The best way to sell a domain name is via specialist domain name marketplaces or domain listing sites. These marketplaces often partner with dedicated domain registrars so that when listing your domain name, it is seen across various avenues by as many eyes as possible.
At Flippa, we can provide the tools and expertise to sell your domain name successfully. Although we are predominantly an avenue for buying and selling fully-fledged websites and online businesses, our domain market is an active, thriving one. We often attract individuals looking to purchase domain names and turn them into businesses.
However, several other sales options exist if you wish to buy and sell domain names. Each of the following avenues offers something slightly different. Be sure to conduct your due diligence to determine which one may be best for your particular situation.
Where To Buy A Domain Thats Taken
From a branding and marketing perspective, its especially important to choose the right domain name for your website. For many people, its a truly personal decision. The domain just has to feel right and you dont want to settle for an alternative.
If this is the case in your search for the perfect domain, take heart. You might be able to buy your ideal domain name in the domain aftermarket. You can find most of the domain names from the aftermarket listed directly on auctions.godaddy.com.
If your dream domain isnt listed on the aftermarket, you can attempt to buy it directly from its current owner. However, youll want to keep a few things in mind before you take the plunge and contact the domains owner, namely budget and timing.
Set your budget
Its important to think about the budget you have for acquiring the domain. Put yourself in the other domain owners shoes for a minute. They spent time and money to get the domain, and they might be actively using it. Offering them $10 or even $100 probably wont even get you a response.
Think about what the domain name is worth, and be prepared to make a fair offer.
Editors note: Need help determining the value of the domain? As the largest reseller of aftermarket domain names, GoDaddy has access to extensive data that we use to analyze millions of historical domain sales. Try GoDaddy Domain Appraisals to determine the value of the domain so you can make an educated offer.
Give yourself enough time
Price Gouging And Other Nefarious Behaviors
In the past, there were a lot of malicious folks who squatted on names, driving up prices, and then making a hefty sum since the supply of high-quality domain names were diminishing.
Sometimes, the malicious parties purchased domain names they speculate will increase in value in the future. They might also engage in typosquatting, which is where they purchase domain names that are mistyped versions of commonly-used domains .
Bigger brands sometimes purchase these domain names to help catch traffic that would otherwise fall through or prevent malicious parties from using these URLs to help spread malware. Because these actions are important for preserving the companys public image, the owners of the mistyped URLs will sometimes try to gouge the company during the buying/selling process.
Luckily, those days are over, and online marketplaces where you can bid against others for domains tend not to be opportunities for others to price gouge. They are also much more secure and trustworthy than in the past.
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How To Buy A Domain Name In 4 Simple Steps
Want to just get started?
Buying a domain name is about as easy as ordering food online.
Finding a good domain is much harder. Dont just register whatever domain name is available and call it a day. Thats a big mistake.
In this guide, I want to walk you through my process for buying a domain name, starting with how I go about coming up with a name in the first place.
- Straightforward and easy to use
- Great for multiple domains
Find Out Who Owns The Domain Name
Once youve determined that the domain isnt being used for an active website, your next step is to find out who owns the domain. The easiest way to do this is by using a WHOIS service. Theres a number of websites where you can do this sort of lookup, but, most of the time, youll get a set of standard information from any of them:
- when the domain was registered,
- who the domain was registered by,
- how to contact that person or company,
- and even when the domains current ownership expires.
You may also see other information related to the purchase, but for the purposes of getting that domain, the owners email address is really what you want.
Example results of a WHOIS lookup:
Some domain owners will have purchased privacy protection and their names wont appear in a WHOIS search. In these instances, it will be difficult to purchase the domain unless you can find it on a domain auction site or marketplace like Sedo, Namecheap, or Flippa.
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How To Buy A Domain Name That Is Taken
Do you have a business idea and are ready to buy a domain name to start dominating online with your business? What if the dream domain name that you want is taken?
Maybe the domain name is already registered to someone else, and youve found decent alternatives, but its not really the one you want. Youre probably thinking about how to buy a domain name from someone else.
