Transferring a domain name can be as easy as signing up for a forum or as difficult as recreating the Mona Lisa. Here are some ways to make a transfer go smoother and some key points to remember on the domain name transfer process.

Before you go to your registrar’s home page or call any support number, take a step back and make sure you know what you want to do! I can’t stress this enough: if you are confused as to what you want to do, then you will probably confuse the customer service representative and that’s not good! We are going to assume that you want to take a domain name that’s registered with a certain registrar and move the domain name to another registrar. Please take note that the ONLY thing this accomplishes is that the domain name is now “leased” by a different company, that’s it! This has nothing to do with your website, your email, your DNS, or anything like that! The most common mistake is when someone’s webhost tells them to “transfer” the domain name to different servers. What they are talking about is something called DNS and that’s another article on its own. So if you’re still with me and want to change the registrar of record for the domain name, then please continue.

If you have gotten this far then you probably have another registrar in mind where you want to move the domain name to. That’s great! Many people ask which companies I recommend and from personal experience I would say use GoDaddy or Network Solutions. While the price difference is considerable, they both have different things to offer so it comes down to what you want and what you need.

The first thing that needs to be done for a domain name transfer is the transfer needs to be initiated. The only company that can initiate a domain name transfer is the gaining registrar (the company you want to move the domain to). No one else is able to do this, so either call up the new registrar, or go to their website to initiate the transfer. You will most likely need to set up an account if you don’t already have one which only takes a few minutes. Initiating the transfer is quite easy as most registrars have a very simple online process. While each registrar is different, the process is usually as simple as logging into your account, clicking on something that says “transfer domains”, typing in the domain name, and clicking “ok”.

Now the transfer is in motion! Here’s what happens behind the scenes to your domain name – it’s important to understand this so you know what’s going on at all times! The gaining registrar sends an email to the admin contact in the WHOIS database for this domain name. In that email, there is a link the admin needs to click on and actively accept the transfer of the domain name. If the admin contact fails to accept the transfer via this hyperlink, the gaining registrar will acknowledge this as rejecting the transfer. The time limit to accept this transfer request is usually around 7 days.

If the admin contact’s email address in the WHOIS record is not correct, then it needs to be updated before anything else. This process can sometimes take a while depending on the account information the registrar of record has in its database. This is a very good reason for initiating a transfer well before it’s due to expire.

Now, if the admin contact approves the transfer request, then the gaining registrar sends a notification to the registry for the domain TLD. The registry checks the status of the domain and tells the gaining registrar if it’s ok to continue or not. In order for a domain name to transfer, it has to be in an ACTIVE status. If the domain is locked, pending delete, in redemption, inactive – anything other than ACTIVE, it will not transfer. This is important to know because most people transfer a domain name when it’s about to expire or just after it expired. This isn’t good because most registrars will deactivate a domain name shortly after expiration which will automatically block transfer requests. And before you ask, yes, they have every right to do this and they do not have to reactivate your domain name for you until you pay them a renewal fee. So make sure you initiate a transfer early – I recommend at least 14 days in advance, but more if possible. The domain name also needs to be registered with a given registrar for at least 60 days. This means you cannot purchase a domain name and then transfer it to another registrar of record in less than 60 days. You also can’t transfer a domain name, and then transfer it again within 60 days.

If the domain name is in an ACTIVE state and has been registered for more than 60 days, the registry informs the gaining registrar that the transfer process will continue. The registry then informs the losing registrar that a transfer request has been made for the domain name.

This part can be tricky depending how your current registrar handles outbound transfer requests. ICANN states that the gaining registrar is the one who carries the burden of proof of authentication. This basically means the gaining registrar is responsible for contacting the correct person (admin contact) and getting their explicit approval for the domain name transfer. The losing registrar does not have this burden, and therefore is not bound to the same specific rules as the gaining registrar. The losing registrar may contact the admin contact, the registrant, an account contact – whoever they deem fit for a domain transfer approval.

The losing registrar has 5 days to respond to the registry. If the losing registrar does not respond to the registry in 5 days, then the registry automatically assume the transfer was approved by the losing registrar. This means that if the contact who received the losing registrar’s email took no action, deleted their email, or chose to ignore it, the transfer request would be considered approved from the losing registrar.

