Domaining – A Beginners Guide To Choosing Successful Domains

Becoming a successful full time domainer isn’t something that will happen over night. You have to accumulate domains gradually and sensibly, and build a diverse, valuable portfolio over time. Much of being successful in domaining is about honing and trusting your instinct. In the beginning that instinct may lead to a few bad purchases, but as you become more of a seasoned domainer, your judgment will become sharper.

Look For Unexploited Niche Markets

If you are working to a small budget and buying new domains, rather than trying to purchase more expensive parked ones from other webmasters or domainers, then research niche markets that might become worth something in the near or not too distant future. Think about specific locations and activities. For example, if I knew that golf was becoming very popular on Phuket Island in Thailand, I would consider registering PhuketGolf.com, GolfingInPhuket and other variations. Think about this: the likelihood is that Golf.com is already taken and worth big money, but there are plenty of niche areas of the golfing industry that are expanding. The key is to look for these niche markets.

Keyword Research Is Key

Many people waste money on buying domain names because they buy what sounds like “a good idea.” While a good idea does arise from your intuition, it is sensible to apply keyword research to the idea to realize its potential. The Google Keyword Tool is a great way to conduct accurate keyword research. If your idea for a domain name has an exact match search volume of 3000+ (ball park figure), you could well be onto a good domain. If there is hardly any search at all, then ask yourself, would someone really want to buy this domain name? Analyze other keywords in the niche and see whether there is another variation of the domain name that would be more lucrative.

Why Exact Match Domains?

Exact match domains are valuable for two reasons. Firstly, they directly reflect a brand; for example, a company offering the best hotels, whose name is Best Hotels, will want the exact BestHotels.com domain. If you manage to register the domain, the likelihood is they will approach you to buy it at a much higher price than you paid for it. Secondly, Google tends to favor exact match domains in search results. This isn’t a said rule, but any Internet marketer will tell you that it is always preferable to have the exact match domain for the keyword and brand you are targeting.

Choosing Dot Com, Dot Net or Dot Org

These three are the most popular domain name suffixes, and if you can’t register the preferred .com suffix, always check to see if the .net and .org suffixes are available. These three perform well in the search listings, and the general public is familiar with seeing them around the web, which means you will always have a good chance of selling domains that end with .com, .net or .org. When you register a domain you will be prompted by the domain seller to buy the other variations at a bargain price (if they are available.) By doing this you will be securing a monopoly on the domain, and anybody wanting either one will have to come to you to buy.

Good luck with starting out as a domainer. Be sure to check back for more advanced tips in the near future.