Help, My Domains Are Expiring!
So you’ve gotten that message from your domain registrar – domain expiration notice. You are not sure if you want to renew your domain or not. What are your options?
1. Do Nothing
This, by far, is the most popular option and this is what most people do. They believe that the only choice they have is either to pay the renewal fee or not to. It’s not the only choice. But you can still do nothing.
2. Park It
The only reason why this dilemma exists is that you have to pay for your domain every year. If your domain pays for itself – problem solved. There are a lot of companies that park your domains and share ad revenues with you. Sedo is probably the biggest and the most popular one. Don’t do it. All big players simply load your page with ads. Google treats parked domains like dirt, stripping them of pagerank and organic search engine traffic. Instead, go with smaller niche players (like german startup BenePark.com) who keep adding original content and new links to your site. This way not only you’ll get paid, your pagerank and organic traffic will grow over time.
3. Auction It Off
Once again, there are plenty of domain auctions out there and in this instance you probably should go with Sedo. Another good choice is BuyDomains.com. You can list your domains at multiple locations. These auctions attract thousands of professional domainers who buy domains for parking, development or resale. The only bad thing about these ‘domain marketplaces’ is that premium domains (like SchoolSupplies.com or Horses.com) get most attention. YourFourWordDomains.com are likely to get overlooked.
4. Visit Domain Forums
Virtually every big domain forum (like DNForum.Com) has sections where you can sell your domain or get it appraised. You’ll never get much money for your domain on such forums, but you might be able to recoup your costs. And appraisals on such forums tend to be pretty accurate – if your domain is worthless, you’ll be told so in no uncertain terms. If your domain is worth something – you’ll start receiving lowball offers right away.
5. Sell It Directly/Barter
You wanted to open that online pet food store, but then abandoned the idea. So why not send an e-mail to existing stores or eBay sellers, telling them that you are willing to sell your domain for 50 dollars. Or you can offer it for free, in exchange for links or a 10 pound bag of bird feed.
Finally, you may want to give it away. And no, it’s not the same thing as doing nothing. If you do nothing, your domain will expire and go onto expired domains list. Cybersquatters will then purchase expired domains, put ads on them and offer for sale for at least $200 and as high as $1000. This means that not only you, no one will be able to register the domain, unless they are willing to pay premium prices. Why not give your domain to a person who may really need it and who can turn it into something worthwhile?
Dmitry Davydov is a serial entrepreneur and a founder of PickyDomains.com, world’s first risk-free naming service. He is currently involved with IconWanted.Com – a free icon search engine and Bates Express.Com – electronic Bates numbering software for attorneys, hospitals and courts.
1. Do Nothing
This, by far, is the most popular option and this is what most people do. They believe that the only choice they have is either to pay the renewal fee or not to. It’s not the only choice. But you can still do nothing.
2. Park It
The only reason why this dilemma exists is that you have to pay for your domain every year. If your domain pays for itself – problem solved. There are a lot of companies that park your domains and share ad revenues with you. Sedo is probably the biggest and the most popular one. Don’t do it. All big players simply load your page with ads. Google treats parked domains like dirt, stripping them of pagerank and organic search engine traffic. Instead, go with smaller niche players (like german startup BenePark.com) who keep adding original content and new links to your site. This way not only you’ll get paid, your pagerank and organic traffic will grow over time.
3. Auction It Off
Once again, there are plenty of domain auctions out there and in this instance you probably should go with Sedo. Another good choice is BuyDomains.com. You can list your domains at multiple locations. These auctions attract thousands of professional domainers who buy domains for parking, development or resale. The only bad thing about these ‘domain marketplaces’ is that premium domains (like SchoolSupplies.com or Horses.com) get most attention. YourFourWordDomains.com are likely to get overlooked.
4. Visit Domain Forums
Virtually every big domain forum (like DNForum.Com) has sections where you can sell your domain or get it appraised. You’ll never get much money for your domain on such forums, but you might be able to recoup your costs. And appraisals on such forums tend to be pretty accurate – if your domain is worthless, you’ll be told so in no uncertain terms. If your domain is worth something – you’ll start receiving lowball offers right away.
5. Sell It Directly/Barter
You wanted to open that online pet food store, but then abandoned the idea. So why not send an e-mail to existing stores or eBay sellers, telling them that you are willing to sell your domain for 50 dollars. Or you can offer it for free, in exchange for links or a 10 pound bag of bird feed.
Finally, you may want to give it away. And no, it’s not the same thing as doing nothing. If you do nothing, your domain will expire and go onto expired domains list. Cybersquatters will then purchase expired domains, put ads on them and offer for sale for at least $200 and as high as $1000. This means that not only you, no one will be able to register the domain, unless they are willing to pay premium prices. Why not give your domain to a person who may really need it and who can turn it into something worthwhile?
Dmitry Davydov is a serial entrepreneur and a founder of PickyDomains.com, world’s first risk-free naming service. He is currently involved with IconWanted.Com – a free icon search engine and Bates Express.Com – electronic Bates numbering software for attorneys, hospitals and courts.
posted by UncommonBusiness at 1:25 AM
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