From a marketing perspective, having the right domain is especially important and you dont want to settle for an unworthy alternative. Using a different TLD can also confuse potential website visitors who might try to visit the .com when you own the .net version of a domain.
Dont worry! You might be able to buy your ideal domain name directly from its current owner. Heres how the process works for how to buy a domain name from someone that is already taken.
What To Do Next
You know that your preferred domain name is likely owned by someone who falls into one of the above categories. So whats the next step? First, search for your preferred domain name, to see if its available for sale. If it isnt, thats OK you can still search for the owners contact information using our WHOIS search tool.
In addition to enabling you to contact the domain owner, the WHOIS record will also tell you if the domain is about to expire, which is valuable information when youre trying to acquire it.
One other factor to consider is the privacy afforded by the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation . While GDPR hides the owners contact details, the information listed for privacy purposes will likely forward to their actual email.
So, even if the domain owners information is hidden by GDPR, there is a good chance you will still be able to contact them to inquire about purchasing the domain. This is also the case if the information is masked by a privacy service. If this option doesnt work, you should also try looking for contact info on the website itself.
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Check If The Domain Name Has A Contact Form
Youve probably come across many parked pages on domain names. These are usually one-page websites that are full of links or ads.
People who register domains for later sale will often park them while they wait for a buyer. These parked pages sometimes have a link that says Buy This Domain. Clicking this link will show a price or let you make an offer on the domain name.If you really want a domain that is already registered, its a great idea to visit the domain to see if its being used for an actual website or is just parked. If its parked, you can contact the owner from there.
Transfer The Domain To Your Name
Finally, you need to find an ICANN-accredited registrar for your new domain so that you can transfer ownership to your name. You can use the same registrar the old domain owner used.
While many registrars have their internal transfer process, most require you to confirm that the old owner has sold you the domain and that you are the new owner. The registrar will then process the transfer and notify both parties once the transfer is complete. The domain transfer process may take up to 60 days, and you may need to pay a fee.
If the old owner purchased the domain less than 60 days ago, the domain might be subject to a Change of Registrant lock. Youll need to wait until this period passes to change ownership.
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Optimize The Whois Record For Sales
Add a for sale message to your WHOIS information. Once again, the goal is to make it blatantly clear to Joe Public that your domain name is for sale.
You can include this messaging in one of several ways. You can append the owners name or company name with This Domain is For Sale, e.g., instead of listing the company as Acme Inc. you would list it as Acme Inc. This Domain is For Sale.
Alternatively, you could use a custom email address for your domain registrations that suggests the domain name is for sale, e.g., .com.
Domain Name Privacy Protection
When you register your domain name, it becomes publicly available on the WHOIS database, where everyone who wants to know your contact information will be able to look it up. Domain name privacy protection is the only way to protect your private contact details from unscrupulous people. You can always add domain name privacy protection to your domain name after you buy it, but by then, the damage may already be done. So, before you buy a domain name, make sure your domain name registrar offers privacy protection.
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Buying A Domain From A Web Hosting Company
For the most part, domain registration and web hosting should be kept separately. Bluehost is the exception to this rule. So if you want to bundle your domain name with a hosting plan, Bluehost is really the only option to consider.
There are a couple of main reasons why youd go this route.
For beginners who are new to the world of web hosting and domain registration, getting everything under one roof is just easier. Its less steps, and you can manage your hosting plan and domain name from a single account.
Furthermore, Bluehost gives you a free domain name for one year. Youll never get a deal like that from a domain registrar.
But getting a domain from a hosting provider isnt ideal if you want to buy domains in bulk. Its fine for a single domain, but beyond that, it gets messy. You also wont have as many options for alternative extensions .
Most web hosting providers will also charge you extra for domain privacy + protection, whereas you can get this for free from a domain registrar.
How To Determine The Value Of Your Domain Name
No exact science can pinpoint what a domains value is or should be. As with many products in various industries, the value is determined by whatever an individual or group is willing to pay, which can be hard to predict.
However, you can use several factors to reasonably estimate what the value for your domain will end up being.
