April 6, 2020

What Is A Domain Name and Why Do I Need One?

written by

Joe Uddeme

What Is A Domain Name and Why Do I Need One?

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Domain names are one of the foundations of every global brand – they’re your calling card online. In this post, domain name expert Joe Uddeme explains how they work and how to secure the right one for your business.

You probably know more domain names than phone numbers these days. Think of all the news sites you know the address of – plus Amazon, Apple and all those big brands whose website URLs you can guess because nine times out of ten, it is their brand name + .com.

While the world of domain names is easy and familiar at face value, behind the scenes, there’s a lot more going on.

If you’re getting ready to buy a premium domain name – one costing in the thousands that will be memorable and potentially valuable for a business in the long term – you need to have a solid grasp of what you’re getting into.

To stop you from confusing domain names with websites or even website hosting services, this post is a great place to start.

Key Takeaways

What is a domain name
How does a domain name work
How to choose the right name for your business
Securing a name that will keep your business on track

What Is A Domain Name?

To put it simply, a domain name is the address of your website. It is the phrase or word that you will type into your URL bar of your browser to find your website. For example, our website is https://nameexperts.com/

You can purchase domain names through a domain registrar, through a hosting provider, or let a domain name broker help you.

What is the DNS?

You can’t really answer the question, “What is a domain name?” without addressing DNS. Domain names are part of a large network called the Domain Name System (DNS) and it is managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The ICANN is a non-profit organization responsible for management and maintenance of the DNS, as well as regulating domain registrars.

How Does the DNS Work?

When you type a domain name into your browser, your computer will check if you’ve previously looked at that domain. If not, then your browser will contact the local DNS server to pull it up.

Your local DNS server breaks down the domain name into sections. We’ll use our name again as an example. There are three parts to nameexperts.com – www., nameexperts, and .com. The .com is known as a top level domain (TLD) and the local DNS server will search for this section first, and then serves to find all the details of your domain name and send that information back to the browser you’re using.

There are obviously a lot more technical steps to it, but that’s the basics of how the DNS works. Let’s talk more about what you really need to know – what types of domain name extensions are available.

Different Types of Domain Name Extensions

All domain names are made up of a website name (nameexperts), and a top level domain (.com). Though the extensions can vary, we think it is useful to know the differences between the types of top-level domains available so that when it’s time to choose your domain name, you choose the right one.

The two types we are going to talk about today are Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) and Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLDs).

Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)

Normally, the best course of action is to choose a reputable TLD like .com, .net, or .org. But because these are so popular, there are millions of domain names that have been registered to date. So the name you want might be taken (read our post: “How to buy a domain owned by someone else”) – or it may be hard to find a name that works.

Here are some of the most generic TLDs:

.com (commercial)
.info (information)
.org (organizational)
.net (network)
.biz (business)

Subdomains

We thought we should also mention subdomains. A subdomain is also known as a third level domain and is an extra part of a domain name. They are viewed as separate websites by the search engines, so creating subdomains can help improve your site’s SEO. Specifically, a good time to use a subdomain is for a blog. It might look like https://blog.nameexperts.com.

How To Choose The Right Domain Name

Now that we’ve answered what is a domain name, we want to help you choose a strong domain name that accurately reflects your business. Ideally, you want to be easy for your target market to remember and be something that is timeless.

Your domain name broker can help you find the perfect domain name and get you started with the process that goes along with it.

Begin by doing some research on keywords that are relevant for your business. Whether it’s the name of your business or another keyword that relates to your business and you want to rank for it, this type of domain name will help improve your site’s SEO (search engine optimization).

Another tip is to keep your domain short and memorable. You want it to stand out but be easy to remember – try to keep it to three words or less.

You also want to make sure you avoid numbers and hyphens. People won’t remember where they go and they might mistype. Which leads us into another tip for choosing your domain name, make sure it is easy to spell.

Shy away from words with multiple spelling variations or one that might be difficult to pronounce. Think long term. You want a domain name that supports the growth of your business and will last for years to come. Changing your domain name later can really hurt your business.

Working With A Domain Name Broker – The Easy Solution

Getting your domain name right is crucial for your business or organization. It can help define your brand and form a lasting impression on your audience.

Do your research, and then if you’re serious about securing a seemingly unavailable name, reach out to a domain broker. We can help you buy and register a name – even if it belongs to someone else.

