The Power of Domain Names in Marketing

Purchasing your own domain is inexpensive and very effective for any kind of marketing campaign online or offline. You should be able to purchase a domain and redirect it from the same place at no additional cost. Their is no reason to host it - and the KEY in redirecting is to redirect the URL as "cloaked" or "stealth." In other words, when someone clicks on your domain, that is all you ever want them to see in the address bar of the browser... so they do not know you have redirected a domain to another site. For example, http://www.FreeSampleCard.com is redirected to... http://www.makeloyalcustomers.com/cards.php/lindamiller Which do you think someone is more likely to remember or be more interested in clicking? If you have a domain that attracts curiosity, you can post your domain name almost anywhere and you will attract people who are looking for what your domain describes. Don't let anyone tell you all the good domains are taken. Be creative - add a word to the front or back of what you want and you will find something good for you. I recommend keeping your domain names to 3 words that flow well together. Think of words that are also good key words for what you are offering so that when people search for what you are offering they will find your site. Tip: When you are brainstorming ideas for domain names, type them into a Word document and capitalize the first letter of each word to get an idea of the "visual effect" - and when you use your domains in advertising, also capitalize the first letter of each word like I have done above. It will much easier for people to read. I have been buying domains from the same place for years... <a target="_new" href="http://www.GetYourDomainHere.com">http://www.GetYourDomainHere.com</a> How's that for an effective domain? So, get out there and get your own domains! There are still plenty of domain names for everyone! Copyright 2005 Linda Miller is a Spiritual Entrepreneur whose quest is to empower others to deliberately create true abundance and prosperity. This article may be distributed freely, provided that this resource box is included in its entirety. <a target="_new" href="http://www.SpiritualEntrepreneurToday.com">http://www.SpiritualEntrepreneurToday.com</a><br> <a target="_new" href="http://www.MyDivineDirection.com">http://www.MyDivineDirection.com</a>

.info Freedom Frenzy

Whether you're someone that registers domain names on a regular basis, or you're a person looking to register one domain name for your website or business, then it's likely that you've encountered the free .info registrations taking place at several registrars. I've encountered a lot of debate regarding the free .info giveaways. Some think that this free rush will decrease the value of the domain extension, while others insist that no matter what the price, certain domains maintain value due to the high demand of the keywords. The best thing we could do to maintain the value of the .info is to only register the extension appropriate keywords. I've seen a lot of random, and worse, profitless .info domain names being registered for the sake of being free. This doesn't really help the .info market, especially when I've personally come across several hundred domain names that match perfectly with the extension, and are still available for registration. The .info should be used for exactly the purpose it was designed. For information. Anything else would just be impractical. It's not difficult to find worthwhile terms to match with the .info extension. Do some research. Visit your favorite directory and browse through for topics. I've found hundreds of available extension appropriate terms using this method. Forget the strategy you've been using to find .com's, and other such extensions. The .info is a very special extension, and should be treated as such. This is not to limit you, quite the contrary. This is a great opportunity for many people to register valuable domain names at little to no cost whatsoever. If you spend a little extra time to find better registration choices, then it will pay off in the end. Rushing out to register the first thing that comes to mind for the sake of doing it won't benefit you, or anyone else in the end, especially come renewal time. Another tip is to only register names that would be worth registering if you were paying out of your pocket for them. Also only register names that would be worth the renewal cost. Chances are if you avoid these two tips, it won't even be worth it to you to park your ineffective domains at a revenue bearing parking service. Think before you register. Be sure that there is a way that you can profit from this opportunity, whether it be in reselling, developing, or parking. Quick, thoughtless registrations of the .info are counterproductive, and should be avoided at all costs. About The Author Jennifer Chiera, Webmaster/Investor DomainBash.com - <a href="http://www.domainbash.com" target="_new">http://www.domainbash.com</a> DotTown.com - <a href="http://www.dottown.com" target="_new">http://www.dottown.com</a> DomainAppeal.com - <a href="http://www.domainappeal.com" target="_new">http://www.domainappeal.com</a> <a href="mailto:webmaster@domainbash.com">webmaster@domainbash.com</a>

Making Money from Parked Domains

Let me tell you a true story. A friend of my who likes to collect domain names was describing a few that he had acquired. While he has a wide range of domains in various categories, these particular domains were all related to web hosting. Some of the domain names were similar to existing web hosting company names (or derivatives of web hosting company names). Others simply had 'hosting', 'host', or a related term in the domain itself. So my friend and I were talking and he said something like, &quot;Yeah, it's a shame ? if only I had the time to develop some content for some of these domains then I might make some money form them&quot;. It turns out that he had no content on any of the domains ? just parked pages, or no content at all. When I investigated the domains, it turned out that there was a small but steady traffic stream that visited these domains. Some simply typed in the domain, others apparently found the domain through a search engine that had categorized the parked page. So I suggested the following to him ? why not use a service that will take the domain as is ? with no content whatsoever ? and suggest search options that generate revenue for each click? He took my advice, grudgingly I might add, and guess what? He made $50 the first month from just a few of his domains. He was so excited that he asked what he might do to further increase his revenues from his domain names. I suggested that he use his parking pages (these can be customized with some hosts) to test banners from affiliate programs with the highest paying hosting companies. He placed only three banners at the top of his pages ? with a brief description of the company's product offerings taken straight from their web sites. This also proved to be a great success ? and his revenue stream increased. My friend has since invested some time and energy in monetizing his other domains. He has either pointed the domains to a pay per click search engine, or listed affiliate links on almost every domain. This has turned a lackluster domain speculation business into a profit generating pay per click and affiliate business that requires almost no effort to maintain. Needless to say, my friend has taken my out to lunch a couple of times since then. If you have parked domains and what to try getting paid for search results on those pages, check out this service offered by Sedo (there are others out there as well): <a href="http://www.sedo.com/services/parking.php3" target="_new">http://www.sedo.com/services/parking.php3</a> Good luck in transforming your parked domains into cold, hard cash! About The Author Derek Vaughan has been actively marketing on the Internet since 1995. Mr. Vaughan has marketed products at the Walt Disney Company as the online marketing manager of ecommerce for <a href="http://ESPN.com" target="_new">ESPN.com</a>. Mr. Vaughan is also the founder of Cheap Hosting Directory - a web hosting review site. Mr. Vaughan holds degrees from both the Indiana University and Purdue University. He has also received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University. Cheap Hosting Directory - <a href="http://www.cheaphostingdirectory.com" target="_new">http://www.cheaphostingdirectory.com</a> - is a part of TechPad Agency's network of web hosting portals.

Liberalization of in-Domains?

Communications and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran has -as Hindustan Times reports-some advice for Indian patriots: use in-domains for Websites and e-mail IDs to popularise Indian identity in the world. With India emerging as a global "labor" for IT, Indian companies should change the domain names of their Websites and e-mail IDs to in-domains, just like other countries. "In every part of the world, the practice has been to use the short form of the respective countries at the end of the domain names by companies and individuals," the minister said during his first speech as IT Minister. "During my trips abroad, I have always noticed that people have their e-mail IDs with the initials of their country in the end. For instance, in Britain, the Websites or e-mail IDs have at the end .co.uk, in Singapore it is .co.sg, in Japan it is .jp, in Hong Kong it is .hk and even in Pakistan they have .co.pk. But in India, we are still reluctant to use .co.in or .in. Why this hesitation?", Dayanidhi Maran has asked in an interview. Therefore the minister has been urging upon Indian captains of industry, heads of organisations and individuals to switch over to use in-domains in order to indicate that their website or e-mail ID originates from India. "I have made this appeal to representatives of the IT industry here, which is considered the IT capital of India. Once the tech industry migrates to this new identity, it will set a trend for the rest to follow in letter and spirit. They need to change the domain names of their companies or organisations by registering their Websites or mail IDs only once for identifying themselves with their motherland," Maran says. "Though we are not making it mandatory, we are coming out with a number of schemes for Indian companies or organisations to make this transition soon. The ministry will shortly come out with an action plan to enable a smooth migration to either .co.in or .in," the IT minister explains. The Indian IT-minister seems to be aware, that it is very bureaucratic in the moment to register in-domains. Indian companies need a lot of paperwork in order to get a domain at co.in , .in itself is reserved for Indian providers, not open to all Indian companies. "Foreign companies", explains Hans-Peter Oswald, the CEO of ICANN Registrar Secura (https://www.domainregistry.de/in-domain.html), ,,can only register the own name at .gen.in." About The Author Hans Peter Oswald<br> CEO<br> ICANN accredited Registrar Secura <br><a href="https://www.domainregistry.de/in-domain.html" target="_new">https://www.domainregistry.de/in-domain.html</a>, <a href="https://www.domainregistry.de/in-domain.html" target="_new">https://www.domainregistry.de/in-domain.html</a>; <a href="mailto:secura@domainregistry.de">secura@domainregistry.de</a>