I’d like to point out the potential danger that can be caused here. There is potential for someone trying to take control or ownership of the domain name by initiating a transfer request. If they can somehow get the transfer request to this step, and the contact on record for the losing registrar does not receive the email or takes no action, the transfer will be automatically approved! For this reason, it is always recommend to be with a registrar who has some kind of “domain locking” or “domain protect” feature.

If the transfer is approved, then the losing registrar notifies the registry. The registry then moves the domain name from the losing registrar to the gaining registrar’s account. The registry then notifies the gaining registrar that the transfer has completed and the gaining registrar notifies the person on the account where the domain transfer was initiated.

Is this complicated? Well it certainly can be. However, it’s best to understand this because you’ll be surprised at how many customer service representatives don’t even know the details of this process. And the worst thing you can do is “take someones word for it” when it comes to your domain names! I hope this helped out a few people and remember: lock your domains, always make sure the contact information in both the WHOIS record and your registrar’s account is up to date!

With the recent explosion in the availability of website domain name extensions (i.e. .com, .net, .ws, and others) it’s never been easier to register a domain name that is highly descriptive of your website’s subject matter.

For example, if you want to create a website about search engine optimization, it would make sense to use a domain name including the phrase “SEO” or “search optimization” or something similar. However, you can bet that many other people have had the same idea, so “seo.com” is no longer available, nor is “seo.net”, .org, .biz, or any other simple domain name with a top level extension.

Additionally, it’s a fact that most people who are searching on the internet are going to give top priority to websites with top level domain names like .com or .net.

This is simply a matter of these being original suffixes, and the average web surfer believes that they have more credibility and authority.

This is especially important if your website is selling or promoting your business or products, as these factors translate into how trustworthy your website may or may not be in the mind of the web surfer.

To put it simply, A top level domain name extension is one of your strongest sales tools.

Many people believe that the search engines will give more weight to your domain when considering your site for search engine rankings. Keep in mind that there should be a clear relationship between your domain name and website theme to increase your chances of ranking well in search engines.

Here are a couple of tips that may help you to bag that all important top level domain name for your site.

First, try a plural version of your key phrase. So, in the example above, you might check out the availability of top level names using “search-engine-optimizers”, rather than “search-engine-optimizer”.

However, when used on its own, this tactic may be a bit too obvious, and more often than not, when the singular version of a phrase is taken, so is the plural.

This second little trick is far more effective and well worth trying if you are looking for a top level name for your site. The trick is – Numbers.

Not numbers at the beginning of the domain name – that’s already been done to death and you only have to look at a list of expired domains to see how many owners of such addresses just allow them to die. Why? Because they don’t work very well with search engines or with real people – and something like “0000seo.com” just looks wierd.

So that’s not likely to be of much benefit to your site. But numbers in the “body” of the domain name itself, especially the numbers 2 and 4, very possibly will be.

Why?

The number 2 is a simple substitute for the word “to” or “two” and 4 can be read as “for” or “four”.

Now combine that with one other little substitution trick. Take the word “You” and substitute the letter “U”, and finding a good top level domain name that still relates very closely to the site subject matter becomes relatively easier.

Let’s take our SEO example to demonstrate how effective a strategy like this can be. Using all three of the highlighted tricks, try searching for “seo4u.com” or “searchoptimizers4u.com”. Still available? If not, how about “seo4us.com” or “searchoptimizers4me.com”?

Even if all of these are now taken, all you need is a bit of imagination to create a “.com” domain name that relates directly to your subject matter. An easy but effective method of grabbing good a top level domains for your websites.

Choosing the right domain name should be an essential part of any business marketing plan. Here’s why: Every day, 60 million Americans use Internet search engines to find information about everything from health topics to new products, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit research center studying the social effects of the Internet on Americans.

Here’s another reason: Consider the real-life story of Gary Pudles, CEO of AnswerNet, an Inc. 500 company. When registering domain names, Pudles wanted to register the URL for his company’s name, www.answernet.com, but he also wanted to attract customers looking for services under a particular topic: telemarketing. The URL www.telemarketing.com, which today accounts for 20 percent to 30 percent of their Internet referrals.

Before you head to the online registrar, know that you could be in for a shake-down if you don’t know the ropes. Here’s a rundown of the most important things you need to know:

1. Use your business name. That is, of course, if it’s available. If your company is Rocky Mountain Candy, your domain should be “rockymountaincandy.com.” That may seem obvious, but it’s a point worth reiterating. Customers will automatically assume your domain is YourBusinessName.com and type it into a Web browser. If they can’t find it that way, it will make it harder for them to find you.