One of the more concrete rules of securing a high-value domain name is its length. Put, shorter domain names command higher values as they are easier to remember. If a user can recall your domain name quickly, they are far more inclined to type it into a search bar.
Domain names generally have a higher value if it is clear what the target market is and which niches they are attempting to reach. If you are an avid chess player, most of the websites you want to visit will have the keyword chess somewhere within the name.
Keywords massively help increase SEO scores, propelling the website up the rankings of search engine listings.
When it comes to valuable domain names, simplicity is best. One-word titles with no hyphens or special characters often command high fees. For example, the domain name voice.com reportedly sold for $30 million.
Similarly, the domain extension .com is generally the most valuable. Most individuals tend only to remember the central part of the domain name and will assume it uses this extension. If your domain name does not, you risk losing potential website visitors because they cant recall the correct suffix.
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Pay For And Transfer Ownership Of The Domain
Next, youll need to pay for the domain and transfer its ownership. I cannot stress enough the importance of using a third party to facilitate this process. You want to feel protected when you are paying for the domain and actually walk away with the domain you worked so hard to obtain. The seller wants to know they can trust your payment.
GoDaddy offers a trusted aftermarket platform for transacting domain name sales. You can also use alternative services such as Escrow.com, which hold the money until the name is accepted and confirmed to be in the buyers account, and clear the funds for the seller prior to authorizing the movement of the domain to the buyer.
Brainstorm Concepts And Ideas
If you already have a name you want to buy, awesome! Head on down to the next section.
If you want to see if your domain name is actually good , keep reading.
This is crucial. Its the name youll use for your business, or a campaign, or a blog. You want to try your best to nail this on the first try.
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Target The Right Contact Person
In some cases, the Whois lookup is just the start of the process. Some domain owners are very large, corporate power-houses that own hundreds, or perhaps thousands of domain names and the contact information shown may not lead you to the correct person.
Amazon.com is a perfect example. They own more than 41,152 domain names in their portfolio. Many of their domains go unused, and do not resolve. How do you find the person who manages these domains, much less the domain youre interested in, within Amazons 647,500 employees?
Is it the project manager around that brand? Would it be marketing, CMO, Legal, Business Development, Webmaster, Technology etc?
Its a vital step to connect with the correct person, or division within the Company so you dont spend time spinning your wheels and this is where working with a domain broker can be beneficial. They can do the research to identify the owner of the domain and establish contact.
After contact is established, you need to determine whether the asset is indeed available and if it is, will it be within your budget?
How To Safely Transfer A Domain Name
Treat the domain transfer process professionally and carefully if you successfully agree on a sale for your domain. Here the purchaser receives the domain, and you receive your money.
The best way to securely finalize the transfer is through an escrow service. Most domain marketplaces and auction sites include an escrow service as part of their features, but independent ones also exist.
The transfer process using an escrow service is relatively simple. An escrow account will first secure the payment for the domain name and hold it securely. As the seller, the escrow account will instruct you to transfer the domain name to the buyer before receiving payment.
Only once the buyer confirms that they are in full possession and control of the domain name will the escrow account release the funds to you.
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Ways To Buy A Domain Name
Generally speaking, there are two main ways to buy a domain name. Both of which have been covered abovedomain registrars and hosting providers.
There are pros and cons to each method, and the process for each one is very different.
Ill quickly explain the differences between these options so you can figure out which one is the best choice for your website.
Purchase Your Chosen Domain
After finding the best domain name for your project, its time to proceed with the checkout.
During this step, youll also need to choose the domain registration period. Registrars offer a variety of durations from one to ten years. Before the initial registration period ends, the registrar will alert you to renew it.
Also, domain registration companies typically require users to pay for a minimum period of one year. However, other registrars might have a longer minimum registration period, like two years.
To purchase a domain at Hostinger, continue the process from the domain checker page and press the Add to cart button next to the domain. Then, click Continue to cart.
From the shopping cart window, select the Period drop-down list and choose the registration period. Click the Checkout Now button to finish the order.
The next step is to log in or create an account to complete the payment process.
With that taken care of, continue the checkout process and choose a payment processor.
Provide your billing information and review the order. Then, finish the website domain purchase.
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