Instant Traffic Using Expired Domains

Every day thousands of domains 'expire' and are put back into the pool of available domains that anyone can register. They can be very valuable if you are looking for a quality domain for your online business, or if you want to re-sell them for profit. But wait! There is another huge advantage to a domain that was previously owned -- Instant Traffic! As I said above, expired domains have all been owned by someone in the past. Many of these previous owners built Websites for these domains, advertised them, registered them with search engines, and even exchanged links with other sites. All translating into traffic to that domain name. Now, why would someone who took the time to do all that work let the domain expire? It could be one of several reasons: * the author simply lost interest * an online venture ran out of funding * poor management of the domain * they couldn't afford the fees Whatever the reason, it happens. And you can reclaim some of the wasted traffic and use it to your advantage. You can either point it to your existing site or use it to jumpstart and add value to a new site. How do you know if an expired domain has traffic? While there is no way to gauge the actual amount of traffic going to an expired domain, you can find out its link popularity in the major search engines. This will tell you the number of Web pages listed in a particular search engine that link to that domain. The more links, the higher link popularity and the more traffic that domain is getting (in some search engines, the higher ranking, too). A free online tool to help you find the link popularity of an individual domain at five top search engines can be found at <a href="http://www.Webofsuccess.com/popularity/popularity.cgi">http://www.Webofsuccess.com/popularity/popularity.cgi</a> Another way I recently discovered is to use this powerful software program called Popular Domains. Among other features, it allows you to import a list of expired domains and automatically check the link popularity of each one. To learn more about it, check out <a href="http://www.Webofsuccess.com/domainsweekly/popular.html">http://www.Webofsuccess.com/domainsweekly/popular.html</a> As you can see, this can be an affordable way to gain instant traffic to your site. Be nice, though, and do not abuse this technique, make sure the site you are sending traffic to relates to the domain. For example don't register the expired domain 'ehairplugs.com' just because it has a high link popularity and then forward the domain to your site about Internet marketing. Other than that you may use your new domain with 'built-in' traffic however you wish! About The Author Wayne Ford, <a href="mailto:info@domainsweekly.com">info@domainsweekly.com</a>, is the founder and president of <a href="http://DomainsWeekly.com" target="_new">DomainsWeekly.com</a> the leading supplier of daily expired and soon-to-expire domain lists. He also publishes a free weekly newsletter packed full of domain-related information and a list of quality available domains. You may subscribe by sending a blank email to <a href="mailto:domainsweekly-subscribe@yahoogroups.com">domainsweekly-subscribe@yahoogroups.com</a>

Sub Domains - An Inexpensive Solution to Grow Traffic

Read this brief article that reflects what we learned about subdomains and their important role in effective internet marketing. A sub-domain is a section of your main web site, set up and recognized as it's own cyber real estate. There is usually no cost or very low cost to set up multiple subdomains on your hosting account. Sub-domains are folders located within a directory of your main site and carry a pre name to your existing domain. Example .. <a href="http://www.masteradvertising.com" target="_new">http://www.masteradvertising.com</a> is our main domain name. But we use many sub domain names for our research areas, script testing and growing development areas. Such as .. <a href="http://traffic.masteradvertising.com" target="_new">http://traffic.masteradvertising.com</a> (for our traffic exchange) <a href="http://mail.masteradvertising.com" target="_new">http://mail.masteradvertising.com</a> (for our members free mail service) <a href="http://team.masteradvertising.com" target="_new">http://team.masteradvertising.com</a> (for our admin team members) and so on ... To best utilize your subdomains, it is important that they all remain o?n the same subject area or theme. Our site pertains to online advertising. It would not benefit us to launch a pet store under <a href="http://pets.masteradvertising.com" target="_new">pets.masteradvertising.com</a>. Each subdomain can serve as another gateway into your main establishment, for visitors, testing marketing strategies, and search engines too! Since creating content for a website takes time, often webmasters simply modify the existing text of the main site and reuse it on the subdomain site. It is important that the content is not exactly the same and that the subdomain does not simply redirect to the main site. Otherwise, search engines may not index them and you may even may even get tossed from the engines database. Subdomain websites can be submitted to the search engines just like your main site. If your website is doing alright in the search engines, then imagine having five more websites out there for the spiders to find. Five more listings means that web surfers have five times as many ways to find yournetwork of websites. More and more search engine algorithms take into consideration the number and ranking of sites that link to you. By linking your sub-domains to your main site and to each other, the ranking of all of your sites is improved. Your subdomains provide a great area for testing banner exchanges and other advertising resource mediums, without cluttering up the main site. Each sub domain will carry it's own traffic statistics, and campaigns can be tracked efficiently by ones self with server stats or other preferred tracking methods. Get creative and branch your services and products out between your subdomains yet centering them around and connected via your main site. It will increase your keyword density and rankings per sub domain and most consumers are more comfortable working with a specialized area then a o?ne-stop shop. About The Author Dawn Wentworth <a href="http://www.masteradvertising.com" target="_new">http://www.masteradvertising.com</a> Resources and Research into Traffic Generation <a href="mailto:submit@masteradvertising.com">submit@masteradvertising.com</a>

Making Money with Expired Domains

There are billions of websites and thousands more popping up each day and they all require a name. As competition on the Internet intensifies, more and more people are actively looking for a quality domain for their site. Unfortunately for them there are already over 30 million dotcoms taken, which often times leaves webmasters with two choices. Settle for a long unpleasant looking domain or spend thousands to purchase a quality one from a private owner. Examples of the few most valuable domains ever sold are: * Business.com sold for $7,500,000 * Casino.com sold for $5,500,000 * AsSeenOnTV.com sold for $5,100,000 Exceptional domains are obviously worth a lot of money, but what good does that do anyone now? Here is where expired domains come into the picture. While there are over 20,000 domains being registered each day, most people don't realize that there are also just as many expiring. Many times their owners don't realize how valuable the domain is when they let it go. Because of this, it's not uncommon to hear about a user grabbing an expired domain for $20 and selling it for 100 times that. How do users find these valuable expired domains? They use a special type of search engine known as an expired domain search engine. While most of the domains that expire are junk there are handful each day that are worth a fair amount of money. To find this needle in a haystack you need to use a powerful expired domain search engine. A comparison chart of the top 5 expired domain search engines can be found at http://www.droplistpro.com/comparison-chart.htm. A demo of an expired domain name search engine can be found at (<a target="_new" href="http://www.droplistpro.com/domain-search-demo.htm">http://www.droplistpro.com/domain-search-demo.htm</a>). Chris Richmond, domain enthusiast and programmer, recently finished what is called an expired domain name search engine. With it you can search through millions of expiring domains by content, dictionary, length, status, and more. A demo of this new search engine can be found at <a target="_new" href="http://www.droplistpro.com/domain-search-demo.htm">http://www.droplistpro.com/domain-search-demo.htm</a>

Virtual Airport

Aero Registrar Secura GmbH proposes to the IT departments of airports to sell aero-domains to companies at the airport. Airports can build a portal of the airport and forming by this a kind of virtual airport. The advantages: 1. Search engines are today focusing link popularity. If airports would build a portal of the airport with interested companies and ask the companies at the airport as a condition for getting the aero-domain and the link to their websites that the companies link back to the airport's website, the airports will get many links back to their own website. By this they increase the success of their website. Especially Google,the most important search engine of the world, is working with link popularity. If you assume, that the website is important for your marketing, you should try to improve your ranking at Google and other search engines. 2. ICANN accredited Registar Secura will sell to airports the domains for other companies at reseller conditions. The IT departments can sell the domains at the price, which they think is fitting. The IT departments of airports will have an economic advantage at every sold aero-domain. We also propose to airports they you should realize the shortcut initiative of SITA. One of many examples: If somebody is entering at the PDA parking.youraeroport.aero, there are hints how to go and/or drive to the parking lot. Secura GmbH is also ready to make free subdomains in order to help to realize the shortcut initiative. Hans-Peter Oswald The author is the CEO of Aero Registrar Secura GmbH About The Author Hans-Peter Oswald CEO ICANN accredited Registrar <a href="http://www.com-domain.com" target="_new">http://www.com-domain.com</a> <a href="mailto:secura@domainregistry.de">secura@domainregistry.de</a>