We can also advise on strong alternative names for your business. NameExperts.com has a selection of highly commercial names available for sale at any time. At the time of writing, these included eight.com, proud.com, fate.com and nickel.com.

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

There’s more to a premium domain name than a high price tag – a great one can accelerate business growth and promote long-term financial stability. NameExperts.com Director Joe Uddeme explains why landing a beauty could be essential for your company. Here’s a question for every company to tackle. Small businesses and startups in particular need to consider if it is worth investing a quarter of their funding, say, on a premium domain name rather than better office facilities or company cars. The answer to that question is seldom simple. That’s because it is dependent on the kind of business the domain name will be used by, together with a number of other aspects. A domain name is critical because, quite simply, you can’t run a website without one. It will be the title of your site and email – and will play a crucial role in your marketing strategy once you’ve purchased it. In this guide, we’ll study everything there is to know about premium domain names so you can decide whether you should buy one for your business. Even if the name you want ends up costing $10,000 or more (LOTS more, in some cases), it might prove to be one of the best investments you make for your company. When is a Domain Name Considered a Premium Domain? The process of buying domain names usually involves several disappointing moments. Such as when you first think of an especially excellent name… only to search for it and discover it was bought in 1999 and is currently up for sale for $100k. The crazy thing is, these domains do nothing special. There’s no rocket science involved with coming up with them – which is kind of the point. Premium domain names with a high price tag are familiar-sounding and catchy. Everyday words. It’s why cars.com sold for almost a billion dollars. A great domain name will help your site gain more traction much faster – and will prove to be one of your greatest investments if you have chosen wisely. This is the reason why a domain becomes a premium one. The Precise Definition of a Domain Name The cost of a domain name will give away that it’s a premium one. Usually, a regular premium domain name is a domain name that is already owned by a registry or a person. If you want it, it’ll cost you. The name’s costs are exponentially higher than a typical domain and can vary from a few hundred dollars to millions. This is because of the perceived value which it might have for a company within a particular industry. In order for a name to achieve a high sale price, there has to be somebody who believes it is worth it. Until a domain name is sold, technically speaking it is worth virtually nothing. Try getting a million bucks for a domain name if the internet permanently goes down! A domain name is considered premium due to its brandability, keywords and overall desirability. All these are highly valuable for a business that wishes to branch out on the internet. Not every premium domain price is set by a person. On occasion, the relevant registry (such as .info or .design) sets the cost for this. The Potential Problems With Choosing a Not-So-Premium Domain There are a few issues a company might run into if they don’t choose the best domain name they can. Here are the main difficulties: Trust and Branding Issues. Often, having a .com domain is the best way to show that a company is serious and trustworthy. A good deal of experts say to always go with .com, but there are lots of other options too, including .org, .co and .io. A trusted domain name consultant can guide you on the best choices here. Little Potential to Grow. When you’re stuck with a lemon, you can limit your business opportunities. Numerous businesses end up thriving after purchasing a premium domain name for around $500,000, particularly if it matches with their institution’s name. It Might Confuse the Client. If a business opts for an inferior domain extension, they may lose lots of customers. Some of these would-be visitors might believe the support is down or that the site doesn’t even exist because what they have actually done is visit domain.com rather than your site – domain.co. How a Premium Domain Name Can Help Your Website The fantastic thing about ultra-premium domain names is the fact that they are pretty much household names – so you don’t have to make additional investments in making them known. As a result: You’ll have to spend less money on internet PPC advertisements. Why? Because you are going to get organic visitors to your website as soon as you’ve launched it. You’ll enjoy better SEO and site rank – resulting in more traffic. Individuals are already searching for your website and will be glad to find it. There are more trust and authority involved using a premium domain name, which will make reliable companies link to your site. This can further boost SEO. A short, catchy name functions really well on social media and people will remember it. The domain will provide prospective clients with a strong indication about what they will find on your website, so you don’t have to invest money and time describing it to them. Simply speaking, it is much simpler to make a premium domain popular. You’ll have to devote a good deal less money on advertising it. Summing up If you’re doing business in a market where word of mouth is essential, than premium domains are definitely something to consider – whatever the cost. Not all small business owners and startups, however, should start with a premium domain name. A business can definitely be effective with a less-than-perfect domain name if it is catchy enough. If the domain name you’re considering matches your branding, sometimes that is all you’ll need. It can work well even if it doesn’t match your business’s name. If you can’t get the .com extension you want, it is possible to go with .co, .ai or many other top-level domains (TLDs). But when you start to hit it big, securing a premium domain name could be a very wise move – because there’s a high possibility it will pay off handsomely within the next few years. 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]

