Recent sales attest to the fact you can still purchase a domain name for X,XXX or less and turn over a sale at XX,XXX or more (way more in some cases.)

At the same time, if you browse the domain forums you will note that many quality keyword domains are still registered at registration prices and either developed or waiting for the right sale.

The fact is that there is a wealth of domains available for registration. The only thing missing on the part of the domainer is the education in the niche markets. In our case, we come across domains available (mostly dropped) all the time as we work for different clients and industries and learn about their specific needs, competitors, and audience. Most of these domains that we end up registering are in the dot com extension, some in dot net, and some in dot ca, very very few in other extensions.

Where to get domain name ideas?

A lot of domain names come to us through email drop list services. Some names are not specifically listed but a related domain to one on the list may be available. It helps to test the keywords. These lists are a good source of domain name ideas.

Other domains come through keyword research. As we research keywords for SEO on websites we’re developing, some keyword combinations are available for registration.

Another important aspect in choosing domains that are unregistered or dropped: VISION. Most, if not all, domainers that became rich or make comfortable living through domain sales and development need a healthy dose of vision. You need to be able to look at a domain name and see its potential in 2 to 10 years. Vision is probably one of the hardest qualities to acquire when selecting domain names. One key to this quality is becoming familiarized with the subject of the name.

Word of caution

Don’t go registering every domain name just because it is available. Choosing available domains is an art and gets more difficult as less and less good domains stay available or get dropped by previous owners. Experience is indispensable in this case. Every year we allow a good handful of domains to drop because they were not the good investment once thought at the time of the registration. But this loss is not really a loss if you hone your domain selection skills as a result.

Labels: Available Domains

We borrow the title from a two-year going forum thread on DN Forum by the user sdsinc, who’s real name is Kate. Kate’s been doing a fantastic service to the domaining community by posting some impressive available domains. Domains that can be registered at reg prices! Some notable domains from her list are Lisbonvillas.com, BancoMX.com, AJAXCoders.com, IdentityChanges.com, and lots more. Over the last two years Kate has posted literally hundreds of available domains and her thread has become one of the longest and most popular on DN Forum. If you are looking for quality domains at reg prices then you must include Kate’s thread in your search. Here is the link: http://www.dnforum.com/

Labels: Available Domains

DNDizzy.com offers daily domain drops as well as other tips and tools. Add DNDizzy.com to your list of must visit sites. It is amazing the quality generic names you can acquire at reg prices. The site is very easy to navigate, pleasing to look at, and most importantly, a wonderful service to help you build your quality domain portfolio. At the time of this writing not all areas are fully live but the site is already very usable. Congrats to the owner, Craig Ham. Hope you have a lot of success with this project, Craig!

Labels: Available Domains, Dropped Domains

Concept domain names, aka brandable domains, are short, easily pronounceable domains that are made up that sometimes resemble one or two real words but often have absolutely no meaning in modern language. Many of the Web’s greatest and most famous ebusinesses are built upon domains that can be considered concept (or brandable) that are either 1) completely made-up or 2) combine two words into one. Google is a made up word from googol (a number that is equal to 1 followed by 100 zeros), Expedia (the popular travel site) is made up word from expedite or expediate, Travelocity (another famous travel site) is a combination of travel and valocity. These are just few of the mainstream examples. Other websites combine words with utopia (keyword+topia) or eureka (keyword+reka), as in the recently launched game by Hasbro: Pictureka. Keywords can also be combined with endings of dictionary or encylopedia (as in Picturenary or Wikipedia and Webopedia.) Technorati and Digg, the so called Web 2.0 web-based services, resemble real words. Oprah recently launched Zappos.com which slightly resembles the Spanish word for shoes, zapatos, and sells, among other things, shoes. Bamzu is an ecommerce site by Turner Broadcasting which is a completely made up name. These are some recent examples of high-profile brandable concept domains made popular by marketing and development efforts. You may have seen or heard of others.

(more…)

Labels: Available Domains, Brandable Domains

Being in the Web and domain name development business, we come across many domains not registered and that we decided not to register. As a service to fellow domainers, we want to make them available. Here are first few:

DomainSaleTips.com

DomainInSite.com

CleanestEnergySource.com

CleanestEnergySources.com

Labels: Available Domains