ICANN Registrar: za-Domains for Anybody

Cologne, 12.10. 2004. ICANN accredited registrar Secura announces today,that the company is accepting the registration of za-domains. The co.za-domains are the domains of South Africa. The co.za-domains belong to the popular domains in Africa. You cannot register at .za. If your name is not available at co.za, you can also register at org.za. The com-domain is best for websites that target international markets, while .co.za-domains are best for South African webpages or those with a strong South African reference. This is so because surfer are used to, and you may lose a part of your target group if you deviate from the expected Top Level Domain. Even if you should own a .com domain, it is advisable to register also a .co.za-domain as well. The za-domains are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. There are no specific requirements for registering za-domains. A local presence or registered company in South Africa is not a requirement for a co.za name. ICANN accredited registrar Secura can register a za-domain at once, if the domain name is free. About The Author Hans-Peter Oswald, CEO<br> ICANN accredited Registrar Secura <a href="http://www.com-domains.com" target="_new">http://www.com-domains.com</a>; <a href="mailto:secura@domainregistry.de">secura@domainregistry.de</a>

How to Sell your Website

There are hundreds and thousands of websites on the internet today being bought and sold and there are many places you can sell your website such as ebay and website brokers. Though this article we will explore each of these possibilities in greater details. Ebay - Selling a website on ebay can perfect for some and completely useless for others. As most people know ebay, it gets millions of hits every minute from people looking for everything from hair nets to race cars. For starters this is a great way to get word out that your website is for sale. It has lots of people viewing your ads but keep in mind your competition is feirce as so many people post sites for sale on ebay. To sell your website on ebay it has to stand out from the rest. Forums - Forums tend to be a great place to sell websites. They tend to ask alot more questions about statistics and revenue than most other places but if you have a quality site you can sometimes get alot more for it buy selling your website in forums. Good forums for this include <a href="http://sitepoint.com" target="_new">sitepoint.com</a>, <a href="http://geekvillage.com" target="_new">geekvillage.com</a> and <a href="http://webhostingtalk.com" target="_new">webhostingtalk.com</a>. Website Brokers - Website brokers normally go out and try to get you the best possible price for your website. They tend to have contacts in the industry and will get into contact with people you can't or dont even know exist. They generally charge a fee of around 10%-15%. There are a few websites around where you can post your website up to brokers - kind of like a cross between ebay and a brokers firm. Sell to your visitors - A commonly used technique to get a good profit from the sale of your website is to post a 'site for sale' link or image on the frontpage of the site for sale. This targets the audience to people interested in the topic of the site. But be warned not all of these people are or want to be webmasters. Personal Contact - If you have a low budget, selling your website though your personal contact can be very rewarding. This takes everyone else out of the equation and you pay no broker fees or ad fees. If you plan on selling your website this way make sure you know enough people who would be intrested in the site. Website Checklist Before you get to putting up website for sale ads and hiring a site broker, there are a few things you will need. Firstly, find out in detail your statistics. This including unique visitors per day or month, bandwidth used per month and current and past revenue for the website. Most people who are in the industry will ask for the pagerank of the website too. You can find out your page rank by downloading the google toolbar and re-visiting your website. A pagerank is considered by most webmasters as being a large factor. About The Author Matt Dobinson is the owner of <a href="http://PageBrokers.com" target="_new">PageBrokers.com</a> - A website dedicated to buying and selling websites online for the best possible price.. He also runs <a href="http://WebmasterFreebie.com" target="_new">WebmasterFreebie.com</a> - an online community for webmasters.

.info Freedom Frenzy

Whether you're someone that registers domain names on a regular basis, or you're a person looking to register one domain name for your website or business, then it's likely that you've encountered the free .info registrations taking place at several registrars. I've encountered a lot of debate regarding the free .info giveaways. Some think that this free rush will decrease the value of the domain extension, while others insist that no matter what the price, certain domains maintain value due to the high demand of the keywords. The best thing we could do to maintain the value of the .info is to only register the extension appropriate keywords. I've seen a lot of random, and worse, profitless .info domain names being registered for the sake of being free. This doesn't really help the .info market, especially when I've personally come across several hundred domain names that match perfectly with the extension, and are still available for registration. The .info should be used for exactly the purpose it was designed. For information. Anything else would just be impractical. It's not difficult to find worthwhile terms to match with the .info extension. Do some research. Visit your favorite directory and browse through for topics. I've found hundreds of available extension appropriate terms using this method. Forget the strategy you've been using to find .com's, and other such extensions. The .info is a very special extension, and should be treated as such. This is not to limit you, quite the contrary. This is a great opportunity for many people to register valuable domain names at little to no cost whatsoever. If you spend a little extra time to find better registration choices, then it will pay off in the end. Rushing out to register the first thing that comes to mind for the sake of doing it won't benefit you, or anyone else in the end, especially come renewal time. Another tip is to only register names that would be worth registering if you were paying out of your pocket for them. Also only register names that would be worth the renewal cost. Chances are if you avoid these two tips, it won't even be worth it to you to park your ineffective domains at a revenue bearing parking service. Think before you register. Be sure that there is a way that you can profit from this opportunity, whether it be in reselling, developing, or parking. Quick, thoughtless registrations of the .info are counterproductive, and should be avoided at all costs. About The Author Jennifer Chiera, Webmaster/Investor DomainBash.com - <a href="http://www.domainbash.com" target="_new">http://www.domainbash.com</a> DotTown.com - <a href="http://www.dottown.com" target="_new">http://www.dottown.com</a> DomainAppeal.com - <a href="http://www.domainappeal.com" target="_new">http://www.domainappeal.com</a> <a href="mailto:webmaster@domainbash.com">webmaster@domainbash.com</a>

Five Ways To Profit From Public Domain Information

Ever wondered why Walt Disney never got sued for intellectual property theft? C'mon, the guy ripped off so many Hans Christian Anderson and Grimm Brothers' fairy tales! And he never paid the said authors any royalty fees! Granted that they're dead, but shouldn't their families be entitled to proceeds from their works? Such would be a small price to pay, considering the accumulated wealth of Walt Disney's billion dollar enterprise. But alas, Mr. Walt Disney, you see, is a marketing genius. He knew how to exploit the allowable usage of public domain information, and he built for himself an empire in the process. And if Walt Disney can do it, so can you! After all, we all have access to public domain information. We don't even need a touch of that famous Disney magic. We just have to weave our own creative spin on things. But first, the basics? Public domain information is defined as any body of creative works and other knowledge that is not protected by US copyright laws. Copyright protection needs further verification, but by force of statute, works done prior to 1923 are public domain information. The law also includes works done prior to 1978, for as long as the life of the author plus seventy years does not exceed the current year. The term &quot;body of creative works and other knowledge&quot; includes literary works, music, movies, artworks, scientific ideas, and inventions, just to name a few. So, quite literally, public domain information is an ocean of many promises and splendid discoveries for anyone who would decide to dip their feet in its inviting waters. And public domain information is free. Everything that you'll earn from it is net profit! Walt Disney made good use of public domain information by making updating old classics into movies for the new, during his time at least, generation. That was the creative spin he used to market works that are quite archaic to make them seem new and fresh. He found his audience, and he made his fortunes. There's no reason why you can't do it. Ah, budget constraints you say. But we are internet marketers, dear friend. That's the beauty of the web, you see. Seldom do we have to spend a substantial amount to invest on something. Many avenues are available for us to make good use of free public domain information! Here are some ways to use public domain information. They would surely earn you significant gains! 1. Republish old literary works as e-books. The classics you see in bookstores are prime examples of earning from public domain information. The publishers did not have to buy the rights for the books they have decided to distribute. You could do the same with e-books. Search your local library for old works, and scan them. Convert the images to text with a text bridge program, edit errors, package them nice in .pdf format, and you're all set to market a royalties-free product! 2. Republish old articles as special reports. Granted that you're not likely to find an internet marketing articles circa 1923, but there are still some interesting pieces from that era. Just the other day, I saw a person make 43 sales for a special report he made out of a 1914 article on dog grooming. 3. Make downloadable albums of old songs. Here's your chance to make MP3 downloads that are actually legal. However, please bear in mind that only the songs are free game. The performances of certain versions (i.e. the London Philharmonic Orchestra's version of a Beethoven classic) are separate copyrights in themselves. It would be best to make your own version from the public domain compositions. 4. Offer downloadable movies. Just like Walt Disney, Ted Turner has made a killing with public domain information. One of his channels, Turner Classics, shows pre-1923 movies which he can rebroadcast without having to pay any royalties. You could do the same by offering old movies for download. 5. Make posters of timeless masterpieces. You could also search the web for high quality images of classic paintings and sketches. These digitized masterpieces can easily be reproduced as posters which you could sell to the millions of art aficionados worldwide. Cedrick Reese is the webmaster of <a target="_new" href="http://www.eclectic-info.com">http://www.eclectic-info.com</a>, Start an easy Home-Based Business through Affiliate Marketing and Adsense. Other sites include <a target="_new" href="http://www.Your-RealEstateCourses.com">http://www.Your-RealEstateCourses.com</a> and <a target="_new" href="http://www.PremeirHosting.com">http://www.PremeirHosting.com</a>

