November 15, 2019

How to Buy a Domain Name – 10 Tips to Follow Before Buying

written by

Joe Uddeme

How to Buy a Domain Name – 10 Tips to Follow Before Buying

Domain Buying Guides

Name Experts provides premium
domain service to:

MAX
MAX
MAX
Hope Channel
MAX
MAX

Picking a domain name for your brand should be given the respect it deserves. After all, says NameExperts.com Director Joe Uddeme, it could make or break your business.

 

Among the most crucial decisions in establishing an internet presence is picking a domain name to buy.

Ignore the trends and fads of the day and pick a name that makes sense for your company or subject matter a decade from now.

When you choose well, you can rest assured that you have a valuable piece of digital real estate that is woven into the overall success of your business.

Here are 10 suggestions that will help you to make a fantastic domain name purchase.

 

1. Do your homework

Just a small amount of research can go a long way when buying a domain name. Find similar websites and check out your competitors’ domains using a website like Compete.com.

Use dnpric to determine when a domain name was last sold, for how much, and the web hosting agent. You can search by keyword, which will help provide the popularity of particular words in a domain name.

While any research is better than none, plan to put aside days or even weeks to properly research the right name for your brand – something that will help it to grow. If you need some guidance and an insider’s eye, an experienced domain broker can help you come up with – and secure – the perfect name for you.

2. Buy a domain name people can remember

Even if you’re planning on optimizing the website for search engines so that it can be found when people search for “used boats in Dallas” or “hair styling near me”, you still need a domain name that individuals can remember and type.

Anyone hearing your name needs to know how to get right to your business without you having to say things like “the number 4,” and “dash-dash.”

It’s also wise to avoid words that have more than one spelling if your customers are likely to be confused and type in the wrong name. Alternately, you can purchase both versions of the name and guide visitors to the one you prefer – safe in the knowledge that your backup site will scoop them up if they make a mistake.

Avoid anything mysterious like “voodrifunk” or “flambinastic” that might sound fun but is so out there that people will have difficulty remembering it.

Neon sign saying blah blah blah to denote strange domain names

3. Avoid slang terms

Stay away from slang terms and instead select a name that will continue to be meaningful in ten years. This may also help your title be known and remembered by non-native speakers.

Even if you don’t intend to conduct business globally, this strategy can help your neighborhood audience also.

4. Purchase a domain that is shorter rather than longer

The longer your domain name is, the harder it is for people to remember. And the greater chance you have of someone misspelling some of the words.

Most good single word domains are long gone (read “what do to if the domain name you want is taken“), but it’s still possible to avoid super-long alternatives by getting a little creative.

For those who have one word in mind that’s not available, consider adding an adjective or verb in front of it and seeing if those variations are available. Perhaps not “GetAppple”, as that would likely lead to a world of trademark issues and other legalities, but you get the idea.

Think of your domain name as part of your brand, and be sure it matches how you want visitors to consider you.

Small cactus next to a tape measure to denote 'short'

5. Stick with .com if you’re able to

Most individuals assume that a domain name ends in .com – it’s just become the default for most of us. If you purchase a domain name with a different extension or “TLD” as they are known (.net, .info, .org, etc.), you will have some additional work to do if you want to get people to keep you in mind.

However, do not automatically assume you should only ever buy .com domains. Many websites have done very well with different extensions – such as last.fm

6. Do not buy trademarked domains

Even if you’re not intentionally trying to create confusion, you are most likely to face some legal challenges by purchasing trademarked terms in your domain name. To be safe, look for U.S. trademarks at www.uspto.gov and be sure no one owns a trademark on the name you’re contemplating.

7. Do not buy a domain name that is too similar to an existing website

Even if the wording, name or expression in the domain name that has caught your eye is not trademarked, do not buy it if is is merely a variation of some other domain name.

This applies to plurals if the singular is taken (mediatemple.net vs. mediatemples.net) and hyphenating a term (media-temple.net).

8. Avoid buying hyphen domain names

If you have to go with hyphens, do not buy a domain with more than three of them. It is just too messy.