2. Be prepared for a challenge. By this point in the game, many of the best domain names have been snapped up, years ago. Generic names like cars.com, sex.com or art.com were among the first to go, and are now worth millions of dollars. Unless your company has an extremely unique name, you may be in for lengthy brainstorming sessions with your business partners as you consider alternatives. When Gary Pudles was lining up URLs for his company, he was asked to pay $50,000 for his company’s name (www.answernet.com), which had been registered by another party who instantly realized the value of the domain when Pudles first came calling (Pudles ultimately had his marketing manager call as an individual to buy the domain for $5,000).

3. Always use dot.com. Having a .com at the end of your URL is not only expected for companies, it also indicates a degree of professionalism that extensions such as .org, us, .info, etc. don’t carry, according Jerry West, Director of Marketing for WebMarketingNow.

4. Keep it simple. Shorter names are easier to remember than longer ones. They also lend themselves better to radio and televisions advertisements and are less prone to typing errors. You’ll get tired of repeating “MyOverlyComplexDomainName.com.” Also, avoid dashes and other symbols, as well as obscure acronyms. “Consider how your domain name sounds when you have to read it over the phone to a customer. If you have to explain special characters, abbreviations, or spelling, then you’ve got a problem,” West advises.

5. Register alternatives. Just as Gary Pudles expanded his roster of URLs to include others that potential customers might type in, you should consider the same for your business. Doing so will keep customers from stumbling across a competitor’s website. Most registrars forward secondary domains to your main URL for free.

6. Register your trademarks. If your company makes a hair product called “CurlNGo,” buy the domain name CurlNGo.com (as well as CurlAndGo.com, for that matter).

7. Consider keywords. Buy additional domain names containing keywords that reflect your line of products or services and redirect them to your main site. This will improve your search engine rankings and bring you new customers. When doing online research, users tend to type in generic keywords such as “barbeque restaurant Atlanta” or “hair gel.” To find the best keywords for your line of business, try Overture’s inventory or WordTracker tools.

8. Use it. Let everyone know your URL: Incorporate it into mailers, television spots, business cards, and letterhead. The more you use it, the more people will remember it and visit your site.

9. Don’t lose it. This is the most crucial point of all. If you run a successful business and fail to re-register your domain name on time, chances are good that a prospector will snap it up as soon as it expires. If this happens, you may be forced to buy back your domain at a high price from the domain squatter. To avoid this scenario, register your domain for as long as possible — Network Solutions sells 100-year registrations — and choose to have the registrar automatically renew your domain each year by keeping your credit card information on file.

Not everyone is looking for keyword rich, generic domain names. Many Internet startups are looking for a simple, catchy name or phrase to build their online identity around. Brandable, web 2.0 style domain names have gained popularity in recent years mostly due to the explosion of social-networking sites.

A majority of today’s social-networking sites have catchy, nonsensical domain names. On the surface, it may seem an easy task to create long lists of available web 2.0 domains. In truth, finding an available, yet memorable domain name can be a real chore.

Finding the right brandable domain name requires a lot of creativity and also a bit of luck.

I’ve found the following resources to be of great use when brainstorming for brandables.

1. http://www.dotomator.com

Dotomator.com creates unique domains by combining different categories of word lists to make short, brandable domains. I’ve messed around with many different combinations and found many of the domains to be available. The word lists can also be used outside the dotomator platform to help you create your own terms. Additional inspiration for brandable domain names can be found using ther web 2.0 domain generator. The tool creates names one at a time and adds them to a column on the right side. These names can be used as is, if available, or further altered by changing key letters within the names to come up with completely new terms.

2. http://www.makewords.com

Makewords.com is another domain name generator which uses a very sophisticated interface that delivers surprisingly good results. In addition to brandable domains, Makewords.com can create hundreds of keyword rich names using a user supplied word and combining it with a number of keyword theme categories. They’ve also created a new domain search tool at http://www.randomainer.com which looks promising but I haven’t had a chance to give it a full test drive yet.

3. http://www.hackslash.net

This is a straightforward web 2.0 domain name generator that presents the user with 15 terms at a time. There are no user input variables and many of the terms include numerals. The main advantage of this tool is the speed in which it generates the names. Click the “make more” button and you’re instantly presented with 15 more names. Click it long enough and you’ll find plenty of catchy, memorable names. The disadvantage is that you’ll have to copy the terms you like into notepad and check them for availability at another site.