Information on Domain Names

It's been two years since John started his online business. He is very much satisfied with his current web host whose services he acquired one year ago. Today John is relaxing in his chair and thinking about the initial days when he spent many hours on the Internet collecting information related to web hosting. Like him there are many John's out there who are in search of information everyday, visiting this and that website hoping to find the most illuminating advice. The problem is that common topics of interest can be found on most of the websites whereas other relevant issues are not dealt with everywhere. This article is going to touch on one of those areas: various concerns related with domain names. What is multiple domain hosting? <br> Many times you will see that a web host offers multiple domain hosting. In simpler words it means that on buying an account you will have the ability to get multiple websites. For instance, if the plan provides you with five domain names, you can use one domain for your website and you will still have four domain names leftover to use. The advantage of this scenario is that you can resell these four domain names to your clients. What is Domain Parking? <br> If you are planning to build up a website and have decided on a name for it you then must purchase that domain name from a domain registrar: i.e. your domain name gets placed on a name server so that you can use it later on. This is known as domain parking. Even if your website content is not ready, it's better to park your desired domain name. Otherwise, it might be possible that in future somebody else acquires that particular domain name. What are sub domains? <br> Sub domains are 'third level' domains in the sense that they are used solely to organize your website content. They are simply folders under your root directory, but to access them a special URL is used.<br> For instance, http://www.m6.net is a regular URL without a sub domain.<br> http://features.m6.net is an URL with the sub domain name: "features".<br> Here the:<br> .net: is the first level domain,<br> m6: is the second level domain,<br> features: is the third level domain For how long does a domain name belong to you? <br> Generally when you register a domain name it is registered for a minimum of one year. However, you can register it for more years, as there is no hard and fast rule as such. What is Domain Renewal? <br> After one year you need to renew your domain name so that your website doesn't get lost. Generally when your domain is about to expire your domain registrar will send you a reminder mail regarding the domain renewal. What happens when your domain name expires? <br> When your domain name expires you can renew it within one month. If you don't renew it in this period it goes into a redemption phase. It stays in this redemption phase for 15 to 30 days before it is then available for purchase again at a normal price. Getting a domain name out of redemption phase is like buying fifty domains as it can cost around $200! How to find out the owner of a domain name? <br> To find out the owner of a domain name, use the WhoIs search tool on the Internet .For E.g. Go to http://centralops.net/co/ and type the domain name under Domain Dossier. It will show you the name of the registrant/domain's owner/web host. What is WhoIs record? <br> WhoIS record is a domain name search engine/Internet program where users can enter an Internet entity (e.g. a domain, a network, some hosts) and it will give detailed information on the domain registrar, the owner of the domain, and respective DNS records. Priyanka Agarwal<br> <a target="_new" href="http://www.m6.net">Hosting evangelist<br> <a target="_new" href="http://www.m6.net">http://www.m6.net</a>

Selling a .co.uk Domain Name via Sedo

Selling a .co.uk Domain Name via Sedo This is a recent example of our experience selling a .co.uk domain name via Sedo. If you are new to domains or Sedo this will give you a guide on the process and the time scales involved. Negotiations This is the hardest part of selling a domain ? how much to ask? Ask too much and the buyer may lose interest. Ask too little and you may not get the best price possible for your domain. You can use www.domainprices.co.uk to get an idea of recent .co.uk domain sales prices or ask to an appraisal on the www.acorndomains.co.uk appraisal forum. Come up with a price that allows you some room to haggle but don't get so greedy you scare off the bidder. This can be an anxious time, waiting for the domain prospect to come back with an offer. Transaction Fees Do not forget to allow for Sedo transaction fees and Nominet transfer fees during the negotiation stage. We asked for the buyer to pay Sedo's fees (10% of sale price) and the Nominet fees on top of the sale price, which they agreed to. Agreement Reached We started negotiations on our domain on the 21st June and reached agreement on the sale price and fees on the 1st July. Sedo Transfer Process Having agreed the sale price, Sedo sent the buyer an Invoice on the 1st July. The invoice is in your name and is placed in the buyer's user account. Once the buyer has made payment (into Sedo's Escrow account), Sedo ask the buyer to make a transfer request at thier registrar or if the buyer has an account at the domain's current registrar, they ask you to move it to his account. NB: Make sure the administrative email address for your domain is active and that you can receive emails from it or you will have trouble with the transfer process. Once the transfer has been completed and the WHOIS information shows the buyer's name, Sedo send you the money. Tip: Add your bank details to your Sedo account if you want to avoid Paypal fees for receiving the money. Nominet Transfer Forms Sedo didn't ask us apply to Nominet for the domain transfer forms. Their emails are worded towards .COM domain name transfers. We knew we would need these so as soon as we agreed a price we emailed Nominet to request them and they arrived 2 days later. This will save you time. Sedo receive Payment We chase Sedo on the 5th July as we had heard nothing. This prompted them to chase the buyer for payment. Sedo advised that the buyer said they were making a bank transfer of the funds that day. We chased again on the 7th July with a response from Sedo that it would take a few more days. So much for electronic funds transfers! Sedo confirmed receipt of the money on the 11th July Finalising the Transfer Sedo sent us the Buyer's details for us contact them about sending the Nominet forms. We already had the forms in hand so signed and sent them on the 12th July. On the 18th July we chased Sedo for any news, they contacted the buyer to see if they had received the forms. 22nd July we noticed the Nominet WHOIS showing the buyers details. (This is a little unsettling, your domain has been transferred but you have no funds). Money Money Money 26th July we received an email from Sedo saying they had sent the money to our account. They also stated this can take up to 7 business days. We received the money on the 29th July. Start to finish, 38 days. Helen Sherritt is owner and administrator of <a target="_new" href="http://www.acorndomains.co.uk">http://www.acorndomains.co.uk</a>, the UK's leading domain name forum and resource centre.<br><br> <a target="_new" href="http://www.DomainPrices.co.uk">http://www.DomainPrices.co.uk</a> shows recent .co.uk domain name sales prices.