Screengrab of a webpage with many hyphens in the domain name

9. Avoid numbers

People may get confused about whether the amount is a digit (3) or a word (three). If you would like a number on your domain name because there’s a number in your organization’s name, purchase both versions (word and digit ) and redirect one to the other.

10. Check availability on social networking sites

When you’ve got a name picked out, see if this word or phrase can be found on social networking sites like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and Tumblr.

Even if you don’t intend on using social media straight away, you will want the option when you are ready, and it is easiest if you can use the identical phrase on each website.

 

About the author

Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s leading domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains. Contact us at: [email protected]

Subscribe for More Domain Buying & Selling Advice

Related posts

Celebratory shot of the monday.com team after the relaunch of the business and the acquisition of the domain name they needed
How We Helped Monday.com Secure the Perfect Name for their Rebranding

Discover how Name Experts’ premium domain buying service played a key role in the rebranding of Monday.com. As the business goes from strength to strength, Monday’s rebranding is a testament to the power not just of a world-class brand name but of a powerful, memorable domain name, too.   We’ve all heard of Monday.com. They are one of the biggest project management tools on the market. But that was not always the case. Before Monday.com was Monday.com, they were daPulse, a name that ultimately was a hindrance to their growth. The daPulse name was out of sync with the project management business and limited their ability to scale. Changing to Monday.com was a sound decision that contributed to the company’s massive success. It demonstrates how naming a brand is as essential as product development to any technology business. I was approached by the two founders, Eran Zinman and Roy Mann, to pursue a rebranding project. They wanted to buy a domain name that was both generic and memorable. One that ended in .com and could be used as a solidified brand. One of the names that stuck early on was Monday.com. After contacting the owner, the domain name negotiation and engagement was flawless, and ultimately, Eran and Roy were ecstatic with the result. Early on, however, I remember some of the feedback was, “What the heck is Monday.com?” But, with fantastic brand marketing, the team has done an exceptional job at growing and scaling the company. As with most great business ideas, it all starts with the foundation or a solid domain name asset to help build a brand. Here’s the story… In 2012, a group of Israeli entrepreneurs launched a company named daPulse. daPulse launched as a platform for enterprises to organize project management and collaboration between their workers. Though it started in 2012, daPulse didn’t launch commercially until 2014 after significant product testing and development.
Close up of a man signing a piece of paper with a laptop in the foreground.
5 Things to Consider When Buying a Domain Name