Man and woman in business setting look at a laptop screen. Woman is blonde, man has brown hair and both have glasses

Are You A Domain Buyer? Here’s How It Works

Whether you want to buy names to sell straight away or hold them in your portfolio, there’s a lot to learn if you want to be a big-hitter in the domain buying and selling world. Domain name expert Joe Uddeme shares his top tips for domain buying success. Both buying and selling domains can be an exciting adventure – and it can even be a profitable endeavor. If you’re trying to get into the domain-buying game, or are simply looking for someone to buy a domain you want to sell, you need a little more information about how it all works. The actual odds of you cashing in big amounts of money from your domain aren’t high (unless you’re sitting on a desirable two- or three-letter domain name that isn’t currently in use). But if you have no idea what you’re doing, you might also be wasting time and money. If you want to make it big, you need a tried and true process to help guide you. This post covers our top tips to help you find a domain buyer or to be a domain buyer – and insert yourself into the domain buying and selling game the right way. Key Takeaways The importance of research when buying and selling domains Understand your audience Promote your domains to attract the right buyer How a domain broker can help Domain Buyer Tips Though the internet isn’t very old in real terms, there are already millions of domains already registered. And yet there’s still an endless amount of combinations available to register. That’s not even including the hundreds of new domain name extensions available (think .net, .club, .ai and so on). Do A Little Research – Get Focused The first thing we recommend is to do a little research before you get started. If you’re looking to buy a domain, start with what you already know. What are you already an expert in? Buying the right domain is much easier when you have a knowledge of the industry so that you choose something that will 1) actually sell, or 2) be a great domain for your business. If you know fishing, for example, you’ll know just the things your fellow marlin hunters will be searching for. Is there a domain name available that fits? Start your domain name search based on keywords related to the things you’re familiar with. If you KNOW it’s going to be valuable, it will be much easier to sell. Check the strength of a keyword with tools like Google Trends or Keyword Planner or similar SEO tools. We highly recommend working with a domain broker who knows the marketplace. They’ll be able to give helpful suggestions and help you avoid costly mistakes. We do NOT recommend targeting a prospective domain buyer based on their potential economic status. Targeting a certain demographic that you don’t know anything about could be an expensive error. You might also be missing specific rules associated with the industry you’re going after. The bottom line is, you won’t make any money if your buyers can’t use the domain you bought. Know Your Audience If you understand your audience, you’ll be able to really generate sales of domains you buy. If you’ve got a great domain, you can hold onto it for years and probably make a decent profit. Maybe you’ve already monetized the domain with an active website and put in some great SEO efforts – things that can help make your domain worth a lot more to a potential domain buyer. These types of well researched domains can end up paying for themselves. Talk to a domain broker. The industry’s big-hitters will have the knowledge you’re looking for and be able to steer you in the right direction for domains that will actually benefit the buyer. Domain Seller Tips Evaluate Your Domain It is so important that you actually have access to domains that would be a valuable asset to domain buyers. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Would the domain name you’re selling actually be beneficial to a business or organization? Similarly, if you’re the one buying, have a domain broker assess the value of the potential domain. Would having this domain make it easier for clients to find you? Will having that particular domain make it easier to rank higher on search engines? Would your profits increase based off of this particular domain name? Don’t buy anything without knowing its true value. Get Your Domains Out There There are many different avenues for getting your domains out to potential domain buyers. Again, we suggest doing a little research. If you’re using a respected source, you’ll have a much better chance of getting your domains sold. The best suggestion we have is to work with a sell-side domain name broker who knows the market. You can also use a distribution network to make sure you’re getting the right domain in front of the right buyer. Maybe you already know who might benefit from the domain name? Start a conversation and convey that you already understand what the domain is capable of achieving. However, if you don’t already have a place to show off your domain, partnering with a domain buying and selling brokerage business will take the pain out of everything and increase your chances of a profitable sale. Choosing the right broker If you’ve purchased one or more premium domain names and want to sell them, why leave anything to chance? Working with a broker who spends every day in the market is the way to go. Not only do they buy and sell millions of dollars worth of domains every year, they also have a network already established. They might have a long list of buyers and sellers lined up before you even set up a meeting. Domain brokers are able to accurately assess the value of potential domains, and also help negotiate on your behalf. They also know all the paperwork and legal processes that come with buying and selling domains, which means that you don’t have to worry about any of it. Look for one with a strong track record, ideally one that can demonstrate experience in high-level transactions. Global experience can be helpful, too, especially if you want to secure the international TLDs for a specific name. 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]

