DOMAIN INVESTING

Beginner's Guide to Buying and Selling Domains

01.

Introduction to the Guide

02.

About Domains and Domain Investing

03.

Domain Investing Strategies

04.

What Makes a Domain Valuable

05.

Methods of Buying Domains

06.

Methods of Selling Domains

07.

About Domain Portfolios

08.

Must Knows for Domain Investing

09.

Tools for Domain Investing

10.

Domain Investing Pitfalls

11.

Selling Domains with Dynadot

12.

Further Research

13.

Terminology Chart

14.

FAQ

15.

Dynadot Support

01.

Introduction to the Guide

02.

About Domains and Domain Investing

03.

Domain Investing Strategies

04.

What Makes a Domain Valuable

05.

Methods of Buying Domains

06.

Methods of Selling Domains

07.

About Domain Portfolios

08.

Must Knows for Domain Investing

09.

Tools for Domain Investing

10.

Domain Investing Pitfalls

11.

Selling Domains with Dynadot

12.

Further Research

13.

Terminology Chart

14.

FAQ

15.

Dynadot Support

01.

Introduction to the Guide

02.

About Domains and Domain Investing

03.

Domain Investing Strategies

04.

What Makes a Domain Valuable

05.

Methods of Buying Domains

06.

Methods of Selling Domains

07.

About Domain Portfolios

08.

Must Knows for Domain Investing

09.

Tools for Domain Investing

10.

Domain Investing Pitfalls

11.

Selling Domains with Dynadot

12.

Further Research

13.

Terminology Chart

14.

FAQ

15.

Dynadot Support

01 . Introduction to Domain Investing

The process of transforming a simple domain into hundreds or thousands of dollars is exciting, right? While you'll likely agree, the path to fruition isn't so obvious. With Dynadot being a domain registrar focused on providing investing tools and services, we understand the challenges that come with jumping into the domain investing industry - it's intimidating. With this guide, we're here to bring you many steps closer to becoming knowledgeable on the subject, so you can start earning like the seasoned investors do.

What's in this guide?

In this domain investing guide, you'll gain an understanding of various domain investing strategies for monetization, what makes certain domains valuable to an investor, avenues investors take to acquire and sell domains, some general investing best practices, and tools/resources to help you along your merry way. We've divided up the guide into chapters. It's a long one - so take some notes, break it up as you see fit, and start making your way along the path of investing knowledge.

Investing your expectations

Domain investing is exciting, fun, intriguing, creative, and, best of all, another way to invest outside of stocks and real estate - who doesn't want that? On the other hand, it can also be challenging, research intensive, intimidating, and confusing at times. Why mention this? Because domain investing can be very rewarding yet requires commitment to see the fruits of labor. Managing your expectations while enjoying the journey of learning is crucial to seeing success. After that, you'll have a new source of revenue to look forward to!

02 . About Domains and Domain Investing

Before we even jump into domain investing, let's lay the foundation for what it's built upon - domain names.

What are domain names?

Domain names are a combination of characters, followed by a select top-level domain (TLD) such as .COM, .NET, or .XYZ, that point towards an IP address. When a user enters the domain name into their browser, they're sent over to that address, which contains data that ultimately generates the magical website for the end-user. Domains are like portals to content and information that can be used to represent brands and businesses online.

By registering a domain, you're investing into a one-of-a-kind digital property. There is only one of each domain name + TLD combination, which creates inherent value.

What is domain investing?

Domain investing is taking that knowledge that there can only be one unique domain registered and utilizing it to earn profit. Like all forms of investing, you put your money on the line with the goal of earning a return on your asset that is higher than your initial cost and upkeep.

A domain can generate profit in multiple ways, defined by the investing/monetization strategy the investor decides to use. This can include placing advertisements or affiliate programs links on a domain name's website, selling a domain to other investors, or even by selling them directly to businesses ('end-users') for them to use for branding or marketing purposes.

Three stages of domain investing:

Research:

Acquiring knowledge, planning and selecting an investing strategy.

Acquisition:

Developing and growing a domain portfolio.

Applying Strategy:

Implementation of a domain investing strategy to earn revenue.

This is a distilled version of the investing process that may change from one investor to another.

Are there opportunities to invest?

This is a common question by those intrigued by the domain investing world but hesitant to jump in. After all, businesses and investors have been in the space for over 30 years now, and it can seem difficult to break into an area that may seem so saturated and defined.

The good news is, there are always great opportunities to start investing. If anything, there are more avenues available today to acquire great domains if you're willing to put in the time. The methods of domain acquisition for investors have changed - gone are the days of searching and registering an extremely obvious high value domain. In exchange, nowaday aftermarkets continually pull in great opportunities for investors to tap into.

It's important to consider that businesses are still being established and they'll always need a digital home in today's virtual world. Commerce and online representations of brands is a necessity, which creates near endless opportunities for investors to acquire domains that hold potential value for both new and existing brands. This means that revenue from investing in the right domains is always just around the corner. With newer top-level domains creating broader, unknown-levels of opportunities as well, the future of domain investing is bright.

The chances to invest and make profit are plentiful, you just need to be smart about your investments. Let's start by discussing how domain investors actually make money.

MAKING MONEY

03. Domain Investing Strategies

There are multiple approaches to make money through domain investing, and we'll be outlining three common tactics used by many domain investors.

Domain Flipping - Buy Low, Sell High Strategy

Creating Value - Content Commitment Strategy

Domain Parking - Continuous Revenue Strategy

Domain Flipping - Buy Low, Sell High StrategyStrategy involves discovering undervalued domains, acquiring them, and then reselling at a higher cost.

Pros:

A keen eye for spotting domain opportunities can make this strategy consistently profitable
Possible to maintain momentum of interest in certain domains after they're acquired, helping with quicker sales
Industry and vertical knowledge can be used to spot opportunities that may not be apparent to other investors

Cons:

Requires strong foundation of domain evaluation knowledge
Requires frequent monitoring of various aftermarkets to spot opportunities
Can be time sensitive if you want to maintain public interest in the domain
Has inherent risk if domain's value is misjudged
Generally a time-consuming strategy

Details:Domain flipping is one of the more common tactics due to its relatively simple process of acquiring an undervalued domain, followed by selling it to make a profit. This strategy is often a short-term play to make marginal gains on the initial acquisition expense.

To successfully partake in this strategy, you'll need a solid understanding of domain costs and values. Because of this, this strategy is actually one of the more difficult investment tactics to dive into as a newer investor, despite it being attractive due to its straightforward nature.

Domain values can fluctuate based on many factors, including emerging trends both in the domain industry and in the industry where the domain name itself fits into. This is on top of the various other criteria that make a domain valuable (which we cover in chapter four). Flipping domains requires a hefty time investment to pinpoint domains that should be purchased at a low to reasonable price in order to resell. A vast majority of the time these valuable domains are bought through aftermarket platforms via expired auctions or placing backorders, which we cover in more detail later.

It is important to note that time doesn't always increase the value of a domain, demand does. While patience is required to sell a domain, simply parking a domain to try to sell it years later will likely not improve its value. That is why buying low, selling high is often combined with other domain investing strategies.

TIP

Become familiar with domain evaluations through domain sale history resources and test your knowledge by attempting to guess final sale prices. Your accuracy at gauging prices will assist with spotting potentially undervalued domains to resell at a higher price.

Creating Value - Content Commitment StrategyStrategy involves acquiring domains of perceived value, creating valuable content on the domain, and then utilizing that content to help make profit through various monetization tactics.

