Getting the Domain Name You Want

By Derek Vaughan
Posted Saturday, August 14, 2004

So you tried to register the perfect domain name and it was taken. NO! Really?!?! Of course it’s taken! Unless you can transport yourself back to 1997, you’ll have a tough time getting a single phrase English language domain name. Here are some tips to help you out.

Quit Messing Around with New Domains

You know it, I know it – the good names are already taken. Don’t settle for a hyphenated or number-ridden domain name. What you need to understand is backordering expired domain names.

Every day around 15,000 – 20,000 domain names expire. Some are completely useless. Others have real value. For example, recently ‘shelves.com’ expired. So what resources do you need to understand which domains are expiring?

1. deleteddomains.com – this site has a great search feature which let’s you see expiring and on-hold domain names by keyword. This is a core resource for uncovering the domains that you want which are soon to expire.
2. pool.com – another great site for viewing soon-to-expire domains. Also offers a keyword search and backordering service.
3. snapnames.com – the original backordering service. Once you find a domain that looks attractive to you – go to snapnames and you can ‘backorder’ it for $69 per domain name. That price includes the first year of registration fees if the domain is acquired for you.

Other Tips and Tricks

Remember to be fast – many other people are using the same tools in an attempt to acquire the very best expiring domain names. Therefore, this is a very, very competitive business. Additionally, SnapNames will only permit one backorder prospect per domain name – so you need to act quickly if a name is available for backordering.

Be patient – remember there are 15,000 – 20,000 names expiring every day. Your ideal name may not come along for a month or two – or even longer. Don’t worry – there will always be a fresh set of domains expiring tomorrow and the next day and the next day.

Expand your set of keywords – don’t limit the scope of your search. You can search far and wide but still be choosy about which domains to acquire. So use as many variations of your keywords as possible.

Good luck and happy searching!

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