Domain Due Diligence – What to Do Before You Buy

The Complete Guide to Selling Your Domain Name

The 3 Types of Domain Names and Common Domain Extensions

When you buy a domain name, you purchase a piece of digital real estate. But what, exactly, are you getting for your money? NameExperts.com Director Joe Uddeme unravels the elements of a domain name – so you’ll have a clearer understanding of the architecture behind them.   A domain name is an address you type into your web browser whenever you want to visit a website. It is arguably one of the most important assets any business can own. While ‘domain name’ is an all-encompassing term, a domain is actually made up of multiple parts. Understanding these elements can give you a clearer picture of the domain name investing world and ensure you’re well-informed before buying a domain name or asking a skilled domain broker to negotiate the purchase of one on your behalf. Key Takeaways Domain names – an introduction The 3 types of domain name Domain TLDs for beginners Why not check out our article about why choosing a .com domain name still makes sense for most businesses? What are domains? A domain name is a human-readable address that directs you to a particular website available on the internet. It’s akin to the address for your official residence or workplace. When someone wants to visit you, they come to your address. Similarly, when someone wants to visit a website, they type in the domain address in their web browser. Any domain name has four main components; Domain name: The name of the domain itself. Top-Level domain (TLD): The suffix that appears after the domain name, e.g., .COM and .NET. Subdomain: A domain that is part of another primary domain. It is also known as a third-level domain. Protocol: The system that specifies how information from the domain is transferred to your web browser. It is either HTTP (insecure) or HTTPS (secure). Take https://www.nameexperts.com/, for example. NameExperts is the domain name .COM is the top-level domain WWW is the subdomain HTTPS is the protocol The 3 Types of Domain Names There are three main types of domains, including: 1. Top-Level Domains A top-level domain (TLD) is the final section of a domain name. It is the last segment of text appearing after the dot symbol. For example, in Google.com, .COM is the top-level domain. Ever since the world wide web’s inception, .COM has been the most common top-level domain. It was originally used to designate commercial businesses but has become the de-facto TLD for most websites. Another popular TLD is .NET. It was initially meant for internet service providers and networks but is now available to anyone who wants it. Because NET signifies network and technology, this is an ideal option for technology companies. Yet another well-known TLD is .ORG, which was originally used to designate not-for-profit organizations. Till today, most people associate this TLD with non-profit organizations and social causes rather than commercial businesses. The .ai TLD is another popular one today – especially for tech firms. There are two main types of top-level domains; Generic TLD A generic top-level domain refers to domain name endings with three or more characters, the type that you’d most likely recognize. .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, and other common domain endings fall under this category. Before 2011, there were barely two dozen domain extensions classified as generic. That year, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) expanded the number of generic domain extensions from 22 to over 1,200, opening up more opportunities for individuals and businesses to acquire domain names. Country-Code TLD As the name implies, these are domain extensions associated with specific countries. ICANN assigns country domain endings to each formally recognized nation and sovereign state, and these nations collect a royalty on every sale of their assigned TLD. For example, Tuvalu, a small island nation, earns 1/12th of its annual income from its .TV domain extension. Other popular examples of country domain endings include .US for the United States of America .AU for Australia .DE for Germany .CA for Canada .CC for Cocos Islands .AE for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), etc. 2. Second-Level Domains A second-level domain is directly below a top-level domain in the domain hierarchy. It is the part of the domain name that comes right before the top-level domain. For example, in NameExperts.com, NameExperts is the second-level domain. The second-level domain is usually a combination of words describing the business or service of the domain name owner – and it pays to match this to the name of your business whenever possible to strengthen your brand. In the above example, NameExperts describes the business of a professional domain name broker that helps customers to acquire valuable domains. A second-level domain can include letters, numbers, and hyphens. Symbols are not allowed. 3. Third-Level Domains The third-level domain, or subdomain, is the part of the URL that comes before the second-level domain. The most common subdomain is www., which refers to the world wide web. Third-level domains are not mandatory, so you can have a fully functional domain name without the www part. Some website owners create third-level domains to represent a different section of their website. Examples include: Shop.mywebsite.com refers to the e-commerce section of a website. Blog.mywebsite.com refers to a blog attached to the website. Support.mywebsite.com leads to the customer support section of a website. Understanding Domain TLDs A domain name is the most important property for anyone who conducts business online. Hence, it’s crucial to understand what they are and the different types of domain name extensions to use for a website. The information above should help you figure out how to structure your domain, but if you need help, we’re experts at domain selection and helping you buy the perfect domain.     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 the NameExperts team at: [email protected]