Pros:

Can provide a consistent revenue stream
Domains can optionally be sold for higher profit at a later date once value has been added
Multiple avenues to make profit depending on the domain itself and the investor's goals
Domains can be leveraged to promote other personal or business objectives
Less risky compared to other investing strategies

Cons:

Need to have a 'planning' mindset to execute the strategy
Requires long-term, consistent effort
Requires patience prior to generating profit
Selecting the right domain is of high importance
Difficult to know when to cut losses on certain domains
Path to 'add value' requires creativity and time investment

Details:Acquiring a domain name, setting up hosting, and developing a website on it is a popular long-term strategy to assist with selling domains and can even create opportunities to generate consistent streams of revenue. The obvious question is "how does that make me money?". There are multiple ways this content creation strategy can help you earn.

1) On-site Advertising and Affiliate Programs: Creating standout content on a domain will eventually drive traffic to your site. With this traffic, you can set up on-site advertising which will generate money based on every ad placement click. Similarly, you can join affiliate programs to accomplish the same goal while promoting another brand's product or services. If this is an approach you're considering, Dynadot has an affiliate program that you can apply to.

2) Increasing a Domain's Authority (SEO): Content creation has the side effect of improving your domain's authority in search engines. This can increase the attractiveness of a domain name for potential marketers to latch onto or for other domain investors that value domain authority in the domain's they acquire. This will increase both your chance of selling the domains and their estimated value.

3) Tool for Self-Promotion: By creating valuable content resulting in site traffic, you can leverage domains for self-promotion. Through a domain, you can advertise anything that earns you money, which could include promoting your domain portfolio or even a service/product you manage. Some examples could include e-books, training courses, or even a local service you provide. This can even be a powerful strategy to consider to support your existing revenue streams.

Creating value is one of the safer avenues to pursue when a valuable domain is acquired through a domain aftermarket. Through the process of creating consistent, strong content and building a website that has visitors, you create possibilities for monthly residual income for potentially years to come. Best of all, if you find maintaining content to be tiresome at any point, you can always promote your domain for sale. The value of your domain will have increased naturally since you first acquired it due to your continued content efforts.

Just realize that this usually isn't an immediate profit-making strategy - it takes time and effort to add value to a domain. Though, depending on the domain in question, the process can become much quicker - especially if it's an aged domain that has historical value, such as residual inbound traffic or existing domain authority to help the domain's SEO presence.

TIP

Much like using your personal hobbies or interests to discover valuable domain names, you can also leverage them when creating content by focusing on a niche market and specializing within that area to help your content site stand out.

Domain Parking - Continuous Revenue StrategyStrategy involves setting domains with pre-existing traffic to parking status and placing advertisements on the parking page to earn gradual revenue.

Pros:

Ability to earn consistent monthly revenue
'Set up and forget' process that requires minimal monitoring
After acquiring a domain, this strategy can be less laborious than other investing strategies

Cons:

Challenging to find domains that fit the strategy
Certain parked domains can have traffic taper off, reducing income over time
Need to have a larger portfolio or very high value domains utilizing this strategy to see decent monthly revenue streams
Requires setup with advertising networks to implement ads on parking pages

Details:Using parked domains to earn money relies on owning a valuable domain to work with. If you're unaware, domain parking is a way to hold the domain without using it for a website, and it's easy to setup via DNS settings. To utilize this strategy, advertisements are shown on the domain's parking page, generating income for any users that click on the ads displayed.

These domains usually rely on 'type-in' traffic (where the user will type in the URL to get information on a topic, such as searching for hotels.com to get information on hotels) or residual traffic from the authority developed from a previous owner. For example, if a site had approximately 1,000 monthly visitors and that domain expired, you may be able to acquire that domain, set it to parking and tap into a small percent of that traffic to earn on their clicks.

TIP

When researching domains to utilize parking advertising on, review a potential domain's backlinks. Websites that have stronger high-authority backlinks can indicate that the domain may still be receiving residual traffic from other websites, which may generate ad clicks to a parked domain page.

With the three more common domain investing strategies out of the way, let's dive into the domain names themselves. Being aware of the strategies is only one component of investing, you're going to need some good domains in your portfolio too. But how do you know which domains to pursue?

CRITERIA FOR DOMAINS

04. What Makes a Domain Valuable

One of the most crucial components in domain investing is also one of the most obvious - finding the right domain names to acquire. In one's journey investigating domains, they'll come across domains with outlandish evaluations - both on the overvalued and undervalued spectrum. Since pricing a domain has many factors, it can be challenging to land on a baseline, even for seasoned investors.

It's important to know that pricing a domain is a feat in itself, with experience and knowledge ultimately being king to help place an accurate price onto a domain. There are some signals that can help determine whether a domain is valuable. We've compiled a list below that may provide an indication of strong domains to invest in. Even with these signals in mind, it's very important to try and find similar recent domain sales to at least provide a reference point when it comes to where a domain price is situated.

Generic Domain Names

Generic domain names are domains that target a product or service description. These can be relatively safe names to invest into as they typically fit naturally within certain industries which can make them desirable to anyone in that industry. These types of domain names are common targets for investors parking domains with advertisements for type-in traffic.

Examples: hairbeauty, speakers, yogamats, cellphones

Short Domain Names

One word or even two to four character domain names will almost always have demand and increased domain value under certain TLDs - and with good reason. Short domains are memorable, which makes marketing easier and is why they are in demand by brands. They are also limited in quantity as there are only so many two and three letter combinations available. This is why they are highly coveted in certain domain extensions such as .COM. Always keep domain length in mind when evaluating a domain's worth. Even new TLDs commonly see fast registrations of one or two character domains by investors.

Examples: tech, ez, rocket, elect, tactic, aa, abc

Geographic Domain Names

Targeting locations to incorporate into your domain names can be a solid game plan to consider for your portfolio, especially in conjunction with generic names. Local markets may eventually want to obtain ownership of a name that fits in their geographical space where users may already be searching. Try to think of the various levels of zones that can be included, such as towns, cities, regions, states or provinces, and countries. Each of these can be applicable and have valuable domains associated with them if the correct keyword combination is chosen. Knowing the search volume on search engines for these keywords can be valuable to assist with selling propositions.

Examples: lafoodtrucks, canadashipping, detriotpaving, usafireworks

Relevancy Domain Names

Relevant domain names focus on keywords or wording that could be popular (or relevant) in the near future. These domains are often tied to culturally significant keywords. They could target a keyword that garners much attention in a short period of time or one that suddenly has lasting power due to media attention. For example, this could be a new trend that is starting to emerge or a future popular event.

Examples: marketingautomation, airobotics, olympics2030, esports

Numeric Domain Names

Domains composed of only numbers can have inherent value and unique meaning. Individual numbers and combinations of numbers have significance in cultures such as China. For example, '8' is considered a lucky number while '4' means death in many parts of Asia. Combinations of numbers take on varied meanings which can have a large impact on the value of a numeric domain name. If you're interested in acquiring numeric domain names, make sure to research the numeric meanings in various cultures to have a better understanding of which domains may hold value.

Memorable Domain Names

Domains that are naturally easier to remember will have added value and is one of the primary reasons that short domains are reliable investment targets. The 'radio test' reference can be used: if the domain name is said aloud, people should be able to both understand the domain and be able to spell it. A memorable domain is valuable for end-users who may want to use the domain for their business or marketing objectives.

Examples: Yahoo, Bestbuy, WordPress, Amazon

Domain Names with Search Traffic (Keywords)

If you're looking at domains that are expiring instead of registering brand new domains, it is worth investigating that domain's search traffic. Despite the domain potentially having an unmemorable, lengthy keyword, the domain's traffic could indicate domain authority (which will be attractive to SEO marketers). It could be in an ideal position for the value increase strategy utilizing content creation.