Old typewriter with piece of paper containing the words 'domain search'

The Best Places to Buy and Sell Domain Names

Looking for some tried and tested places to buy or sell everyday domain names? Here’s our expert guide. 1. Atom.com (formerly Squad Help) Curated Selection of brandable and premium domains. Quality Assurance: Each premium domain is carefully reviewed by branding experts to ensure it meets high standards of originality, pronunciation, and memorability when selling domain names. Business Identity Professional Logo Designs: Top designs for your org and branding strategy. Visual Identity Package: Every premium domain listing includes a professionally designed logo for your org, providing a cohesive domain brand package for your business resources and company’s identity. User-Friendly Search and Navigation Advanced Filtering: Search domains by industry, point, style, length, and other attributes to find the perfect match. 2. Sedo Sedo is a dedicated domain marketplace (similar to GoDaddy) with millions of users. It has been around for over two decades, making it a trusted marketplace for buying and selling domains. Any domain name owner can sign up for free and list their domain for sale on the website, and prospective buyers can easily contact them through the platform to buy domains. On Sedo, sellers can set a fixed price for their domain, put it up for auction, or indicate that they’re entertaining offers with an unspecified price range. When buyers come to the site, they can search for any keyword and check if anyone has listed a related domain name on the market. Sedo Search Sample: The first three results are bikes.org, bikes.co, and bikes.biz, which are premium domain names. Sedo also includes other domain names that are closely related to your search phrase to sell domains. The first two domains in this example have a Make Offer buttons next to them, while the last has a Buy It Now button for your popular domain. This indicates that the domain sellers of the first two domains put them up for auction, while the third domain’s owner set a fixed price for their marketing strategy. As a buyer, you’re free to search for any specific URL and find related domains listed on Sedo to find the perfect domain. Purchasing from the domain marketplace requires added registration and jumping through a few other hoops, but it’s worth it, as Sedo has such a large selection of premium domains available for acquisition. Search for domains on Sedo: Sedo Domain Marketplace 3. NamePros NamePros is an online community for domain name owners to interact and discuss events related to their industry. In the forum’s early days, users commonly posted they had domain names available for sale and wanted to connect with potential buyers. Observing this, the owner of the forum launched an official domain marketplace section for buying and selling domain names. On NamePros, any registered user can list the domain names they have available in a forum post. To make the domains easy for prospective buyers to find, NamePros has formal categories that users can attach to their posts to find the perfect domain. How much is it worth? Namepros can also share pertinent details of recently sold domains that are similar in nature to your domain search. Because it is a forum, NamePros only helps buyers and owners find each other, and it’s up to them to negotiate and decide how they’ll handle payments for the domain. This is unlike Sedo, which facilitates payments and domain transfers for its users, among other services. When using NamePros to buy a domain you should be more careful about your purchase. Set specific terms with the seller before proceeding on any deal, and use a trusted online escrow service (e.g. Escrow.com) to ensure that the payment goes through only after the seller has transferred the domain name to your preferred registrar. You can find a large variety of domain names for sale on NamePros, making it one of the best domain marketplaces in the World. Search for domains on NamePros: NamePros Domain Marketplace

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.

What Is A Domain Name and Why Do I Need One?

Domain Buying Guides

Name Experts provides premium domain service to:

What Is A Domain Name?

What is the DNS?

How Does the DNS Work?

Different Types of Domain Name Extensions

Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)

Sponsored Top-Level Domains (rTLDs)

Subdomains

How To Choose The Right Domain Name

Working With A Domain Name Broker – The Easy Solution

About the author

Subscribe for More Domain Buying & Selling Advice

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Domain Name Investing: Invest in Premium Domain Names

Are You A Domain Buyer? Here’s How It Works

The Best Places to Buy and Sell Domain Names

Why Work with Name Experts

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Name Experts provides premium
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