Looking for some quick tips about securing and buying a domain name for your business? Here’s our expert guide to domain buying, covering everything from hidden fees to privacy protection.   Purchasing a domain name is an exciting thing for a new business, but there’s much more to it than simply finding the ideal name. Before you begin, there are a few things you ought to know. It’s always worth remembering that not all businesses selling domains (known as domain registrars) are the same. Some use tactics like hiding fees or promoting your data to earn more cash, which may have an enduring influence on your enterprise. In this post, Name Experts Director Joe Uddeme – a seasoned domain name broker – flags up some common things you should watch out for.   1. Look out for hidden charges As with any purchase choice, cost can be a big element. It is easy to be tempted into buying a domain at a really low cost. But don’t be fooled: a few domain registrars provide promotional pricing at an extremely low price but then hide a lot of fees in the contract, lock you in, and charge high renewal prices. Generally, be aware that registrars offering rock-bottom domains may have additional, less-than-ethical techniques to make money. These strategies include: Adding in hidden prices: Many registrars rely on the fact that most individuals do not read the fine print. Before you make a domain purchase, review the Buyer’s “Terms of Service” for any questionable terms, duties, or fees. Be sure to check what the renewal rates will be, and be certain you are only buying what you need and want. Making you pay to edit your WHOIS or RDAP listing: Watch out for registrars that charge an “administration fee” when you need to edit your WHOIS or RDAP records. Registrars will often try to “upsell” or “cross-sell” you items you don’t require. For example, they might recommend you purchase extra domain endings that are extraneous instead of helpful (for instance, .info or .co). Or, they might offer to package your domain with a bunch of other services you might never use. Charging transfer charges: Make sure the “Conditions of Service” don’t have “transfer-out” charges for moving your domain name to another registrar. These fees could be exorbitant and they violate ICANN policy (ICANN is the non-profit corporation that oversees the use of Internet domains). Beyond the cost, a few registrars make it nearly impossible to perform a transfer by making the transport procedure cumbersome and hard to navigate. It’s a good idea to check into how easy the transfer process is before deciding upon a registrar.   2. Protect your privacy Unprotected data is vulnerable to being mined by spammers and scammers. Start looking for domain registrars that offer privacy protection for free. Be cautious about dealing with registrars that charge a premium for “privacy solutions,” particularly any who offer to place their details on these registries instead of yours, which covertly gives them possession of the domain.   3. Guard your info Beyond failing to protect your personal data from public records, some registrars actively sell your information to third parties like marketing associations. Some registrars even mine the WHOIS database and then send false renewal invoices, getting visitors to unknowingly transfer their domains. Be certain to find a registrar that promises never to sell or misuse your client information for marketing purposes. 4. Focus on transparency Look for registrars that offer transparency in their pricing. You should, for example, be able to readily find your renewal prices, as well as the processes for transferring or canceling your domain name registration. Some registrars offer cheap registration during the initial purchase, but then charge flat-rate costs to renew your domain the following calendar year. They also might make it very difficult to cancel your order. Start looking for a registrar with upfront pricing info and terms of service to avoid surprises later on.   5. Differentiate support from sales Some registrars don’t have support staff but instead have salespeople who are trained to sell you add-on services you may not need – all in the guise of friendly customer support. Look for a registrar that offers courteous and professional support and help, not one that sees you as a cash register they keep trying to ring. With careful study before you opt for a domain, you can side-step some unfortunate traps and make sure your domain name — and your business – are in good hands for many years to come.   About the author Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s top domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains. Contact us at: [email protected]
Close up of woman typing on laptop keyboard to indicate the importance of doing research when purchasing a domain name
Domain Due Diligence – What to Do Before You Buy