Domain Name History and Age

It's always worth using a tool such as 'wayback machine' to dig into a domain you're considering purchasing. Depending on the historical content, it may have a positive or negative effect on the value of a domain. If a domain had controversial content in the past, it may deter future buyers. If the domain had a content-dense WordPress blog about a popular subject, it would be a more attractive domain to certain buyers.

A domain's age is occasionally a relevant property that increases a domain's value as it can indicate domain authority built up over time (if the site was previously used for content) and/or indicate that the domain was unavailable for many years, which may be attractive to some buyers.

Spelling, Characters and Wording

There can be multiple ways to type one domain name. Unfortunately, many of the alternative ways are usually a devalued version of the original, properly spelled domain. Using a domain name that has alternative spelling, special characters, pluralized vs. singular and numbers will alter the allure of the domain. They can still be valuable in certain contexts but often will be unintuitive for users to remember.

Examples: one4all, carzforsale, domain-investing, trailerspark, 4getful

Top-level Domains (TLDs)

There are over two thousand TLDs that all serve various purposes and hold different power from an investing standpoint. While a select few can skyrocket a domain's value (such as .COM), there are many TLDs which are not as popular among investors. With that said, as popular TLDs get more saturated, businesses and individuals will have no option but to expand into alternative domain extensions to get their desired domain name. This is already happening in certain industries with extensions like .IO and .XYZ. As an investor, this is an exciting avenue to travel down as, eventually, foresight and initiative may be rewarded.

There aren't any guidelines on which domain extensions you should avoid - some domain investors swear by sticking with what's popular and others are more willing to invest in new TLDs that offer plenty of hand registration opportunities (which is to manually register a domain not currently owned or from a domain aftermarket). Some TLDs are lower-priced than others, which can also be exciting for investors looking to bulk-register domains in hope of having one or two domains in a batch become worth exponentially more down the road.

As with all other criteria listed here, it's best to monitor other domain sales and do thorough research to properly evaluate the success of a domain extension.

Domain Name Hacks

Certain TLDs can be used to expand on a domain name which, when combined, creates a complete word or phrase. These are referred to as domain hacks, and they are a creative way to incorporate a domain extension into a domain name. Domain hacks have become popular over the years, especially as a variety of new TLDs have become more commonplace. This has increased the demand for these types of domain names and, as a result, has increased the value of domain hacks in domain aftermarkets. When used properly, they can improve the memorability of a domain name.

Examples: sa.me, tr.io, beautiful.ly

Pinyin Domain Names

Pinyin is the use of the roman alphabet written to pronounce Chinese characters when they are said aloud. Pinyin has a commonplace in Chinese culture as it is taught from a young age and frequently used to read and write. Due to its commonality, it makes sense that pinyin domain names have garnered much popularity in the domain investing world as it uses the roman alphabet, can be very short, and can even have dual meaning between English and Chinese languages. Investing in pinyin domains requires a foundational understanding of both pinyin and the Chinese languages.

Examples: wanglou, niaochao, meili

05. Buying Domains

Acquiring domains can be both exciting and daunting, as it's where investors put their money on the line hoping for that sweet positive return down the road. The best part of buying domains is that there are always great investing opportunities available, with many avenues to discover and add domains to your portfolio.

Before You Buy

Acquiring a domain can occasionally be very exciting, especially if the domain seems obviously undervalued on a marketplaces. Before you check out that domain in your cart or place the bid on the domain you've been eyeing, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

1. Check the historical information about the domain

Historical data matters, and it's easy to overlook. What can initially be an obvious acquisition to add to your portfolio may be difficult to incorporate into your investing strategy if the domain has a history of toxic or spam content. On the other hand, the domain may have some strong backlinks which will make the acquisition even more obvious. It's worth the five minute investigation - you can find tools to help you dig into a domain's history later in this guide.

2. Consider your domain investing strategy

Ask yourself how the domain aligns with your strategy. Some domains may work better than others depending on how you approach monetization. For example, if you're focusing on a long-term value-add and content creation strategy, you may want to avoid domains that aren't memorable or brandable. If it's a focus of yours, it can be important to check to see if the domain aligns with your target industry/vertical for investing as well.

3. Have a plan in mind

Acquiring a great domain, followed by not having a next step can hurt your investing process. The last thing you want to do is acquire an expensive expired domain only for you to scratch your head three years down the line and decide to let it expire. If you're planning on holding it and reselling years later, acknowledge and try to plan in advance for that. After considering next steps for a domain, you may just decide the domain isn't a good fit for your current situation - and that's okay.

4. Consider monetary expenses.

Moving in haste and impulse buying happens even in the investing world. Try to take a step back and ensure the domains you're acquiring fit into your personal investing budget. This is especially important if you're diving into aftermarket domains which can ramp up acquisition prices exponentially.

Domain Acquisition Methods

As the domain name space has evolved, so have your options for acquiring domains. Below are various avenues you can take to building out your domain portfolio.

Hand Registration

Hand registration is the traditional method of manually searching for and registering domains. It is the most inexpensive route for building a domain portfolio, but it requires creativity for success in the investing world. Finding a valuable domain name that has not been registered is rare, as you'll be competing with other investors who have been brainstorming for years. To be successful with this purchasing strategy, you often need to look ahead at emerging trends for ideas, or dive into niche industries or verticals to find great domains to invest in.

When you do hand register a domain, patience is usually required to reap the benefits. You often must wait for a trend or category to become more prominent. During this time, it is worth considering the 'content development strategy' previously mentioned, which will help bolster the domain's value over time.

Process

Hand registration is one of the easiest methods of acquiring domain names. You simply locate the domain registrar you want to register domains from, find their domain search page, and start conducting your searches. Once you've found a domain of interest, it's just a matter of proceeding through checkout.

If you want to hand register domains to kick off your domain investing portfolio, Dynadot provides some of the lowest prices while focusing on cost transparency. We recommend our domain search tool or use our domain suggestion tool to get started with brainstorming and research.

Expired Domains

Domain names have an ownership lifecycle. When domains do not get renewed at the end of their registration period, they become potential targets for new domain investors to acquire. One of the most popular methods for investors to get valuable domains is through expired domain auctions as thousands of domains expire daily, and domains that expire at certain registrars will appear on expired auction listings. Due to the popularity of expired auctions, certain domains will occasionally reach hundreds if not thousands of dollars, so they can be an expensive yet fruitful acquisition method. As an investor, spend some time searching through expired domain aftermarket listings. There are always hidden gems that sneak through the cracks.

Process

While using expired auctions changes slightly from aftermarket to aftermarket, the process is generally the same. At a certain point after the expiration process has already begun, domains will be listed on an expired domain auction platform. The domains listed are usually domains that expire on that registrar's platform (which is why it's important to monitor various expired auction platforms). Once a domain is listed, the auction for that domain begins and lasts a set number of days. Users can place bids on these domains, with the highest bid at the end of the auction period winning the domain.

Check out our expired auction listings on our domain aftermarket.

Backorders

An alternative method for acquiring valuable domains is through the process of utilizing 'dropcatching' services, where users place 'backorders' requests that allow them to attempt to register domains as soon as they're re-released for public registration after completing the expiration process. 'Dropcatching' is a term for when a domain registrar automatically registers a domain on the behalf of a user who placed a backorder request. Placing backorders can be a powerful tool to grab valuable domains quickly at a reasonable price.

