How to Get a Domain Name?

I assume that you have put in a lot of thoughts and have decided on a domain name for your new venture. Good names are getting harder to find and you can increase your chances of success if you have a shortlist of acceptable domain names rather than just one domain name.

The first thing that you should do is to go over to a registrar such as GoDaddy or NameCheap and check if the names are still available. If they are, simply register your domain name.

What if the name is already taken?

I would suggest that you check out the website. If the website is well developed and the content is current, then the chance of getting the domain is likely to be low. However if the site is out of date or unavailable, the odds get better. If it has lots of advertisements on it, it is even better. It is highly likely that the owner has registered the domain but has not decided on what to do with it or he has registered the name with the intention of reselling it for a profit.

Head over to whois.net and key in the domain name. Use the link at the bottom of the page to get more information on the owner of the domain. Check the expiry date. If the owner has renewed the site for many years, the chance of getting the domain is low. If domain privacy is not enabled, you should be able to get the owner's physical and email address. Write to him and make him an offer.

If you cannot get the domain owner to sell you the domain, but you are willing to wait, you can put a backorder on the domain. To increase the odds, use the services of domain snapping companies such as SnapNames or NameJet, that aggressively gets the domain name and register in your name if the owner does not renew it.

SnapNames has an exclusive partnership with Network Solutions which allows them first shot at any and all expiring domains that are currently held by Network Solutions. If yours is held by Network Solutions, Snapnames is your best bet.

NameJet works with different registrars to secure and offer recently pre-release domain names and pending delete domain names. These are domains names in various degree of expiration. I urge you to read my articles on expired domain names to get a good understanding of what happens when a domain name is not renewed till it is becomes available again and placed back into the domain name pool.

If you like a domain name, you can backorder them with NameJet. If NameJet manage to ‘catch’ the domain name, a private auction starts. If yours is the only backorder, the name is awarded to you instantly. If there is more than one bidder, the auction continues and the name is awarded to the highest bidder.

Others Sources of Domain Names

Trading in domain names is a serious business. The domain that you want may have already been registered and available for sale. You can head over to Sedo or BuyDomains and check out the listing of domain name that are on sale. It might just be there. If it is, you should be prepared to pay for it.


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