How To Boost Affiliate Profits Using Secret Domain Tricks

Want to increase your affiliate link click-through rates and profits? Then you'll need to learn how to master your domain. One of my favorite episodes of Seinfeld was the "master of your domain" show where the gang bet each other as to who could hold out the longest without giving in to self gratification. Whoever 'caved in' would have to lay down the cash. The question - will the domain master you, or will you master the domain? There is a price to pay if it master's you. In today's power tip, of course, I'm talking about an Internet domain. One that describes your piece of Internet real estate. If your mother catches you mastering this domain, she may actually be proud of you! ;-) If you're not using this technique, you may be paying the price of lost customers. So let's get right to it. Affiliate programs are the most popular choice of making money online. However, they're so common that most people recognize an affiliate link and are less likely to click on one because of the selfish notion that they might be contributing to someone else's success. But that's another Oprah ... I want to show you how to conquer this issue while looking like a pro. Take a look at the following examples. Each are affiliate URL's. But 2 of 3 are 'masked'; you don't know that they're affiliate addresses. <li>www.greatproduct.com/98765/aff?=dude <li>www.mysite.com/greatproduct.html <li>www.thegreatestproduct.com In should not matter which link to click if you are compelled to click to find out more information. However, human nature says that we are guided by our emotions. Therefore, each link may portray a different image to you. Here's how to make your affiliate link stand out in the crowd. Typically #2 is the most widely used and is very easy to put into place using a redirect script on your own domain. You simply create a new file on your domain server, name it (ie:"greatproduct.html"), copy and paste the script code. Then enter the affiliate url address (where specified) that you want to forward to. Now when someone clicks on the new sub-domain you created (ie: www.mysite.com/greatproduct.html), their browser will redirect to the affiliate site but appears to the prospect that it is your site. A simple redirect script can be obtained by sending any email to the following address <a href="mailto:script@6figuremarketing.com" target="_new">mailto:script@6figuremarketing.com</a> Now here's a really cool technique as seen in example #3. Get your own domain! It's the most professional strategy and will gain instant credibility and trust which can increase your rate of click-throughs. More click-throughs equals more traffic which means more eyes on your product or service, which means more cashflow in your pocket. Just be sure to sew up that pocket hole you've been neglecting since 1977! Ok, here's the cool part and you don't even need your own website to pull this off. Go to godaddy.com and search for the availability of your desired domain. Register the name, but be sure to choose the 'redirect' and the 'mask' option. Cost? About $9 for one year. In about 48 hours, your domain will be live and kicking. In example #3, if you chose www.thegreatestproduct.com and someone types that address in their browser, it not only redirects to the site you chose, but will show up in the prospects browser window instead of the site's real URL www.greatproduct.com/98765/aff?=dude Did someone break out the pixie dust? It's marketing magic at it's finest! Use this powerful technique to add credibility and professionalism to sub-domains and affiliate urls or any url where you want to increase your conversion rates. Tip: Use your domain solely for tracking reponse rates to specific advertising campaigns such as pay per click, etc. Follow these techniques and you'll soon be the master of your affiliate domain! Copyright 2005 David Lovelace About The Author Dave Lovelace an experienced Internet marketer, publisher, and product creator who holds the self-proclaimed title, "Third Laziest Man on The Internet". Subscribe to Dave's free course, How To Generate Free Traffic, Prospects, and Profits On a Zero Dollar Budget in 4 Easy Steps! Click here <a href="http://www.6figuremarketing.com" target="_new">http://www.6figuremarketing.com</a>.

What is a Domain Name and Where to Register?

A domain name is an alias for an IP address. Now what is an IP address? An IP address is a numeric code that signifies where to look through the Internet for content. An example of an IP address would be 22.226.141.25. Rather than typing in a long and easily forgotten IP address, a domain name helps you by typing an easily remembered name to access the same site. For example, www.domainsatretail.com is a domain name that points to a specific IP address. People can remember a domain name such as www.domainsatretail.com much easier than they can a long numeric code. Domain names are everywhere as many use it everyday. Think of search sites. Google and Yahoo both have corresponding domain names www.google.com and www.yahoo.com. If you have ever sent an email you have used a domain name. For example when sending an email to user@sympatico.ca, sympatico.ca is the domain name. Now that we have a better understanding of domain names, we need to know which domain name to pick and where can we register it. The domain name chosen for a web site can be a very important decision of marketing your company on the Internet. Its quite easy to just say pick a catchy domain that everyone will remember to use and you are set. In most cases it is that simple and you are set on your way to register the domain. However, at times the domain name you want has already been taken. And then you must think of a secondary name that you wish to use that will be just as catchy as the first. OK, now you have picked your domain name you want. What is next? You need to choose a registrar for you domain name registration. There are many registrars who sign up and are available for the year, but you get no service from them whatsoever. Here are two domain name registrars that I would recommend for completing your domain name registration. 1) Domains at Retail ? registrar that registers domain names. We provide great service and have 24/7 customer support. .com domain names are normally on sale for $8.75 US / year, however they are currently being run on promotion for $7.95 US / year. Visit Domains at Retail at http://www.domainsatretail.com for Cheap domain registration and excellent customer service. 2) Domains at Cost ? excellent registrar with very competitive prices. I use this registrar for my .ca domain name registrations and renewals. They offer an excellent price ($14.41 CDN per domain name registration) and I am always able to get someone on the phone and my questions answered. Please Visit Domains at Cost at http://www.domainsatcost.ca for .ca Domain Name Registrations! Good Luck with your domain name registration process and your start to your online marketing! Michael Kralj is owner of Emenki Web Solutions and Domains at Retail. Emenki Web Solutions are web site designers and programmers based in Hamilton, Ontario, providing businesses with an informative and strategic approach to establishing an online presence on the web. Please visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.emenki.com/">Emenki Web Solutions & Web Design in Hamilton, Ontario</a> on the web <a target="_new" href="http://www.emenki.com">http://www.emenki.com</a> Please visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.domainsatretail.com">Domains at Retail - Cheap Domain Name Registration</a> on the web: <a target="_new" href="http://www.domainsatretail.com">http://www.domainsatretail.com</a>

Get Your Own Domain Name Or Die Online

Would you buy from someone with an "@yahoo.com" e-mail address? I wouldn't. And the clients I've had the most trouble with use yahoo addresses or other free addresses. I understand that you don't want your regular e-mail address in ads that your run on free ad sites to prevent spam, but lets use some common sense here. If you don't buy anything from yahoo's off line why would you buy from a yahoo online? If you're serious about your business you have to show it in your actions. The first action to take is to buy your own domain name and use it for all of your e-mails. Lets say there's a Bob Jones who starts up an online company. Will you be quicker to buy from him and trust him if his e-mail address is "bob@starpower.com" or if you read an ad from "bobjones711@yahoo.com?" He's the same guy, but which address makes you trust him more and believe he's a legitimate business? Even if you're not ready to put up a site (which you should be if you're marketing online), at least create a professional presentation with your e-mails. They're your main form of communication online and it's the main brand people see when you communicate. Everytime you send an e-mail you're advertising. Do you realize this? You'll never make decent money online if your e-mail address ends with "@aol.com." When you come up with a great name for your site or business get a ".com", not a ".net" or ".info" or ".tv" or ".someotherwordpeopledontthinkoffirst." If you can't get a ".com" for your name, then come up with another name. Since my main site is www.NetMarketingMastery.com and that's a bit long to type out, I also use www.nmmastery.com for people to get to the same site and use sopan@nmmastery.com for my e-mail address. There are 877 and 888 numbers that do the same thing as 800 numbers, but what do you think of first? Have ever you ever heard anyone talk about 888 numbers? How many times? Okay, now how many times have you heard people talk about 800 numbers? 888 and 877 numbers are known as the step brothers and sisters of 800 numbers. Similarly, when you want to send a package overnight what company do you think of first? Probably Federal Express because they were the first company to do overnight shipping. You can use UPS or Airborne Express or some of the other smaller companies, but FedEx is the company that gets the most business because they're thought of first. You need to have a ".com" domain because that's where visitors will go first no matter how many new domain endings are created years and years from now. If you have ".net" domain name then you'll be setting yourself up to lose visitors to whoever has the ".com" domain for your name. Outside of earthlink.net how many ".nets" come to your mind right now? On the other hand, how many ".coms" can you think of? When you hear about a cool company and want to see if they have a website do you try their name with a ".com" or with a ".net" or ".info" or ".tv" 0r ".anythingelsebesidesa.com?" I'll bet money that you try the ".com" first everytime and you always will because it's always going to be your first choice. So if you haven't already, go buy a domain for your birth name and get crackin' on coming up with a great name for your business and go buy a domain for that name before it's taken. Honestly, we're talking about a $15 a year investment. If you're not willing to invest $15 into your business then you don't have a business. If you want to be taken seriously you have to have your own domain name or you will die online trying to make money. Period, end of story. About The Author Sopan Greene, M.A. is a marketing & life coach & editor of the Net Profits newsletter. Grab Your 2 FREE eBooks & a FREE report: "Million Dollar Emails" "How To Start Your Own Traffic Virus" & "The 13 Deadly Internet Marketing Mistakes Almost Every Business Is Making..." mail to: <a href="mailto:webmaster87-5956@autocontactor.com">webmaster87-5956@autocontactor.com</a> <a href="http://www.NetMarketingMastery.com" target="_new">http://www.NetMarketingMastery.com</a>