Process

Placing a backorder request is an easy process, you simply visit the domain backorder page at your preferred domain aftermarket, find the domain you're interested in, and place the backorder request. Once the domain has completed the expiration process, the registrar will attempt to register that domain on your behalf. At Dynadot, if a domain receives multiple backorder requests, the backorder listing becomes a backorder auction listing, allowing users to place bids on the domain to acquire it instead.

Check out our backorder and backorder auction listings on our domain aftermarket.

Domain Marketplaces

Domain marketplaces are the home of buying user-listed domain names. Through websites such as sedo.com , and Dynadot's user market, you'll find domains of all types that range from high value (in terms of desirability) to low value in both niche and mainstream industries. Domains listed in a marketplace often allow for users to place bids on the domain (usually referred to as user auctions), immediately purchase at a 'Buy it now' price, or make an offer for the domain - all of which is decided by the domain seller.

Acquiring domains through domain marketplaces require a solid understanding of both what makes a domain valuable and the appropriate price for domains for sale. If you want to specialize in owning valuable domains and understand the ins and outs of domain prices from a particular industry, these marketplaces are an ideal place to start. It is highly recommended that you use them as an information gathering tool to begin.

Every marketplace has its own unique listings, resulting in many investors using multiple marketplaces for their domain purchasing needs. It is key to remember that the individual seller determines the price, which you hope is influenced by the market prices (though that is not always the case). If you choose to negotiate with the seller, which is common if direct communication is established, be prepared with a hard limit on how much you're willing to spend on a domain's acquisition.

Process

Find the domain aftermarket that you're interested in and search through the various marketplaces available. You can utilize filters on these pages to help narrow the criteria based on your investing objectives (such as filtering by top-level domain, character count, or price range). Once you've found a domain to invest in, either make an offer, place a bid, or purchase at the listed price (your available options will be dependent on which aftermarket the domain is listed on and the seller's preferred method of sale).

Check out our user market and user auction listings on our domain aftermarket.

Direct Purchases

Through research and negotiations, you can acquire domains by contacting a domain owner directly. This difficult approach can be incredibly fruitful if successful as prices and the selection of domain options can be wide, with the potential of snagging a domain that may not even be publicly on the market.

Be prepared for a majority of no-responses on your outreach emails while investing heavy time into conducting research to find domains/domain owners to contact. To help discover domains to contact, you'll need to use a Whois lookup to gain access to the Whois database, which is a resource for obtaining contact information on a domain owner. If you're patient enough and willing to do the research, this tactic is a worthwhile consideration as a strong domain acquisition strategy.

Tips for Buying Domains

1. Stay within your price range

Decide on your spending limit and stay within it. Overextending for one domain may hurt the investing potential of your portfolio while also creating high risk due to lack of domain diversification.

2. Determine your focus

Consider a particular industry or interest you want to focus your acquisition efforts on. If you're extremely knowledgeable on a certain subject, figure out how to narrow your portfolio to leverage that expertise.

3. Check multiple acquisition locations

If you have the time, don't rely strictly on one acquisition website to build your portfolio. Great domains can be acquired from various aftermarkets at different costs, so keep an eye out.

4. Room for negotiation

If you have the opportunity to negotiate prices with a domain owner, do so. It's a chance to get a domain at a good price while also potentially building a connection in the investing world.

5. Don't feel pressured

It's easy to fixate on a particular domain as you're proceeding through the acquisition process, especially on bidding aftermarket platforms. Opportunities come and go, and if you're feeling unsure about a buy, it may be best to wait until the next great domain shows up.

06. Selling Domains

While domain acquisition can be fairly straightforward once you find the domain you want to register, selling domains can be a more challenging and prolonged affair. Luckily, there are various ways to approach the selling process that can all bring you closer to landing sales.

Before You Sell

It's easy to find a domain you want to sell, quickly place it up on an aftermarket, and hope for the best. While this may be just enough to get the job done and land a few sales, it may be helpful to consider the following - especially with more valuable domain names.

1. Have a general price in mind

Going into the selling process with a sale price range can be helpful as a reference. Negotiations can come up or you may need to adjust your price at some point down the road, and having a baseline to refer to can speed up the adjustment process. It can also be helpful practice while you continue to learn about domain prices in general.

2. Consider where to place your domain

Think about where you want to place your domain for sale. There are many, many domain aftermarkets to promote your domains for sale, and selecting the right ones can make all the difference when it comes to landing a sale. Aftermarkets usually have commissions, rules, and other nuances when it comes to selling domains - so plan ahead and consider using an aftermarket that meets your needs.

3. Make your domain accessible

Open up opportunities for potential buyers to discover your domain name. This could mean creating a for-sale landing page, setting your whois privacy to open, or planning to let your social media audience know that it's for sale. Think about all the avenues that potential buyers may find your domain, and consider how you can make it easier for them to get in touch.

Domain Selling Methods

There are multiple routes you can take to sell your domain names, which should be mixed and matched to help bring awareness to your domains for sale.

Marketplace Listings

For getting your domains in front of other investors and occasional end-user buyers (users who will utilize the domain for their business or branding needs), marketplaces are one of your best bets, and should be one of the first routes taken when wanting to sell a domain. Domains for sale have the following listing types that provide flexibility in how other users respond to a listing:

'Buy It Now' pricing to list a domain at a fixed price.
'Make Offer' to allow other buyers users to submit their offers for a listed domain name.
User auctions which set a starting bid price and allow other users to bid on the domain name.

Using multiple marketplaces is common for investors looking to promote specific domains and widen their audience that may see their domain for sale. There are both standalone marketplace websites and select registrars that also offer aftermarkets. Dynadot has a robust and user-friendly marketplace which is a great way to tap into a domain selling or auctioning platform. We are also integrated with Sedo and Afternic which will increase the exposure of your domain name listings while providing additional benefits such as fast transfer and quicker sales. You can even provide the option for users to pay in monthly installments.

TIPAll marketplaces have their own commission fees and potential other expenses when it comes to selling. Make sure to research marketplaces to find one that fits your needs.

For-Sale Landing Page

Prospects interested in your domain will likely go directly to the domain name's URL during their research process. This is an opportunity to utilize a "For-Sale" landing page to promote that you're accepting offers and/or outreach regarding price negotiations. A landing page is an important step in providing the easiest outreach method for buyers as they typically come with direct contact methods such as a contact form. If you're interested in setting up a "For-Sale" landing page, Dynadot makes the setup process quick and simple so your prospects can easily make offers and contact you. Visit our help page to learn how to list your domain for sale on a "For-Sale" landing page.

TIPDepending on how quickly you want to sell your domain, consider allowing potential buyers to submit offers to help accommodate buyers needs and engage them in a discussion.

Open Whois Privacy

Many domain investors or end users conducting domain research start with the Whois database. To make it simple for others interested in your domain, it is recommended to set your Whois privacy to public. At Dynadot, our Whois privacy comes with every domain for free. If you are trying to get offers for your domain, turn off your domain privacy for any domains you are looking to sell and update your Whois contact record if needed. Please note, since GDPR , some domain extensions will not allow your Whois information to be shown, which is why "For-Sale" landing pages are key.

TIPEnsure the email address attached to your contact record information for the domain's you're selling is correct. You don't want to miss a sales opportunity due to using the wrong email address.

Manual Promotion

Outreach in the right areas can make all the difference between selling domains and remaining undiscovered in the domain investing world. There are many opportunities to further promote your domains, which can include:

Utilizing forums that allow 'domains for sale' advertising.
Researching companies that fit in your domain's industry and reaching out to the right contact.
Reaching out to other domain investors contacts. Your profit margin may not be as high, but you'll be given the option to sell sooner.
Attending industry-related events or conferences to network and build your contact list.
Hiring a domain name broker to gain access to their wider network of contacts.
Utilizing social media to conduct personal outreach to contacts who may be interested in the domain.