Before getting excited about the domain name you want being available, ask yourself why it is up for grabs – especially if it appears to be a great name. Many domain names on the open market have a hidden past – as NameExperts.com Director Joe Uddeme explains… Let’s say you just found out you can secure a domain name that matches the name of your new business. Or maybe you’re doing it the other way around and want to start with an available domain name that you’ll build your business around. Now let’s suppose it’s one of those short, snappy modern domain names made up of five letters that don’t mean anything. Now press pause. Before you plan the entire history of your brand around these five letters, it’s advisable to perform some due diligence – just as it is when buying any domain name. When buying a car, it’s helpful to have a trusted mechanic perform an inspection and to review the vehicle’s service history before handing over your cash. A similar thing applies to purchasing domain names. It’s necessary to perform proper due diligence – or you risk wasting money. This article will give you a due diligence checklist to follow to ensure you make a worthy purchase and ensure you don’t buy a domain name with a damaging hidden past. Key Takeaways Spammy “past lives” of your domain name could damage your reputation Discover the tools that help you discover your name’s true past Make sure there are no trademark issues Why You Need To Conduct Due Diligence For Any Potential Acquisition Due diligence means investigating the details of a business or person that you want to enter a commercial transaction with. It’s necessary because it helps you understand the nature of what you want to buy, the risks involved, and anything else that could be a hindrance. Not conducting domain name due diligence before buying can cause trouble. For example, you may buy a domain that has been blacklisted for spam activities and wonder why your website isn’t getting traffic. Or why any email sent from your domain goes to the recipient’s spam folder. You could also buy a stolen domain and be subject to lawsuits accusing you of theft – or one that used to be an adult site. The list of potential risks is endless, so always carry out domain due diligence before any purchase.   Domain Due Diligence Checklist WHOIS WHOIS is a public database containing information about domain name owners. You can run a WHOIS lookup to trace the ownership of a domain name, and it’s advisable to do this for any domain you want to buy a domain name. Check the WHOIS history for at least a year to see if there were any ownership changes. If you notice any, you can contact the prior owner to ensure that they actually transferred the ownership and the domain wasn’t stolen. Domain thieves try to sell domains in a hurry, and this process helps you avoid buying a stolen domain and exposing yourself to legal troubles. Because of Europe’s GDPR data protection laws, you may not be able to see details about a domain’s owner (it’ll appear as redacted). However, access is granted to certain licensed third parties that, in turn, offer that data to people for a fee. DomainIQ and DomainTools are two examples of such parties. Domain History The WHOIS lookup will help you verify that the domain is owned by a legitimate buyer and not a hacker. After that, the next step of the domain name due diligence is to check how the domain was utilized in the past. What type of website was it used for? Is it something that could have gotten it into a blacklist? A good website to check a domain’s history and utilization is the Wayback Machine. This is a digital archive that lets you see how the website for any domain looked in the past. The idea is to ensure that the domain was used for appropriate activities. If it was used for nefarious things like unregulated gambling, domain name scams, or data theft, it’s a signal to stay clear because the domain may have been blacklisted by search engines and email providers. Potential Trademark Issues Ensure that the domain name you want to use is not similar to an established trademark because this can lead to infringement lawsuits and a possible court order to hand over the domain. There was a popular case of an entrepreneur called Mike Rowe, who registered the “MikeRoweSoft.com” domain for his software company. Microsoft, the well-known software company, filed a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement, and Mike Rowe had to hand over ownership of the domain in exchange for an Xbox and some certification training. If the domain name you want to buy is similar to an established trademark, it’s best to avoid it and go for something else. Search Value Another important part of the due diligence checklist is to see how the domain name performs on search engines. If you can’t find valid results when you input the domain name of a search engine, it’s a signal that it may have been blacklisted due to past activity. Check if there are backlinks from nefarious sites pointing to the domain because that represents another red flag. It’s also important to see if a domain has been marked by email blacklists. If so, emails from that domain will likely end up in the recipient’s spam folder instead of the main inbox. Popular email blacklists include Spamhaus, Barracuda, and Proofpoint, and most of them let you run a simple scan to see if a domain is part of the list.   During the Acquisition Process Once you have ticked all the boxes in your acquisition due diligence checklist and decided to proceed with the purchase, there are some essential tips to follow. Tracking Each Step You should create a spreadsheet to track each step of the domain name sale. The spreadsheet should contain sections like “current status”, “date transferred”, and “price”. This will help you stay on top of every detail of the imminent domain acquisition. Setting Up Escrow Escrow refers to a neutral third party that holds the money before it is transferred from the domain buyer to the seller. It’s necessary to use an escrow service to prevent yourself from falling victim to fraud. The escrow service will hold the money that you’ve agreed to pay for the domain and only disburse it if the seller fulfills all the terms of the deal.   What To Keep In Mind For the Transfer Process When you acquire a domain, the buyer will have to transfer it to your registrar for it to officially become yours. A domain must be at least 60 days old to be transferable according to rules defined by ICANN, the governing body for domain registration. The owner will need an authorization code from their registrar to authorize the transfer to your own registrar. Once this is complete, the domain is officially yours. If you need help with domain name due diligence, you can hire a professional domain broker with experience in appraising and investigating domain names. The broker can help you decide if it’s a worthwhile purchase and also negotiate a good price with the owner. Check out our post on domain name negotiation tips for further insight into this exciting and complex world!   About the author Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s leading domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains. Contact us at: [email protected]

Why Work with Name Experts

Name Experts offers personalized domain brokerage services, assisting clients in buying or selling premium domain names with expert appraisal, negotiation, and complete transaction management while ensuring confidentiality.

Free Consultation

Some of our most
successful stealth acquisition and sales

Aid.com

Fit.com

Mine.com

GLD.com

Jeff.com

Fora.com

Nori.com

Secure.com

Guitar.com

F*ck.com

Radian.com

MetaData.com

Prize.com

Link.com

Loop.com

Programs.com

Claim.com

Quince.com

Hook.com

QXO.com

NQ.com

Rest.com

Humani.com

Max.com

Need help buying or selling premium domains?