5 Tips For the Perfect Domain Name

What is a domain name? A domain name is the location of your website on the Internet. Your domain name will be what you become known by online so it's important to get it right. Each website on the Internet is labeled with something called an IP address which is the actual address of the website online. A typical IP address looks like this: 159.134.27.64. Remembering a string of numbers like that is difficult so a domain name translates all those numbers into something like amazon.com. This is far easier to remember. #1 Dot what? Each domain has what's called an extension. The most well known of these extensions is .com. This, however, is not the only type of domain extension available. There is also: .net If you can't find your preferred .com domain name you could always choose the same domain with a .net extension. It might not have the same ring as a .com but is still as just useful as a .com. .org These domain extensions were orginally designed for educational and more formal websites. Anybody can register a .org however so you have more options for domain selection. .info A more recent introduction to the domain name game are .info domains. Many of the valuable .info domains were bought up overnight but there's still a huge range of good .info domains available. With a little creativity you could really make a .info work for you e.g. www.moviereview.info. Bear in mind that most web surfers tend to remember .com more easily than anything else. #2 Branding vs Business Name There is an age old debate on the whether or not you should establish a brand name online or use a domain that more actually reflects your real business. Let's look at Amazon as an example. Amazon sells books online. Most people setting up a business would have chosen say www.booksonline.com instead of amazon.com Amazon has since established itself as a brand name of global recognition - proving the value of building a brand name. You'll need to choose between the two. Brand name or your own business name. Consider how your domain sounds, how it might look on a business card and how well it relates to your business. There's no one right answer to this question. You need to choose what makes most sense for you, your website and your business in general. #3 Hyphenated or not This is another area of debate. Should your domain be one single word or should the words be separated by hyphens? There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. Single word domain names can be easier to explain, use on header paper and lend themselves to brand names very well. Single word domains are in very, very short supply. Hyphenated domains names can be slighltly more difficult to explain, may not look as well on headed paper and possibly harder to establish as a brand name. There's no shortage of multiple word domains. The single biggest advantage a hyphenated domain has is that search engines can "read" the domain more easily. For example in a domain like foreignholidaysonline.com the search engine can only read the first word "foreign" and that's it. It can't tell anything else about the website domain name. If you hyphenated that to foreign-holidays-online.com the search engine can read "foreign", "holidays" and "online" as separate words and therefore knows that this website is about foreign holidays. A well chosen hyphenated domain name can be just as effective as a single word domain name. #4 Your Domain Registrar These are the people you pay to register the domain for you. There are dozens if not hundreds of these companies out there so which one do you choose? This takes some research but things worth checking are: <ul> <li>Do you retain sole ownership of the domain or do the registrar keep some level of control over it? <li>Search Google for any horror stories relating to the registrar <li>Does the registrar allow you to transfer the domain to another registrar? <li>Is there an online control panel for domain administration? <li>How easy is it to change the domain Name Servers? </ul> Shop around for domain registrars. What you really want to find is a previously satisfied customer to ask questions before you buy. #5 Cheap Domain Names You can save a lot of money on the domain names you purchase. A typical .com domain costs about $15 to register from most registrars. However you can get the same domain for as little as $7.95 from other, very reliable, companies. Oddly enough some of the cheaper domain registrars are more reliable, have fewer horror stories and offer equally good customer service as their more expensive competitors. Are there any disadvantages in using a discount domain registrar? Will it affect your website in any way? The answer to both is a definite No. This article was provided courtesy of Domain Tutor where you'll find tons of information on how to <A target="_new" HREF="http://www.domaintutor.info">register a domain name</a>

Eu-Domains For Everybody

Cologne,10 July 2004. ICANN accredited registar Secura announces today, that the company is accepting applications for the sunrise and real time period of eu-domains (<a href="https://www.domainregistry.de/eu.html" target="_new">https://www.domainregistry.de/eu.html</a>). Sunrise Period You should send now to your applications to secure your rights at the new eu-domains. The eu-domains will be the most important event since the introduction of com-domains. There will be a Sunrise Period (Phased registration for those holding prior rights to a name) at the eu-domains. The Sunrise Period of eu-domains will have two phases: The EU Regulation stipulates that the registry must make a sunrise provision at eu-domains to allow those with 'prior rights' to a name to apply for registration of eu-domains in advance of beginning general registrations. The PPR states that the sunrise period (phased registration) of eu-domains will take place in two phases each lasting two months. During phase one, public bodies and holders of registered Community or national trademarks will be able to register their names. During phase 2 those who may register in phase 1 may register their eu-domains as well holders of other rights recognised under Community law or the national law of an EU member state. Eu-domains registered during the sunrise period must be an exact match for the prior right claimed and documentary evidence must be supplied to proof the right. Live Registration: First comes-first serves Some weeks after the Sunrise Period eu-domains goes live and general registrations of eu-domains will begin and registration of eu-domains will be done on a first come first served basis for any eu-domain not taken during the sunrise period. About The Author Hans-Peter Oswald <br> CEO<br> ICANN accredited registrar Secura GmbH You can reprint or republish these articles for free if these three lines are at the end of the articles: <a href="http://www.com-domains.com" target="_new">http://www.com-domains.com</a> <a href="https://www.domainregistry.de" target="_new">https://www.domainregistry.de</a> <a href="mailto:secura@domainregistry.de">secura@domainregistry.de</a>

How To Choose The Best Domain Name

In this article we are going to look at the thought process you should go thru to choose your domain name. First of all let's define what a domain name is. A unique name that represents each computer on the Internet. (Some machines do have more than one domain name.) The DNS converts the domain name requested by an Internet user into an IP address. The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address ? just like a telephone number ? which is a rather complicated string of numbers. It is called its "IP address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol"). But it is hard to remember everyone's IP address. The DNS makes it easier by allowing a familiar string of letters (the "domain name") to be used instead of the arcane IP address. So instead of typing 64.65.51.245 , you can type <a href="http://www.team-schuman.com" target="_new">www.team-schuman.com</a>. It is a "mnemonic" device that makes addresses easier to remember. So what makes the best internet domain name? First of all don't pick a name that has nothing to do with your Web site. If you are selling flowers don't pick a name like <a href="http://apples.com" target="_new">apples.com</a>. Picking an oddball name makes no sense and it will just confuse your audience. Don't make your new domain name too long. The longer it is the harder it becomes to remember. Can you remember <a href="http://myflowers.com" target="_new">myflowers.com</a> or <a href="http://lookatmyflowerswebsite.com" target="_new">lookatmyflowerswebsite.com</a>? Short names are not the way to go either. It is to your benefit to try and buy a domain name that has a few keywords that relate to the topic of you Web site when possible. Keyword placement when choosing your domain name is helpful as your site develops a higher placement with the search engines. Having the name <a href="http://jeffsflowers.com" target="_new">jeffsflowers.com</a> will do better with a search engine than <a href="http://jeffssite.com" target="_new">jeffssite.com</a>. With <a href="http://jeffsflowers.com" target="_new">jeffsflowers.com</a> you know I have a flower website where with <a href="http://jeffssite.com" target="_new">jeffssite.com</a> you don't know what kind of Web site I have. When registering your domain name in some cases you will need to determine if you want to use hyphens in the name itself. Personally I have found this to be a great way to get a domain name that otherwise my not be available. The domain name <a href="http://myflowers.com" target="_new">myflowers.com</a> might already be taken whereas the name <a href="http://my-flowers.com" target="_new">my-flowers.com</a> might be available. Everything I have read says try to get a .com domain name first before going to a .net or .org etc. As more and more domain names are taken this becomes harder to do and I think you are better off getting a keyword rich domain name like my-flowers.org than you are to buy a .com domain name like <a href="http://jeffssite.com" target="_new">jeffssite.com</a>. Is buying a cheap domain name a bad idea? Absolutely not. I do it all of the time. I get all of my domain names here: <br><a href="http://www.godaddy.com" target="_new">http://www.godaddy.com</a> Then I transfer them to my hosting company here: <br><a href="http://www.team-schuman.com/host4profit" target="_new">http://www.team-schuman.com/host4profit</a>. I can buy a domain name for less than $10 from <a href="http://Godaddy.com" target="_new">Godaddy.com</a> and transfer it for free to Host4Profit. This saves me $20 on buying it from the hosting company itself. A domain name is a domain name and you might as well save a little money where you can. Finding out what names are available is very easy to do. Let's use <a href="http://Godaddy.com" target="_new">Godaddy.com</a> as an example. <li>Go here: <a href="http://www.godaddy.com" target="_new">http://www.godaddy.com</a> <li>Click on the icon for Domain Names <li>Enter a domain name and see if it is available <li>They will come back with a list of available names <li>Decide what one you want and buy it One last thing to consider. Protect your name by registering multiple extensions (.net, .org, etc.) This deters people from copying your name. For example, if you own <a href="http://my-flowers.com" target="_new">my-flowers.com</a> you can also register my-flowers.net and any other extension that's available. As you build up traffic to your site if someone types in an version other than the .com version you can forward it to your .com site and not lose any traffic. In closing it is important to spend a little time when choosing the best domain name for your website. Try and get some keywords in your domain name. Don't stop at choosing just a .com version and save a little money by buying a cheap domain name whenever possible as long as it still contains some keywords. Copyright 2004 Jeff Schuman About The Author Jeff Schuman is the creator of several websites. His <a href="http://Sites-Plus.Com" target="_new">Sites-Plus.Com</a> website is a small business website that contains the best of everything you need to start and run your own small business. Visit it here today: <a href="http://www.sites-plus.com" target="_new">http://www.sites-plus.com</a> <a href="http://www.team-schuman.com" target="_new">http://www.team-schuman.com</a>