Hopefully these resources come in handy the next time you’re looking for that perfect web 2.0 style brandable domain name.

Earlier this week, Namepros.com member Randomo revealed that he sold exactly 1,700 domains in 2007 mostly through quick turnaround sales (domain flipping). At first glance, 1,700 domain sales would seem to equate to easy profits but a closer look at the numbers reveals that flipping domains is, in fact, hard work.

First off, in order to sell 1,700 domains in a year, one would have to average just under 5 domain sales per day (7 days a week). Flipping 5 domains a day is one thing, getting high sales amounts for all of them is another. Randomo was kind enough to disclose that his average selling price was 3 to 5 times registration cost. This exact amount is open to interpretation but when totaled up, it appears that he was able to generate somewhere between 50k and 70k in revenues through domain flipping. These are my estimates based off the information provided.

To determine profitability we need to factor in the acquisition costs for the 1,700 domains that were sold. Again, the exact figures were not provided but I can safely assume a minimum of 12k if all domains were bought at standard registration fees and perhaps as high as 22k if the average domain acquisition cost was $12.95. Deducting the acquisition costs reveals the domain sales profits to be somewhere between 28k and 58k. This is a very wide range but it should be helpful in determining a worst case and best case earnings scenario.

The last factor we’ll consider when it comes to domain flipping is time. After all, these domains don’t find themselves. Once registered, it also takes time to market and sell them. Receiving payment and transferring domains to a buyer’s account isn’t always the smooth transaction that one would hope for. Randomo estimates that on average, he spends between 3 to 6 hours a day domaining. That comes out to 4.5 hours a day or roughly 1642 hours a year.

Using my guesstimated figures and translating them into an hourly wage, the best case scenario would have Randomo earning approximately $35 dollars an hour for his domain flipping efforts. The worst case scenario would still be pulling in $17 an hour. Either way, I believe the data shows that domain flipping, while profitable, does require work and is not a quick path to easy riches. Having said that, don’t discount the current and future value associated with the list of domain buyers that he has built through his efforts. That’s a valuable asset that’s hard to place a value on.

Many other factors were revealed in the Namepros thread namely, the types of domains sold as well as a list of the locations they were sold at.

Decent available domain names are becoming harder to find these days. Nearly 25 million “.com” names have been registered, and over 23 thousand are purchased every day. It also means that you’re more likely to win the grand prize lottery then find a great domain name.

Owning a domain name that helps to successfully “magnetize” a flood of incoming traffic is like gold to any online business. But the increasing scarcity of domain names that are simple to remember, short and suggestive have turned them into red hot commodities.

Just take a look at some of the recent domain name acquisitions:

business.com sold for $7.5 million
asseenontv.com sold for $5 million
altavista.com sold for $3.3 million
loans.com sold for $3 million
autos.com sold for $2.2 million
wallstreet.com sold for $1.03 million
forsalebyowner.com sold for $835,000
drugs.com sold for $825,000
cinema.com sold for $700,000
art.com sold for $450,000
engineering.org sold for $199,000
fruits.com sold for $160,000
perfect.com sold for $94,000

However, while some of these domain names may have been sold for millions, corporate buyers backed by large bank accounts are not alone in the domain name game. Even entrepreneurs are making a great living in purchasing and selling their own domains.

Not a day goes by, that a domain name sells for as less as $100 or as much as $1 million on public auction sites. For example, eBay.com recently featured actual bids for as little as $500 for “golegs.com” to as much as $20,000 for “arlington.com” — and thousands more drifting anywhere in between.

Some people seem to know where to get these “nuggets of gold.” In fact, a small handful know about an untapped goldmine that lies discreetly tucked away in the dark corners of the vast Internet. And the awareness of this source has helped these “lucky” individuals earn either outrageous fortunes or monstrous levels of traffic for their website.

The goldmine to which I’m referring is the pool of recently expired domain names. While only a few knows it exists, regardless it is expanding with every passing day. There are literally tens of thousands of unclaimed, non-renewed and expired domain names that become available on a daily basis.

An expired domain name is one that was registered previously but was not paid for in time for the renewal date, thus returning it to the listing of available domains. There are many probable reasons for non-renewal (e.g., forgetful owner, no more interest in site, no longer in business, no longer active or didn’t pay for whatever reason).

However, you may be asking, “Sure, but I’m never going to find good domain names before some other person snatches them up.” For a long time, being “lucky” also meant being alert for the numerous domains that become available, and being quick in registering them before anyone else does.