How to Rebrand Your Business and Domain Name

Even well-established businesses sometimes need to rebrand, and one of the biggest issues can be finding a new domain name to match. In this post, NameExperts.com Director Joe Uddeme looks at the smart way to do it.   Looking to rebrand your business? It’s rarely a walk in the park, with a to-do list that features everything from registering your new name, changing all of your company materials, and, crucially, securing a new domain name that can help your rebranded business to grow. There’s often a significant culture change, too, and it’s important your staff understand why you’re rebranding and what your hopes are for the new-look company. In this post, we’ll look at some key things to consider, including buying the domain name you’ll need. Key Takeaways The compelling reasons behind rebranding Considerations for your audience/marketplace Publicizing your new brand Practical considerations (logos, etc.)   How to rebrand a business Branding is a critical consideration for every business. Branding refers to promoting your products with a distinctive feel and design. It’s an ideal way to differentiate yourself from competitors. No matter how good your products are, you won’t sell them without proper branding and customer awareness. Branding isn’t an easy task. We wouldn’t have many companies struggling to sell themselves if it was. The world is littered with failed branding strategies, even from big brands. Netflix’s struggled early on to use Qwikster to break out its DVD rental service and its streaming service. However, a failed branding strategy isn’t the end of the world. Any business can rebrand and make it right with consumers. Netflix didn’t give up when its Qwikster brand failed. It continued DVD rentals with its usual name (successfully) before pivoting to video streaming later. When your initial branding strategy doesn’t work, the intelligent thing to do is a rebrand, and there are specific factors to consider when doing that. Be clear on what’s driving the rebrand Before initiating rebranding efforts, you must be clear on what’s driving the need for the rebranding. There are varying reasons for a business to rebrand, and each demands different strategies. The most common reasons for rebranding include: Having an outdated brand To reposition your brand Reputation management Brands can become outdated when they fail to keep up with rapid changes in modern style and influence. For example, a social media site from the early internet days won’t survive well in this current internet age when we have vastly different demographics. The early social media platforms became outdated over time, and those that failed to rebrand lost market share. You can also rebrand to reposition your company’s business strategy. If your original name focused on a niche, but has evolved to target a broader offering. FilterEasy to Second Nature is a good example of a brand that changed brand names to better align with their new offering. They originally focused on selling only filters but evolved to sell home care products. Check out our story about the rebranding of Monday.com for another great case study. Businesses also rebrand for reputational purposes. You may have started with a well-meaning name that unfortunately became associated with negative things in the future. A typical example is a Chinese fashion retailer named ISIS that had to rebrand when the name became associated with terrorist activities.   Focus on the Core Messaging Your rebrand should have clear and concise messaging. You should be able to tell a story with your new brand that customers can relate to. Just don’t rebrand without context – because that can irk existing customers. Let them know why you’re rebranding and why it’s better for the business. A simple explanation goes a long way in making your customers empathize with you despite the short-term inconvenience. Let your teams know this, too.   Consider your audience, market, and competition Take time to evaluate how your rebranding would affect your existing audience (customers) and standing against competitors in the market. Ensure you research to validate if your rebranding reasons are appropriate. How would your customers react to an unfamiliar brand name? Is there intense brand competition in your industry? These are good questions to ask before initiating any rebrand. You must be sure that the direction of your rebrand matches what customers want. There are two main types of branding research: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research entails collecting and analyzing numerical data to find patterns, while qualitative implies using non-numerical data. Focus groups are a good example.   Publicize your new brand Your rebranding efforts will be futile if you don’t make customers aware of it. Consumers have short attention spans, meaning they can easily forget your old brand. Once you rebrand, assume you’re a newly formed brand and market like one. Buy ads on social media platforms, search engines, TV, etc., to spread the word about your new identity.   How do I rebrand an existing business? 1. Buy a new domain name In this digital age, not having a website puts you on a lower level than your competitors. Hence, the first step to rebranding an existing business is securing the proper domain name. Before choosing your new brand name, check if a corresponding domain name is available. Your domain name is how customers would find you, so you can’t afford to make errors here. You can buy any available domain name through any domain registrar. However, there are cases where a domain you want is already taken, and you see yourself having no other choice. Don’t fret. You can enlist a domain name broker to find and contact the owner with an offer on your behalf. Domain brokerage services are great at negotiation and can take care of the technical side of domain name acquisition, too. 2. Change your logo A logo is an essential aspect of any brand because it’s one of the first things a customer recognizes and identifies with. Hence, you should change your logo during rebranding to signal your new brand identity. You can make your logo simpler for customers. Likewise, you can use unique colors to make your new brand stand out from your former. 3. Change your slogan Many brands have a slogan that customers resonate with, e.g., Nike’s “Just do it” and Disneyland’s “The happiest place on earth.” It would be best if you changed your slogan when rebranding to flaunt your new brand identity. 4. Create new ads You should create advertisements fitting your new brand identity. Your ads will now use a different slogan, color palette, keywords, etc.   What does it mean to rebrand a business? Rebranding is the process of changing an organization’s corporate image. It entails creating a new look and feel for an existing company to influence customer choices. A rebranding company would typically change its name (and domain), logo, slogan, vision, mission statement, etc.   Why would a company rebrand? There are various reasons why a company would rebrand. It could be repositioning themselves for a new business strategy, reputational management, or simply fixing an outdated brand. If a company is switching from a niche market to a larger one, it’s wise to rebrand appropriately to match its new focus. Likewise, if a company’s brand suffers from a poor reputation due to internal or external causes, a rebrand can help avert it.   Should you rebrand your business? Rebranding is a complex and expensive undertaking that you must do only with a clear goal. If you’re not looking to change your strategy, avert a reputational crisis, or face other standard issues that call for rebranding, we advise you to avoid it. However, in the right circumstances, it can give a struggling company or one with immediate challenges a new lease of life.   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. Joe has helped with the rebranding of numerous large companies. Contact him at: [email protected]