Before You Register a Domain Name for Your New Online Business...

Recently I made a mistake that may cost a great deal of traffic to my new web site. Let me explain... I studied so many books about Internet marketing over the last couple of years that I decided to start a new web site, and share my knowladge and experience with other fellow Internet marketers. Since I read lots of information about search engine optimization (SEO), I intended to optimize all of my web pages for search engines from the beginning on, expecting Google to be my number one source of traffic in the near future. I did an extensive keyword research using WordTraker, made a blueprint for my product and article pages, and the time has come to choose a great domain name for my new project. I went to GoDaddy, the famous domain name registar, tried this and that, and finally came up with a beautiful domain name related to Internet marketing - netmarketingstrategies.com You probably know that Internet marketing is a very competitive niche, so I was glad that this domain name was still available. I registered it immediately. My site was up and running in 48 hours. Now I needed some fresh web content, and to get indexed by major search engines as soon as possible. So, I spent a week or two writing search engine optimized content for my new online business. I usually don't submit my new web sites to search engines for indexing. I prefer when my sites are found on other web sites and get spidered automatically. One of the easiest ways to have a link to a web site from other sites is by writing and distributing high quality articles. So, I wrote an article about two-tier affiliate programs and submited it to major article directories. Within a couple of days I searched for my article title in Google and noticed that it did great. Publishers liked my article and they were publishing it on their web sites and newsletters. I expected my home page to get indexed very fast. Time went. Each week I searched Google to see if my site has already got indexed. It didn't. I decided to see if my domain has been spidered by other major search engines. Yes, both Yahoo and MSN got it. So, what went wrong? Why Google won't index my home page? Here's what I think went wrong: my further investigation showed that the domain name had already been used by another webmaster and had been expired half a year ago when I registered it. It seems that the previous domain name owner was using unfair search engine optimization strategies and his web site was banned by Google. I sent a request to Google explaining the situation and asking to lift the ban from my web site. I am not sure if they will listen and help me. I am ready to register a new domain name in a few weeks time if I still cannot get my site indexed by Google. So, don't make the same mistake I did... If you intend to optimize your new web site in order to receive traffic from Google and other search engines, make sure to check out if a domain name you've selected for your online business is not banned by Google before registering it. Gerardas Norkus has been marketing online since 1997. Take advantage of his battle tested Internet marketing strategies that could quietly make you huge profits every single month. Take 7-part e-mail course at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.netmarketingstrategies.com">http://www.netmarketingstrategies.com</a>

Domain Names Explained

If you are totally new to the internet then you may not realize that the web address you type into your browser is known as a domain name. A domain name is an easy way for humans to understand and navigate the internet. A domain name is a string of characters used to make a name. There can be up to 63 characters in a domain name which can consist of all the letters in the English alphabet plus the numbers zero to 9 and the hyphen or dash symbol. The name can consists of a mixture of these characters but they cannot start or end in a hyphen. The hyphens are used to separate words within a domain name to make them more readable for humans. All domain names must have a top level domain suffix. The top level domain extensions are the characters at the end of your domain name after the last dot. This extension is used to describe the country or type of website that the domain name represents. The most popular top level domain extension is com and this will probably continue to be so for some time due to it's ingrained relationship with the internet. Web business's are mostly referred to as dot com's. Domain names can be purchased from a domain name registrar. Domain name registration is a process of registering a domain name, much like you would register a new car or the birth of a new baby. The cost of domain name registration will vary depending on the registrar and the domain extension that you choose. To register a dot com name you should expect to pay about ten dollars for a years registration. You can register a name for up to ten years and you would usually expect to get a small discount for this. Allan is the webmaster at NameSearchDomain.com where you canfind out all about <a target="_new" href="http://www.namesearchdomain.com/">Domain names</a>.

Customer Excellence Returns to Web Site Hosting!

For those of you with Web sites, you probably know what a "host" is. It's a company that provides a location, or address, on the Internet where your Web site resides. In other words, just like a physical business needs an address, so does a Web site. You can't have a Web site and just "stick it up" on the Web. Unless you want to set up your own server, you have to go through a hosting company who gives you that address, including server space and bandwidth, that enables the search engines and visitors to find your site. Let's look at some common problems we often have with hosting companies: <ul> <li>You can never find an actual person to talk to! They may have a 24-hour customer service line open, but you can never get through to a real person. <li>Hosting companies often think that the "lowest price" will always get the sale, but they fail to realize that what people really want is excellent customer service, servers that are up almost 100% of the time, and a variety of services that come with the hosting package. <li>Many hosting companies don't provide any other functionality other than Web site hosting. They don't provide a "control panel" full of goodies such as PGP secure e-mail, shopping carts, log analysis, database creation, etc. <li>Guess what? Technical support people often don't make the best "customer support" people. They may be technical gurus, but their main interest lies in their high tech servers and other functionality, rather than solving the simple problems of their customers. </ul> In other words, weak customer service is a major problem with the majority of hosting companies these days. Solution: I recently had the pleasure of being introduced to Combustion Hosting Company, and to say I was impressed is a vast understatement. Here are some things that struck me as unbelievable. When the phone rings, whoever answers the phone is required to stand up to answer it and talk. After all, the sheer act of standing up requires that they're alert and are listening to your problems and concerns. And, you actually speak to a "real" person! With Combustion, if you have a problem, they don't just "tell" you how to solve it, they solve it for you! Also, their services certainly aren't limited to "hosting." They can set you up with an account to where you can access the Internet through local access numbers no matter where you travel. Their prices are extremely reasonable -- much better than I had been paying previously. Plus, the "extras" I've received by going with Combustion are amazing. But the one thing that makes Combustion shine over most Web hosting companies is their devotion to providing good customer service, and this is an area in which they truly excel. So, if you're in the market for a new Web site, or if you aren't pleased with your current host, consider Combustion Hosting. It will be one of the smartest moves you could ever make for your Web site. <a href="http://www.combustionhosting.com/moreinfo" target="_new">http://www.combustionhosting.com/moreinfo</a> If you want further proof as to the benefits of using Combustion, read: this article. About The Author Robin Nobles is the Co-Director of Training of Search Engine Workshops with John Alexander. They teach 2-day beginner, 3-day advanced, and 5-day all-inclusive "hands on" search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe. She also teaches online search engine marketing courses through <a href="http://www.onlinewebtraining.com" target="_new">http://www.onlinewebtraining.com</a>, and she's a member of Wordtracker's official question support team. With partner John Alexander, she's co-authored a series of e-books called, "The Totally Non-Technical Guides to Having a Successful Web Site." And, they opened a networking community for search engine marketers called The World Resource Center for Search Engine Marketers. <a href="mailto:robin@searchengineworkshops.com">robin@searchengineworkshops.com</a>