TIPWith all these approaches, remember to be respectful and avoid spamming one contact or a website forum - you don't want to be a hindrance to any potential buyers and lose opportunities.

Tips for Selling Domains

1. Research, research, research

Pricing your domain correctly when selling is a huge component to getting buyers to take notice. Conduct ample research to accurately gauge your domain's pricing.

2. Consider your vertical

Domains can often fit into a certain industry or category depending on the domain name itself. Strategize where your domain may fit, and then tailor the outreach sales strategy accordingly.

3. The right outreach

Find a balance between too little and too much communication when you find a potential buyer. It's okay to follow up once or twice with someone who may be interested, but don't overwhelm them with daily messages.

4. Patience is required

When selling domains, maintaining patience is key to see fruitful results. It can take months or even years to connect with the right buyer, so it's important to realize that and plan accordingly.

5. Re-evaluate when needed

Sometimes a domain that you're attempting to sell just isn't selling, and it may be worth letting the domain expire. Evaluate your portfolio and, if a domain isn't providing value versus your time spent, consider cutting it.

07. Building and Managing Your Domain Portfolio

Starting Your Domain Portfolio

Acquiring your first domain for your investing portfolio can be intimidating, as it will be your money on the line making the acquisition happen. While daunting, it can also be exciting to think about the prospect of earning. Here are some general tips to help guide you when building your portfolio piece by piece.

1. Define your strategy

Your acquisitions should be guided by your strategy. It may be difficult to determine what that strategy is, but try to envision how you want to approach domain investing. Do you want to mitigate risk and try to elevate a domain's value through content creation? Perhaps seek out some solid brandable-potential domains. Looking to attempt to flip domains? It may be best to isolate the variables from section 4 and find a domain that fits nicely into multiple criteria that make a domain valuable. Understanding how you want to use the domains will help naturally grow your portfolio.

2. Conduct the research

Shaping your portfolio should be a direct result of your initial research. Don't just start aimlessly registering domains. Try to establish a foundation of understanding what makes a domain valuable, find out more about domain price evaluations, and join domain-related forums/discussions to learn from other investors in the industry. The broader your knowledge-base in the domain industry, the higher likelihood of success when assembling your portfolio.

3. Diversify to minimize risk

Start your portfolio with a diverse list of domain names with lower price entry points instead of putting all your eggs in one basket. There will always be more risk investing a lump sum into one domain versus registering multiple domains that may all hold smaller value - especially while you're learning what makes a domain valuable. Twenty domains for $10 each will offer more flexibility and potential than one domain acquired for $200 if you plan correctly.

4. Importance of organization

Staying organized and tracking your portfolio right from the start will help you easily assess the status of your domains and help you monitor spending. This is a key step to building a portfolio, so it's best to start right at the beginning.

5. Understand the required perseverance

Domain investing is challenging. There is always an opportunity to get really lucky, but it often requires research, perseverance, personal investment and experience to see positive traction. When building and managing your portfolio, keep this in mind to help evaluate your progress and even determine when to further develop/expand your portfolio or when to trim the edges.

Portfolio Organization

Make it your priority to go slowly and stay organized when starting your investing journey. To accomplish this, there are online tools that can help monitor and meticulously organize all your domains. You can also rely on a simple yet robust spreadsheet, whether through excel or a free platform like Google Sheets. This will provide control over tracking your domain portfolio information, such as:

Domain status (acquisition dates, expiration dates, negotiation status)
Domain pricing (estimated price, acquisition price, reference domain prices)
Outreach status (any current bids or contacts regarding selling)
Which registrar the domain in under
Which industry/category/interest the domain can be placed under
The domain's TLD
Research required or any other notes you want to make

This organization goes beyond just managing your domains. When you're new to domain investing, you will come across useful web pages, articles or forum posts that will offer valuable insight that can change how you approach investing. Maintaining a library of useful articles in an organized directory will keep you efficient and informed, especially when there is limited time to commit to investing and research.

Lastly, find a registrar that allows for easy domain management in their platform. Dynadot allows you to set up folders to store and label your domains easily while providing intricate filtering options to sort through your domains based on criteria. You even have the ability to add domains residing under other registrars to help you keep track of your entire domain portfolio from one control panel.

Where to Keep Your Domain Portfolio

When starting your investing journey, your domain portfolio has to start somewhere. You should be looking for a portfolio home that provides the tools to manage small or large domain portfolios that also allows for a variety of acquisition methods directly through their platform. Every domain investor will have their preferences, and we encourage everyone to try and discover a platform that best fits their needs. Many larger investors actually use multiple homes for their portfolio, which has its own advantages and disadvantages.

At Dynadot, our platform is built to support domain investors on their journey and to provide all the tools they need to manage their portfolio while acquiring domains at a reasonable, low price.

Aftermarket Listings

From expired domain auctions and backorder placements to user auctions and buy-it-now user market listings, we have a wide variety of acquisition resources for you to tap into.Learn More

Free Website Builder

Looking to create content for your new domain names? Our powerful website builder provides all the tools you need to get your websites running quickly.Learn More

Saving Options

We constantly push our domain registration, transfer, and renewal prices to be some of the lowest in the industry. You can also save even more with our bulk and super bulk prices!Learn More

Domain Management

All the tools are in place for you to set-up and manage your portfolio - all with an easy-to-use interface. From bulk domain adjustments to folder management, we help you stay organized.Learn More

For-Sale Landing Page

Easily set your domain names to our stylish for-sale landing page. We make it simple for buyer prospects to contact you, so you can sell your domains quickly. You can even negotiate with our make-offer system.Learn More

A Powerful API

Our API has all the basic and advanced functionality you need to acquire and manage your entire portfolio. If you're looking for depth and efficiency, our API can help.Learn More

08. Must Knows for Domain Investing

There aren't many barriers for getting started with domain investing. Once you have your aftermarket and/or registrar selected, along with a payment method, you can start registering domains at a whim. However, there are some key facts that are important to know to smooth out the learning curve.

Time and Money

Like every form of investing, outcome is going to be tied to both your budget allocation and your time investment. Both time and money will be a limited resource when you're starting to invest, and deciding how much of each should be seriously considered.

Time allocation

For time allotment, research should and likely will take priority when learning the ropes. This can include reading step-by-step guides on using tools, watching videos on domain-related topics, or participating in online community discussions. When you're ready, shift into researching actual domain names, reviewing aftermarket listings and monitoring auctions of interest. All research will require your time, so consider how much you'll put aside daily or weekly and integrate it into your schedule. The more diligent you are about building your foundation of knowledge, the higher the likelihood you will start your investing journey off strong. You'll be better equipped to make confident and informed decisions.

Even seasoned investors require time investment to see success. Ensure you accommodate for this, and have some available time to either manage your portfolio or help it grow.

Budget allocation

When starting to invest, consider a limited budget that's designed around your investing strategy and even consider the number of domains you'd ideally like to obtain within that budget. This budget should be your baseline to help determine how you want to approach acquisition.

Example: You may choose to take the content building strategy approach on brandable domains while setting a $1,000 budget limit to find two or three domains to obtain through an aftermarket. Alternatively, you could spend your time researching keyword ideas in niche industries and hand register 10 domains for less than $100 to resell to businesses in those industries. It all depends on your investing strategy.

You'll need to decide the approach, research accordingly, and establish the limited budget. Just ensure the budget in mind is appropriate and doesn't cause you financial strain. All forms of investing can be risky - don't overcommit. Focus on gaining experience first and foremost.