New tools are becoming available, making the process of searching, finding and registering great domain names much easier. In fact, some of them assist you to become aware of the near expiring domains, giving you an advantage over your competitors that permits you to grab names seconds after they’ve been dropped.

Nevertheless, a compelling domain name can help an online business become more visible, credible and accessible. And it will help someone earn a rather large fortune. While in the past, finding one was very prohibitive, with the help of tools that are now at your disposal, you now can be a part of the gold rush, too.

I disagree with the comment made by some web developers that all the good domain names are taken. Search engine optimization, or seo, does not depend heavily on the www name you select. For my clients just starting out the decision choosing small business website names has never been an issue. It is a fact that all the 3 character and 4 character domain names with the key extensions are taken. Furthermore, I agree that a vast number of choice domain names are no longer available; however, the selection of a suitable www domain for your small business is possible if you remain flexible.

The real value in the name you choose from a search perspective is how easy it is to spell and remember. Of the two types of visitors to your site, the human visitors and search engines, the ability of a person to remember your domain name and spell it correctly to pass it on to others outweighs any SEO value. Search engines are robots and don’t care.

Using words like “greatest”, “best”, or other exaggerated terms in your domain name is thought by some to be a disadvantage and penalized by search engines. Search algorithms change often and likewise that theory, and although you may not be penalized for using such words, consider the reaction of your human visitors. They may not stick around if they feel you boast without the content to back it up. For a serious small business commercial enterprise, my advice is avoiding adjectives in the domain name entirely.

In some cases new clients approach me to redesign an existing website, and it surprises me that some of the basics are overlooked. For example, a commercial enterprise in business for profit should not select a dot ORG domain simply because the dot COM was taken. This was the case from a conversation with a client interested in a site makeover. Their ORG version was online for two years with little or no backlinks or serious indexing from search engines. The mindset of getting one particular name should be reconsidered especially if it’s your first online venture.

Here’s a breakdown of the most desirable domain extensions and the usual purpose of each:

COM – Commercial for profit enterprise
INFO – Information only related website
NET – Companies providing internet services
ORG – Non-profit organizations

Certainly there are many more like BIZ, US, WS, and others which are all reasonable choices, but for your commercial small business my recommendation is always acquire a dot COM www domain name. The client mentioned earlier did not realize a dot ORG was intended for a non-commercial enterprise, and they decided the poor website SEO performance was something that justified getting a new dot COM. We easily found an available www domain using their company initials and one key word about their target market which is medical. Despite my advice that they keep the existing site and simply change the theme, they decided to just let it go when it expired.

My commercial site choice was my first and last name, and very unique at that. Using your name is okay, and expected if you’re famous. There is, however, little or no value as far as keywords in my www domain to attract visitors, so is that a mistake for search engine optimization? Certainly not. The fact that I have collected more than 100 screenshots of generic phrases relative to my business that made Google page one is evidence the content, not the domain, is key.

Here’s some advice to help you when choosing a new dot COM small business website domain name.

Start out with a list of about 10 domain names that you would like to have. Next, make a list of market related single word terms about what you do and the customer base you service. If your market is localized, consider geographical terms that relate to where you sell or provide services. Spend 30 minutes brainstorming to come up with the initial names and additional lists of single word terms. You may want another list of significant initials.

Next, search for “WhoIs” in Google to find free online services that keep a database of available domain names, and follow the link in the search results. Each database has a search box which allows you to input the domain name and extension. Begin with your first choice and work down the list and keep track of available names for review later. It may not be easy, so try combinations of the key terms as you continue to search, and keep in mind you want a domain name that is easy to spell and remember. By the time you’re done you should have a half dozen or more available names, so take your time and select the best one, and then register the name immediately.

Tip: The domain name may not be significant for search engine optimization, but the length of your registration can be. My advice is registering domains for 2 years minimum, and 5 to 10 years if that’s in your budget. Search engines consider that the length of your registration reflects your commitment to be online long term, so at today’s prices 5 years is practical and should cost less than $50 USD.

There’s nothing wrong with getting the dot COM domain name you want, and then registering the other major extensions that are available for the same name. If you are highly successful in your online venture, having the other extensions registered in your name prevents others from attempting to take advantage of your reputation by association. In conclusion, the concept that all the good domain names are taken is a myth. You may not get exactly what you want, but practical options are available with a little research and due diligence.