written by
Joe Uddeme
How to Buy a Domain Name
How to Buy a Domain Name Owned by Someone Else
Negotiating a Domain Price
What is a Premium Domain Name & Why You Should Buy One
How to Choose a Domain Name
How to Value a Domain Name
Domain Names for Startups
How to Buy a .com Domain Name
Things to Watch Out for When Buying a Domain
Domain Name Investing
Buy & Selling Domains
Best Domains to Buy
There aren’t many people today who don’t know what a domain name is – but few actually understand how they really work. In this post, NameExperts.com Director Joe Uddeme explains what’s going on behind the scenes.
A domain name is what you type when you want to visit a website. For example, you type “Google.com” into your web browser, and it takes you directly to Google to search for stuff. But a lot happens behind the scenes to ensure the domain name you type takes you to the correct website.
In fact, it’s all pretty complicated – and interesting, too. If you want to buy a premium domain name worth in the tens or even hundreds of thousands, having clear insight into what you’re actually paying for might be a good idea. This article will explain what happens and demystify how the world of URLs and the web works.
Key takeaways:
The Internet is an extensive network of computers connected to each other via cables; each computer on this network can communicate with others. Every computer is identified by a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address, which consists of four numbers separated by periods, e.g., 192.168.1.2.
Each website is hosted by a specific computer or server. When you want to visit that website, you need to point to the IP address of the computer hosting it. But IP addresses are difficult to remember. Imagine you had to memorize the unique IP addresses of all the websites you visit; that’ll be impossible, which is why domain names were invented.
A domain name is a human-readable name pointing to a specific IP address on the web. Whenever you type a domain name into your browser, it queries a vast database called the Domain Name System (DNS) and gets the corresponding IP address of the website you want to visit.
The Domain Name System is akin to a phonebook in your home containing your friends’ names and phone numbers. You don’t remember all your friends’ phone numbers; you just need to know their names. Whenever you need a specific number, you check for the name and get it.
This is precisely what the Domain Name System accomplishes; you type a domain, and it gives the correct IP address to your web browser. Your browser fetches the data from the server using that IP address and shows it to you.
A domain name has three main parts: top-level domain (TLD), second-level domain, and subdomain.
The top-level domain (TLD) is the last segment of text in a domain name. The most popular TLDs you should be familiar with include
Yet, there are over 1,500 TLDs you can choose from. A lot of them are assigned to specific countries, such as;
There are many other random TLDs such as .website, .book., .dog, .attorney, and .band. A popular one today is the .ai domain name, which has been a hit with tech companies.
This is the middle part of the domain name. It is a unique word or phrase identifying the website you want to visit. This part of the domain plays the biggest role in branding an online business. It’s also important in search engine rankings.
A subdomain is the part that comes before the main domain. They are attached to the main domain and separated by a period, e.g., blog.example.com, support.website.com.
Subdomains function like independent websites but are attached to the main site. For instance, you can have an online store or a blog attached to your main business site.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the agency responsible for managing the global domain name system. It is a nonprofit organization that enacts policies for creating and managing domain names. It permits companies called domain registrars to sell domain names on its behalf.
Technically, you don’t own any domain that you use. You’re leasing it from ICANN (via your domain registrar) and controlling it as long as you renew the registration. If your registration expires, another person can take control of the domain – although with a little effort it’s possible to secure a domain name forever (sort of).
To buy a domain, you can head to any domain registrar’s website and check if someone else has not registered the domain name you want. If so, you can immediately pay for it and start using it.
If the domain name you want has already been registered, don’t fret. You can hire a domain name broker to help you trace, contact the owner, and negotiate a possible purchase. Domain brokers have experience arranging domain sales, so they’ll help you pay a fair price for the domain you want.
The maximum registration period for a domain name is 10 years. But you can renew it every 10 years and keep control of the domain.
They are high-quality domains that people often buy to flip for a higher price later. Demand for premium domains is high, and the price increases over time, making them good investments.
Yes, you can sell your domain name anytime you want to. You can do that yourself or enlist a domain broker to find a buyer for the best price.
You can identify a domain’s owner by querying the public WHOIS database, which contains contact information about the registered owner of every domain.
Registrars usually give a 30-day grace period in which you can reclaim the domain. Your domain will be auctioned on the market if that period runs out.
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]
From Amazon to Coca-Cola, strong brand names have helped propel businesses to stratospheric heights for centuries. Here’s how to find one that will take yours to the next level and ensure you have a domain name that supports it.
A great domain name usually has a price tag to match – it’s why we call them ‘premium’ domains. In this post, domain name expert Joe Uddeme explains where to find high-value names that can help your business grow. Premium domains are the best type of domains because they are memorable and tend to draw a lot of organic traffic. They are short, catchy, and quickly feel familiar – with a high potential to become popular web addresses. They also present great branding opportunities for up-and-coming businesses. The best places to find premium domains for your business include: Name Experts GoDaddy Sedo Network Solutions Domain.com Namecheap In this post, we’ll look at each of these and discuss their pros and cons. Key Takeaways: The steps to take when buying a premium domain Brokers and marketplaces for premium domain names Discover some FAQs about premium 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
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