Renewal Fees

Regardless of whether you own 10 or 100 domains, renewal fees are an expense that needs to be considered when it comes to maintaining your domain investing portfolio and deciding on how many domains you want to acquire. Creating a wide domain portfolio through hand registering could impact your allocated budget (as hand registering can take time to profit from). On the other side, slowly building up your portfolio to ensure that every domain has value will lower your annual renewal costs. Just be aware that TLDs have varying renewal costs. You can see the renewal rates for Dynadot on our TLD prices page.

TIPTry not to get fixated on making a profit on all domains in your portfolio. If a domain you hand registered when you started investing is not going to provide long-term value, it can be wise to let it expire rather than paying repeat renewal fees.

Transferring Domains

Understanding domain transfers is crucial as a domain investor - after all, if you can't transfer in or transfer out a domain, you won't be building your portfolio with aftermarket domains or making any money through selling.

Here is an overview of what is required to transfer a domain, whether you're receiving or sending out a domain to another registrar/users account:

The domain to be transferred must be registered or in your account for more than 60 days.
The domain will need to be unlocked to successfully transfer, which is a security measure to prevent unauthorized transfers.
With your domain unlocked, you can access the domain's authorization code. This name may change based on the registrar, it is also often called an EPP code. This code is shared with the buyer OR inserted into a registrar to initiate the start of the transfer process if you are the buyer.
The transfer process can take anywhere from a few hours to ten business days. If the transfer was made to another registrar, another year will be added to that domain name's registration.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with popular registrar domain transfer protocols. The information above is only an overview. Many registrars have unique procedures when it comes to transferring. As a best practice, it is recommended that the transfer is done in conjunction with an escrow or domain broker service to secure the exchange if the domain was purchased through an aftermarket platform such as Sedo or Afternic.

For more information about the domain transferring process through Dynadot, see the domain transfers section of our help pages.

Negotiation

When it comes to buying and selling domains directly to or from other users, negotiation becomes a focal point. This is a key area you'll want to be conscious of as it becomes much more prevalent once you're selling high value domains to both end-users and other investors.

Since each investor or end-user places value in different domain criteria, it is important to establish your minimum you would be willing to receive (if you're selling) or the maximum you'd be willing to pay (if you're buying) prior to entering negotiations to guide sound decisions. Take time and do your research before committing, as rash decisions can lead to bad investments. If you're new to negotiating, it is worth spending time learning about various negotiation approaches that compliment your personality by reading, taking courses or even through discussing with other investors.

Staying Informed

Keeping up to date with the domain investing community offers a wide range of benefits that you will eventually see trickle into your investing efforts. Joining in on investing forums, reading blogs and news sites that will keep you informed on industry news, attending industry events such as NamesCon, and reviewing sites that compile domains for sale/highlight specific sales from the week or month should all be considered. These are fantastic ways to understand trends and broaden your perspective when it comes to investing approaches from other investors that frequently participate in buying domains for sale and selling domains.

Many of the members contributing to these content sources have been involved in domain investing for years and comprise a wealth of knowledge. If you can tap into them for insight, you will make better evaluations when it comes to important investing decision points and placing your domains for sale.

New vs Classic TLDs

There are different investing styles and preferences that go beyond strategies for monetization, and one area that's garnered a lot of discussion in the domain investing scene is new versus classic top-level domains.

TIPWhile we go into brief descriptions below on both new and classic TLDs, it's important to conduct your own research to determine which top-level domains fit your investing needs and objectives.

Classic TLDs

It's undeniable that some of the original, older top-level domains (such as .COM, .NET, and .ORG) have some inherent value attached to them due to a variety of factors, including their familiarity, history, flexibility, popularity, and general reputation. Businesses around the globe aim for domain extensions that their audience expects, which most commonly falls under this classic TLDs category. With the higher demand, value is created. Some of the most valuable domains will fall under classic TLDs, which ultimately makes them popular targets for investors. Despite their popularity, there are two common issues with some of the classic domain extensions: accessibility and affordability.

With the long history of the classic TLDs (relative to the internet), it can be difficult to acquire valuable domains under them due to their popularity - with brands and investors alike registering and holding many of the popular options. Due to this, it's also had an effect on aftermarkets where domains under these TLDs are typically more expensive to acquire. There are always opportunities to invest in classic TLDs to yield some great results - it just may require additional research, creativity and/or cost to incorporate into your portfolio.

New TLDs

As of the mid 2010's, hundreds of new TLDs (both generic and country-code top level domains) hit the domain market for public registration. These domain extensions offer businesses, brands, and investors the opportunity to narrow their targeting to specific industries, audiences, or interests. With almost 2000 top-level domain options available, it's easy to see how investors are wary of their potential - especially as some are sure to gain more traction than others.

These new TLDs do offer some exciting opportunities with the tradeoff certain TLDs may never fully catch on for businesses and individuals:

Availability: Since each of these TLDs are newer, the likelihood of finding an available strong base domain increases, which means if the TLD's popularity does eventually boom, you'd have a good chance of making profit.
Affordability: While this isn't always the case, many new TLDs have a lower registration price, making the cost of entry more accessible to investors. Getting ten domains at the cost of one can be beneficial.
Narrowed Targeting: Since these domains typically focus on an industry, interest, or audience, investors can use this to their advantage by tailoring their portfolio to their existing interests or knowledge, which could lead to potential value down the road.

Escrow

Aftermarkets Tools

Types of Evaluation/Research Tools

Discovering the value of a domain you own or one you have your eye on acquiring can be difficult without the right tools, even as an experienced domain investor. Domain evaluation resources can assist in evaluating the domain's price. There are various types of tools that will assist with your investing journey that should be considered staples in your repertoire:

Domain Appraisals Tools

There are multiple approaches to appraise a domain, which can include:

Domain appraisal software (Dynadot's aftermarket uses Estibot for example).
Domain brokers that specialize in evaluating domains.
Tapping into the domain investing community can offer insight into domain prices, whether it be meeting investors through community events or utilizing online forums to discuss appraisals.

Historical Research

Studying data from previous domain sales in domain marketplaces is the quickest way to get accustomed to doing your own evaluations. Monitor certain domain names that are in your target category or industry and make note of either the final sale price or 'Buy Now' prices while paying close attention to trends. If you combine this with a tool such as NameBio (a historical tracker for domain name sales), you will quickly make progress with your own evaluations.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is not just for SEO or search advertising strategies, it happens to also be insightful when it comes to domain investing and evaluations. Using free tools such as Google Trends (to view rising trends of prevalent keywords) or Google Keyword Planner (to determine a keywords monthly search volume) are both powerful, free tools to qualify how valuable a particular keyword is in a domain. That data can then be used when buying or selling domains.

Keyword research is more important depending on the type of domain name. For example, a 'brandable' keyword will likely have little to no search volume since the brand you'll be looking to register may not exist yet (you do not want to be cybersquatting). On the other hand, a geo-targeted descriptive keyword such as "atlanta paving" will likely have consistent monthly search engine traffic. This is valuable information to know when gauging if it is worthwhile to invest into "atlantapaving.com" and how much you may want to spend to acquire it.

Whois Lookups

A Whois lookup is a tool that allows users to access the Whois database to gather information about the registrant (user) who registered the domain name. By using a Whois lookup, investors can get insights into domains of interest, and gather key information such as the email address attached to the registrant, the domain's expiration date, the original registration date, and some nameserver information. These tools can be helpful when conducting research about potential domains to acquire.

You can access Dynadot's Whois lookup here . It should be noted that if a domain has domain privacy enabled, much of the Whois lookup information will be restricted and not viewable. It will instead show contact information set by the domain registrar, such as providing a generic contact email address.

