What Can I Do With A Domain Name?	3.0/5.0 (1 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
Jamie Zoch February 16, 2009

The sad thing that many people do not know is YOU can own a domain name. The popular term known by many is "all the good ones are gone". True? yes and no because you can:

Buy A Domain Name

Buying a domain name first starts by YOU deciding what domain name you would like to buy. Once you figure out the domain name you wish to own, how do you contact the owner? The database to find who owns what domain is called WHOIS. Whois.sc allows you to type in the domain name you are interested in and will show you contact info. (email, address, phone # etc)

The domain market includes domain names that are Available (at registration fees), the better domains are in what is considered the Aftermarket (domains listed for sale or at auction SnapNames.com, Sedo.com, Afternic.com) and Private Owned. Private Owned domains are pretty much the same as the Aftermarket domains, but not all domain names are listed for sale in the aftermarket. By simply "going to" or typing the domain name directly into your address bar will normally tell you if a domain name is for sale or not. If you are not sure, simply use the Whois database and send an email and ask.

Once you Own your domain name, what are somethings you can further do?

Email

You can simply set up the domain name and use it for your personal email use instead of using a free email service like Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo etc. An example is [email protected]

Website

Start a business. Add to your business with online presence. Have your own blog. Start a site about your family. Sell products or services. Building a website is really a lot easier then you may think. Using software like XSite Pro and a hosting account(about $9.95 a month) can have you up and running online for under $250. Then you can build as many sites as you wish with only the cost of more domain names. Visit the tab here called Install WP Blog for easy step by step process of starting a blog.

Domain Forwarding

Domain forwarding is a unique option offered at domain name registrars (where your domains are registered at, Godaddy, Moniker etc). With forwarding, it basically does what it says. If you were to type in www.JamieZoch.com it brings you directly to DotWeekly.com . I used the forwarding option for my domain JamieZoch.com and send them to my blog, which is DotWeekly.com. I do this because a good deal of people search my personal name. Many of these people skip the "search part" and simply type JamieZoch.com directly into their address bar. In return, they end up at my blog.

Other options for domain forwarding include: Marketing. You can use a specific term in marketing that catches the customer or is very memorable and when they visit that domain, you can forward (send) the customers to a specific page or spot on your site you wish. BackTaxes.com is a great example of this. It’s owned by JK Harris & Co which is a tax company and they simply forward BackTaxes.com to it’s main website. They market with the term as it’s very catchy, explains itself and is easily remembered.

You can use domain forwarding so it’s easier for you to explain to somebody how to find you on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. It’s never fun to try and explain to somebody the super long URL that they need to use to find you. Instead of saying, "Yah you can find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Jamie-Zoch/576563539" You can just say, go to NowEasier.com . I simply took the domain NowEasier.com and forwarded it to the Long Facebook url! Domain Forwarding is Sweet and used correctly can really make life easier or your site WAY more profitable!

You can also use Domain Forwarding for Affiliate Marketing but besure to read the affiliates TOS as many do not allow forwarding. It works the very same way I used NowEasier.com but let’s say you were telling somebody about service and you want to get credit for it. Use your domain and forward it to the affiliate link.

Investing

Yes, owning a domain name is considered investing! Just like physical Real Estate on main street, Domain Names are the internets Real Estate! Domain names are Unique and One Of A Kind! That can make your domain name (depending on the keyword(s) in it) very valueable! The amount of Traffic to your website/domain can also add value to your domain name. Some people consider domain name owners as "Cybersquatters". What is the difference between a cybersquatter and a domain investor? A cybersquatter is a person who owns domain names with Trademarked terms and profits by offering ads on the domain name, selling affiliate products etc.

A domain investor owns domain names that are "generic" in terms. Instead of owning a Trademarked term, domain investors own domain names like Loans.com, PersonalLoans.com and NOT domains like CitiBankLoan.com.

Domain Parking

Domain parking is a quick way to "get something on the domain" instead of a blank page. Using a domain parking service can generate CASH. Once set up, the people that visit your domain name will land on a page that shows relevent ads. Any ad clicked on earns you money. Per Click Ads can pay in the range of $0.01 to $20.00+. Some domain name parking companies are Fabulous.com and Parked.com .

Domain Leasing

This speaks for itself. Since you own the domain, somebody may be interested in using it if they can not afford to fully purchase the domain or you do not want to sell the domain. In return, you can offer the domain name for Lease. You as the owner still hold control over the domain name but come up with an agreement for a monthly or yearly use of your domain. What actually happens with the domain? The person leasing will have you set the DNS to a specific location or they will ask to use the Domain Forwarding option.

Domain Resale

Owning your own domain name also allows you to Sell It. Since you own it, you set the price as well. Value is based on what somebody is willing to pay your for it. Each domain is unique so many times domain names can be worth A Lot! Domain names are owned by a very wide range of people and companies and these are also the same people that may be interested in owning your domain. It may fit with a product or service they offer. It may fit with an ad they plan on running etc.

I hope this helps explain why it can be important to own a domain name and what you can do with it. If you can think of other things to do with a domain name, feel free to leave me a comment and I will post it.

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