Whats In A Name: Selecting the Right Business Name

With all that's written about selecting a domain name, I thought I would address the ART of selecting a name for your business. It's by no means an easy task or one that should be taken lightly. So here we go. Ask 500 people, already in business, how they decided upon their business name and you will get 500 different answers. Everyone has a story behind how they chose their business name. Even if the business is named after their own birth name, there's probably a reason why this was done. When you open a business, in a sense, you are giving birth. This new birth was created from an idea by you or your associates. It will have its own bank account, it's own federal identification number, it's own credit accounts, it's own income and it's own bills. On paper, it is another individual! Just as if you were choosing a name for an unborn child, you need to spend considerable time in deciding upon your business name. There are several reasons why a good business name is vitally important to your business. The first obvious reason is because it is the initial identification to your customers. No one would want to do business with someone if they didn't have a company name yet. This makes you look like an amateur who is very unreliable. Even if you call your company "Bill's Lawn Service", a company name has been established and you are indeed a company. People will therefore feel more comfortable dealing with you. Secondly, a business name normally is an indication as to the product or service you offer. "Joan's Typing Service", "Karate Club for Men", "Jim-Dandy Jack-of-all-Trades", "Main Street Laundry", "Missy's Gift Boutique" and "Star Publishers" are all examples of simple business names that immediately tell the customer what product you offer. However, most people will choose the simple approach when naming their business. They use their name, their spouse's name, their children's names or a combination of these names when naming a business. The national hamburger-restaurant chain "Wendy's" was named after, owner, Dave's daughter. Actually, research has proven that these "cutesy" names are not the best names to use for a business. Many experts claim that it makes the business look too "mom-and-pop-sie." But this depends on the business. If you are selling something that demands this mood or theme to appeal to your market, it's okay to use this approach. Names like, "Sensible Solutions", "Direct Defenders", "Moonlighters Ink", "Printer's Friend", "Strictly Class", "Collections and Treasures", and "Starlight on Twilight" are all good examples of catchy names. These types of names relate to your product or service but serve as a type of slogan for your business. This is a big help when marketing. When you name a child, you may not decide upon a definite name until after they are born. Hospital nurseries are loaded with "Boy" Smith and "Girl" Jones name tags. You do this because a name is sometimes associated with a type of personality. Somehow, I don't think Tarzan and Jane got the message, "Boy"? (dah!). When you name a business you may need to wait until you have a product or service to sell and then decide upon a business name before going into the business itself because your business name should give some clue as to what product or service you are selling. A business named "Joe's Collections" normally wouldn't sell car parts and a business named "Charlie Horse" would not sell knitting supplies. To generate ideas - begin looking at business signs everywhere you go. Notice which ones catch your eye and stick in your mind. Try and figure out "why" they stuck in your mind. Naturally, the business "Dominos Pizza" sticks in your mind because it is nationally known. These don't count! Look around and notice the smaller businesses. Take your time. Within a few days you should be able to come up with a few potential business names. Then, when you finally find a few names you really like - try reciting them to other people and get their opinion. It won't be long until your business will have the proper name that will carry it through it's life! A final thought. Are they kidding? What your company does or long product description, domain names? Try VeryLongBusinessNamesThatAreHardToRemember.com (and enter it without a typo)? Well maybe it's just me; but what happened to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)? About the Author ---- Jim Capobianco, the author of "10 Steps to Your Own Home-Based Business", has been self-employed for over 25 years, both on and off line. At his web site, Cap-Tech.com and in his newsletter, The Cap-Tech Times, he shares his experience and expertise when it comes to owning your own business. Come pay a visit at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.cap-tech.com">http://www.cap-tech.com</a>

.info Freedom Frenzy

Whether you're someone that registers domain names on a regular basis, or you're a person looking to register one domain name for your website or business, then it's likely that you've encountered the free .info registrations taking place at several registrars. I've encountered a lot of debate regarding the free .info giveaways. Some think that this free rush will decrease the value of the domain extension, while others insist that no matter what the price, certain domains maintain value due to the high demand of the keywords. The best thing we could do to maintain the value of the .info is to only register the extension appropriate keywords. I've seen a lot of random, and worse, profitless .info domain names being registered for the sake of being free. This doesn't really help the .info market, especially when I've personally come across several hundred domain names that match perfectly with the extension, and are still available for registration. The .info should be used for exactly the purpose it was designed. For information. Anything else would just be impractical. It's not difficult to find worthwhile terms to match with the .info extension. Do some research. Visit your favorite directory and browse through for topics. I've found hundreds of available extension appropriate terms using this method. Forget the strategy you've been using to find .com's, and other such extensions. The .info is a very special extension, and should be treated as such. This is not to limit you, quite the contrary. This is a great opportunity for many people to register valuable domain names at little to no cost whatsoever. If you spend a little extra time to find better registration choices, then it will pay off in the end. Rushing out to register the first thing that comes to mind for the sake of doing it won't benefit you, or anyone else in the end, especially come renewal time. Another tip is to only register names that would be worth registering if you were paying out of your pocket for them. Also only register names that would be worth the renewal cost. Chances are if you avoid these two tips, it won't even be worth it to you to park your ineffective domains at a revenue bearing parking service. Think before you register. Be sure that there is a way that you can profit from this opportunity, whether it be in reselling, developing, or parking. Quick, thoughtless registrations of the .info are counterproductive, and should be avoided at all costs. About The Author Jennifer Chiera, Webmaster/Investor DomainBash.com - <a href="http://www.domainbash.com" target="_new">http://www.domainbash.com</a> DotTown.com - <a href="http://www.dottown.com" target="_new">http://www.dottown.com</a> DomainAppeal.com - <a href="http://www.domainappeal.com" target="_new">http://www.domainappeal.com</a> <a href="mailto:webmaster@domainbash.com">webmaster@domainbash.com</a>

Instant Traffic Using Expired Domains

Every day thousands of domains 'expire' and are put back into the pool of available domains that anyone can register. They can be very valuable if you are looking for a quality domain for your online business, or if you want to re-sell them for profit. But wait! There is another huge advantage to a domain that was previously owned -- Instant Traffic! As I said above, expired domains have all been owned by someone in the past. Many of these previous owners built Websites for these domains, advertised them, registered them with search engines, and even exchanged links with other sites. All translating into traffic to that domain name. Now, why would someone who took the time to do all that work let the domain expire? It could be one of several reasons: * the author simply lost interest * an online venture ran out of funding * poor management of the domain * they couldn't afford the fees Whatever the reason, it happens. And you can reclaim some of the wasted traffic and use it to your advantage. You can either point it to your existing site or use it to jumpstart and add value to a new site. How do you know if an expired domain has traffic? While there is no way to gauge the actual amount of traffic going to an expired domain, you can find out its link popularity in the major search engines. This will tell you the number of Web pages listed in a particular search engine that link to that domain. The more links, the higher link popularity and the more traffic that domain is getting (in some search engines, the higher ranking, too). A free online tool to help you find the link popularity of an individual domain at five top search engines can be found at <a href="http://www.Webofsuccess.com/popularity/popularity.cgi">http://www.Webofsuccess.com/popularity/popularity.cgi</a> Another way I recently discovered is to use this powerful software program called Popular Domains. Among other features, it allows you to import a list of expired domains and automatically check the link popularity of each one. To learn more about it, check out <a href="http://www.Webofsuccess.com/domainsweekly/popular.html">http://www.Webofsuccess.com/domainsweekly/popular.html</a> As you can see, this can be an affordable way to gain instant traffic to your site. Be nice, though, and do not abuse this technique, make sure the site you are sending traffic to relates to the domain. For example don't register the expired domain 'ehairplugs.com' just because it has a high link popularity and then forward the domain to your site about Internet marketing. Other than that you may use your new domain with 'built-in' traffic however you wish! About The Author Wayne Ford, <a href="mailto:info@domainsweekly.com">info@domainsweekly.com</a>, is the founder and president of <a href="http://DomainsWeekly.com" target="_new">DomainsWeekly.com</a> the leading supplier of daily expired and soon-to-expire domain lists. He also publishes a free weekly newsletter packed full of domain-related information and a list of quality available domains. You may subscribe by sending a blank email to <a href="mailto:domainsweekly-subscribe@yahoogroups.com">domainsweekly-subscribe@yahoogroups.com</a>