Bulk Search Tool

Bulk domain search tools allow users to conduct domain searches in bulk, allowing them to check domain availability for a large number of domains in various TLDs and then proceed to register any number of those domains if they're not taken. These bulk search tools help investors remain efficient when it comes to both researching and registering hundreds of domains at once to build their portfolio.

10. Domain Investing Pitfalls

Domain investors unfortunately occasionally tread into gray areas that aren't recommended to venture into when it comes to which domains to acquire. There are also certain domain extensions that have requirements that need to be met. It's important to be aware of the following when jumping into domain investing as they can cause frustration, legal issues and/or money lost.

Domain Squatting

Known as "cybersquatting", domain squatting occurs when a user registers a domain name that has a branded/trademarked keyword, name or slogan from a company or individual. Registrants who participate in this are usually either trying to block the domain from being registered by the company/individual or are using it as a part of their portfolio to profit by applying various investment strategies.

ICANN has the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) in place to prevent users from abusing this tactic. Avoid registering branded or trademarked terms all together.

TLD Regulations

Although a majority of TLDs can be registered without specific or unique rules attached to them, there are some (particularly country-code TLDs and some generic TLDs) that have restrictions. These restrictions are created by the TLDs registry and they decide on the requirements for those restrictions. Many of the restrictions involve living in a certain place or locational restrictions on gaining access (for example, you need to be a Canada resident to register .ca domains). You can see a list of all the restrictions by going to our TLD listings page and reviewing the "restrictions" column.

Scammers and Fraud Transactions

When it comes to dealing with other buyers and sellers, it pays to be cautious. There are numerous shady tactics others can use when it comes to domain investing. Examples include lying about a domain's information, owning stolen domains and scams regarding transactions. This is why it is important to conduct research prior to committing to purchasing a domain - know the domain's history and verify the ownership via Whois Lookup. When you're ready to make a purchase, use an escrow service or a domain broker to help keep the transaction safe and the exchange smooth.

11. Selling Domains with Dynadot

If you're looking for a domain registrar to start your domain investing journey, we encourage you to check out our tools and services as well as section 6 where we explain the process of selling domains.

Your Dynadot Selling Options

Dynadot offers two ways to list your domain for sale: our marketplace and user auctions. These options allow buyers to purchase a domain at a listed price, make an offer, or place bids on your domains depending on how you create your sales listing.

User Market

Dynadot's User Market allows you to list your domain names for sale or find the listed domains to purchase. Selling domains on our market helps you put it in front of thousands of potential buyers that frequently visit the listing.Our User Market offers two sale listing types:

Make Offer

Allow potential buyers to send you their offers. If you're not satisfied with the initial offer, you can request a counter-offer and continue the negotiations until reaching an agreement. When you agree on a price, you'll have to finalize the sale by unlocking your account and selecting the currency for the order. The link will be sent to the buyer, and you will get an email once the buyer submits the order.

Buy It Now

Set an exact sales price when listing the domain name for sale. This allows the buyer to add the domain to their cart and purchase it directly.

Process of listing your domain name in Dynadot's User Market:

1. Sign in to your Dynadot account.

2. Select "My Domains" from the left-side menu bar and click "Manage Domains" in the drop-down.

3. Check the box next to the domain name(s) you wish to list for sale.

4. Select "Sell Domain" from the "Action" drop-down menu.

5. Change the dropdown menu from 'None' to 'Marketplace', and then add a category, subcategory or a description for your domain. Then, click on 'Save settings'.

The default setting is 'make offer' for the listing. You can change this to set a price by editing your listing under the 'My Marketplace' menu in the 'Aftermarket' section in your control panel.

User Auction

Auctions are a perfect way to avoid negotiations with the potential buyers, or having to research the prices and set one yourself. All you have to do is list your domain name under 'User Auction', set the minimum bid amount and then wait to sell to the highest bidder.

The process of listing is the same as with selling on the Marketplace, up until the final step.

Click on 'Sell on Dynadot' in the 'Bulk Action' drop-down menu.
Choose 'Auction' instead of 'Not For Sale'.
Set a price and save settings.

Once you save the changes, you can't modify the listing. But, you can cancel the bidding any time before the first bid is placed.

Expand Your Selling Reach

Dynadot

Dynadot offers a simple way to list your domain name for sale and reach a wide audience. Whether you choose our User Market or User Auctions, your listing is primed and ready to get attention. With our audience, users from around the globe can see and purchase your domain, giving you more opportunities to not only sell, but also get a better price for the domain.

Beyond listing through our aftermarket, we have great ways to increase your reach beyond the Dynadot platform.

SedoMLS

SedoMLS is a collaboration between Dynadot and Sedo to expand the reach of domain names on the Dynadot platform. Through SedoMLS, you can place your Dynadot domains on the Sedo marketplace, greatly increasing your domain's exposure. SedoMLS promotes only fixed price domain names, so make sure you have the number ready before starting the listing process.

Setting up SedoMLS requires only a few steps, which you can find here .

AfternicDLS

AfternicDLS allows you to connect your domains to the Afternic marketplace, which includes over 90 partner networks. This means that when you connect your domain through AfternicDLS, it will be listed on all of the partnered platforms as well, increasing your reach and visibility. AfternicDLS also provides fast transfer, which means that buyers can get control over domains immediately after purchase, which can help encourage sales.

Listing a domain on Afternic is a simple process and you can find here the steps to it.

Tools

Optimized For-sale Page

Dynadot offers a landing page that's stylish, clean, and ad-free. Our for-sale landing page is optimized to help buyers easily navigate and find all the needed information. It contains clear listing prices and the ability for potential buyers to send offers. Additionally, Dynadot's logo is on the page to state its security and to help build buyers confidence.

Payment Plan

Let buyers acquire your domains and pay in monthly installments. Sellers have the option to include the payment plan on any of their user auction or user market domain listings that have a price of $100 or more. This provides buyers the flexibility of splitting the full cost into separate payments.

Global Accessibility

We offer a wide variety of supported languages, payment options, and currencies to help and encourage potential buyers to purchase your domains for sale.

Dynadot Apps

Our app for iOS or Android is the best way to manage, buy and sell, and bid on domains on-the-go. It's a great resource for managing your portfolio directly from your phone or tablet, allowing you to stay up to date on any of your domain investing needs.

12. Further Research & Getting Informed

Domain investing revolves around continued learning to have consistent success. Even experts who have been investing for over 15 years are still learning from experiences and from the ever-evolving marketplace. Industries change, and interests of end-users will continue to shift, especially as certain popular TLDs become more and more saturated. Ultimately, it is mostly the end-users that drive demand, which reverberates through what domains sell high or don't sell at all.

Here are five resources to launch you into further research:

Namepros

A domain investing forum with a massive community of investors that discuss recent news, trends, appraisals, and buying/selling domains.

NameBio

A historical domain name database that tracks domain sales. Useful for researching and evaluating comparable domains.

DomainInvesting.com

Another resource focusing on news, domain sales and auctions.

DomainSherpa

Learn directly from the experts with over one hundred interviews with experienced domain investors. A great resource for domain-related news, perspectives on investing strategies and delving deeper into the process of other investors.

DomainNameWire

Resource to stay informed in the industry, focusing on both news and firsthand accounts from domain investors.

Getting into domain investing does have a learning curve. We, like a majority of domain investors out there, would emphasize one point when it comes to any sort of investing - read and read some more. Visit forums, go to domain events, pull knowledge from your peers (even non-domain investors can provide valuable ideas about niches and keyword ideas). The more you invest into learning the intricacies of domain investing, the more you will likely see success when making investing decisions.

