Domain Lookup and Trading Tips

Share Button

domain lookupDomain names are prized possessions among domain traders. Some domains can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars; in fact, millions in some cases. Domains are now traded like stocks that quickly appreciate in value over time, creating significant amount of profits for domain traders. But just like in stock trading, success greatly lies on the domain lookup and buying process. That is why it is important to give due consideration and utmost focus on the selection stage because the outcome of your research greatly defines your success in domain trading. So, to get the balls rolling here are some domain name lookup tips to help you start with.

Take Note of the New Domain Name Extensions

Domain name extensions today come in various types, unlike before when it used to be solely dotcom domains. While dotcoms are still preferred and the most common extension, newer domain extensions are now getting more popular that some are now traded at higher price. Domain name extensions like -.tips and -.today are now on the list, and some top level domains are traded or auctioned and bid at tens of thousands of dollars. Here is the list of popular top level domains and their corresponding meaning:

  • -.com (commercial)
  • -.info (information for resource websites)
  • -.net (network)
  • -.edu (education)
  • -.biz (business)
  • -.org (organization)
  • -.today (today’s news and updates)
  • -.guru (expert)
  • -.reviews (review sites)
  • -.tips (tips and advice)
  • -.club (clubs)
  • -.email (emails)
  • -.mobi (mobile)
  • -.tv (television)

 

On top of the above suffixes, there are also country specific domain extensions like -.us for United States, -.uk for United Kingdom, and -.cn for China, among others. It is important to use the right extension for your domain name because these extensions also act as filters that weed out non-targeted visitors, thereby improving the quality of your web traffic. On the part of the searchers, top level domains allow them to go to more specific sites that cater to their needs.

Take Note of Trademarks

Use domain lookup tools to see who the owner, administrator, registrar information and where the server is located. Lookup information can also reveal telling signs such as when the domain was created, edited and how many times it changed hands. All these contribute to the value, or lack of, for the domain. The tool is also an important avenue to contact the domain owner in order to do business with the website or make a transaction.

Take Note of Trademarks

Before registering any domain, it is important to keep in mind the legal implications of using or registering trademarked names. Brand names, for instance, are trademarked by the company that owns the brand, and if by chance the domain name is available and you registered trademarked name, you may later on encounter legal issues for using a trademarked property. Therefore, conducting a trademark search is imperative prior to registering any domain in order to avoid legal problems ahead. Alternatively, a Whois domain owner search may be done to find out if a company owns the name or not.



 

Observe SEO

Search engine optimization still plays a significant role in domain names even if exact match domains or EMD are no longer given much importance in SEO. In the past, EMDs were highly-priced domains because of their SEO value. But due to rampant abuse by inept SEO providers, Google launched numerous crackdowns on sites involved in spamming the web with exact match domains that are inferior in quality.

In fact, the search engine giant is also keeping a tight watch not only on EMDs but on partial-match domains or PMDs, as well. Use of keywords in domain names should be done with caution to avoid triggering the signal to the search engine bots for possible spamming. A better way to play around the keyword usage in domains is to observe the latent semantic indexing (LSI) principle, which is to use related search terms in your domain and not necessary exact match. The main point here is to align your domain name theme with the content of the site.

Key Takeaway

Domain names today are no longer purchased solely for web building. Many online entrepreneurs are now buying domains at low prices, and then auction them off at higher value, thereby generating significant amount of profits. For those who are already knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the trade, domain trading is a profitable venture provided that the domain lookup is done effectively. That is why it is important to have an efficient system in place when searching for prized domains with great potential to shoot up in value.