13. Domain Investing Terminology Chart

Name

Meaning

Aftermarket

A service platform for the buying and selling of domain names. Aftermarkets can have multiple market functions such as expired and user auctions , backorder placements and listing domains for sale to promote.

Auth code

A code made up of a series of letters, numbers and characters used to transfer a domain to another registrar. Every domain has a unique authorization code.

Also known as an authorization code/EPP code (Extensive Provisioning Protocol).

Backorder

Placing a backorder is a tool used by users to place requests to register domain names that are dropping (domains that complete the full expiration cycle).

Backorder Auction

If multiple users place a backorder request on a single domain name that is dropping soon, it will enter a backorder auction where users can place bids on said domain.

ccTLDs

Country code top-level domains. They represent a specific country to indicate where that website is based. Examples include: .ca for Canada and .de for Germany. Some ccTLDs have restrictions while others do not. Visit our TLD listing page that displays restrictions in the 'restrictions' column.

Domain Portfolio

A domain investors list of domain names that he or she registered for investing purposes.

Domain Transfer

Process of moving a domain name from one registrar to another. Transfers are frequently made when domains are successfully sold.

Domain Push

Similar to a domain transfer, a domain push is moving a domain from one account to another within the same registrar.

Domain Tasting

Allows for the ability to test out a domain (usually domain traffic) and return the domain if it does not meet expectations.
Also known as grace deletions. The grace deletion period varies based on TLDs.

Dropcatching/Domain Sniping

Catching (registering) a domain once it completes its expiration cycle. Certain services are available to assist with dropcatching while others offer the ability to place a backorder.

End-users

A person who actually uses a service or product. In the domain industry, this would be the user who uses the domains for a purposeful website such as running their business.

Exotic TLDs

Domain extensions that are more uncommon or new, thus not having a large volume of registrations. Can include both ccTLDs and gTLDs.

Expired Domain

Domains are registered for a set number of years. If the registrant does not renew the domain, it will enter the expiration process and eventually expire, returning to the public market.

Flipping

Strategy of buying low and selling high when investing to make a profit. Typically refers to short-term timeframes when used.

For-sale Page

A landing page used by investors to promote a domain for sale. The for-sale page is usually found on the domain name's URL.

Grace Deletion Period

The timeframe available to "return" a domain after registration. See 'Domain Tasting' for more information.

gTLDs

Generic top-level domains. Include all non-country-based domains that contain a wide range of uses. All gTLDs can be used around the world and do not confine a website to a particular location. Examples include: .com, .org or .xyz

ICANN

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. A non-profit organization that establishes rules and procedures for domain registrations and internet-related protocols.

Make Offer

A negotiation tactic used by the seller to allow the buyer to make the first proposal. Many for-sale pages and aftermarkets allow domains to be displayed with a "Make Offer" listing.

Parking

Owning a domain but not having any real relative content on it. Occasionally parked domains contain advertisements to earn money for the owner or contain domain for-sale pages.

Squatting or Cybersquatting

Description of a person who knowingly registered a domain that contains a brand name or trademarked term for financial gain or to damage a brands reputation.

Transaction Protection or Escrow

A middle-man service to help protect assets of both parties who are exchanging goods. It is a method to add security to a transaction to prevent scams or fraud in online purchases (in this case, buying and selling domains).

Type-in traffic

Traffic that arrives at a website by typing in the actual domain name into the URL bar. For example, someone going to look at cruises may just type "cruises.com".

UDRP

Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. A policy established by ICANN to deal with cybersquatting claims quickly.

Whois Lookup

A tool to access the Whois database to gather information on a domain owner. Frequently used by domain investors or end-users to get contact about purchasing a domain.

Whois Privacy

Used to hide a domain owner's public contact information through the Whois database. Typically, the registrar's contact information is shown in its place.

Domain Investing FAQ

How do I get paid if I make a sale through the Dynadot aftermarket platform?

Dynadot has a payout policy that allows you to withdraw account credit through your Dynadot account. A minimum of $500 is required to make a withdrawal from your account balance. If you are interested in making a withdrawal, visit our help page and we will guide you through the process.

Any recommendations on how to promote a domain I have for sale through the Dynadot platform?

There are a few methods to promote your domain for sale:

List your domain in the User Market or User Auctions page. We have hundreds of users viewing these aftermarket pages daily that may be interested in your domain.
Utilize our community forums to promote your domain.
Setup a 'For-sale' page easily and quickly through our domain management tool in your account settings.

Are there any domains I should be wary of purchasing to invest into?

This is a subjective area where investors will have distinct opinions on which domain name types to avoid - such as certain extensions or name length. We highly recommend researching and gathering multiple perspectives on this topic prior to committing to not registering certain types of domains.

With that said, as we covered earlier in this guide, avoid registering branded or trademarked names. This also includes domain names that target a brand but are slightly spelled incorrectly as these can be the target of UDRP.

Can I sell/transfer a domain immediately after I purchase it through the Dynadot marketplace?

No, we place all recently purchased domains in a "Buy Lock" status when a domain is purchased through our user market. We do this to prevent fraud as users could buy the domain and quickly transfer the domain out without the full payment going through.

Dynadot Support

When it comes to getting started with domain investing, there may be questions you have that this guide does not cover. Our support team is available 24/7 to help with any questions you have regarding using our platform to start domain investing.

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Disclaimer: We cannot provide recommendations on which domains to invest in. Research and knowledge will both assist in making informed decisions on investment targets.

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Beginner's Guide to Buying and Selling Domains

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Guide

About Domains and Domain Investing

Domain Investing Strategies

What Makes a Domain Valuable

Methods of Buying Domains

Methods of Selling Domains

About Domain Portfolios

Must Knows for Domain Investing

Tools for Domain Investing

Domain Investing Pitfalls

Selling Domains with Dynadot

Further Research

Terminology Chart

FAQ

Dynadot Support

Introduction to the Guide

About Domains and Domain Investing

Domain Investing Strategies

What Makes a Domain Valuable

Methods of Buying Domains

Methods of Selling Domains

About Domain Portfolios

Must Knows for Domain Investing

Tools for Domain Investing

Domain Investing Pitfalls

Selling Domains with Dynadot

Further Research

Terminology Chart

FAQ

Dynadot Support

Introduction to the Guide

About Domains and Domain Investing

Domain Investing Strategies

What Makes a Domain Valuable

Methods of Buying Domains

Methods of Selling Domains

About Domain Portfolios

Must Knows for Domain Investing

Tools for Domain Investing

Domain Investing Pitfalls

Selling Domains with Dynadot

Further Research

Terminology Chart

FAQ

Dynadot Support

01 . Introduction to Domain Investing

What's in this guide?

Investing your expectations

02 . About Domains and Domain Investing

What are domain names?

What is domain investing?

Three stages of domain investing:

Research:

Acquisition:

Applying Strategy:

03. Domain Investing Strategies

Domain Flipping - Buy Low, Sell High Strategy

Creating Value - Content Commitment Strategy

Domain Parking - Continuous Revenue Strategy

04. What Makes a Domain Valuable

Generic Domain Names

Short Domain Names

Geographic Domain Names

Relevancy Domain Names

Numeric Domain Names

Memorable Domain Names

Domain Names with Search Traffic (Keywords)

Domain Name History and Age

Spelling, Characters and Wording

Top-level Domains (TLDs)

Domain Name Hacks

Pinyin Domain Names

05. Buying Domains

Before You Buy

1. Check the historical information about the domain

2. Consider your domain investing strategy

3. Have a plan in mind

4. Consider monetary expenses.