Generic domains, which you would think would be fairly obvious to define, have come under the same pitfalls as people confuse the term with long-tail domains, made up phrases, even brand names.

I believe Quality is not as easy to boast about.

When appraising whether or not a domain is high quality, you essentially need to decide if it is desirable and valuable or not. We take in to account whatever metrics and analytics are available at the time of research and make a judgement call. Quality requires an explanation.

How Do You Define A Quality Domain Name?

Please select all the most important factors you use when researching domain names for quality. Yep, you can select as many or as little answers as you like. I’ve purposely left out domain age because it can’t exactly be linked to quality.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Thank you for your participation! Please check back soon or subscribe to the DotSauce Newsletter to be updated when the results are in.

Previous Poll: Niche or Diverse?

The previous poll on DotSauce Magazine asked readers if their domain portfolio contained domains from one or many different categories. 70% of respondents said they do have domains from many different categories, 22% own domains from a few related categories and 8% are devoted to one niche category.

View the poll results and read about the benefits and challenges of niche targeting here.

[Header Image: Shira Golding, we're quality, via Flickr]

Poll: How Do You Define A Quality Domain Name? DotSauce Magazine

Latest poll question, "Does your domain portfolio contain names from a specific category or a variety of categories?"

This week I’d like to ask an open-ended question. As there is no definitive answer, feel free to respond with your thoughts in the comments below the post.

Do you focus on domain names and website development projects that you are passion about or those with the highest profit margins?

I have noticed an over-reliance on domain analytics, automated appraisals, average CPC and other domaining metrics. While this data is interesting and helpful in many ways, it should not be viewed as your primary method for investing in domain names.

Keyword quality and the potential reach of a domain should be the main deciding factors for any registration or aftermarket domain purchase. If a great domain or brand has promising stats, the data can be used to enhance your domain sales marketing.

I believe that passion is more important than potential profits. It’s why I primarily focus on technology, internet and business related domain names as this is what interests me most. It’s also why 99.9% of my portfolio is composed of all .com domain names; I am passionate and confident about the success of the .COM TLD.

In the past, with domain parking still in its infancy, you could simply define a single keyword phrase for each domain. It was plausible to acquire decent domains en-mass and collect nickels and dimes all day.

Today, we know that content is becoming increasingly important for any web presence to be successful. This presents somewhat of a problem for those with diverse portfolios. Do you really want to write and devote your time and marketing efforts to products, services and ideas that you are not personally interested in? I’m guessing not.

Passion Leads to Profits

When we are passionate about a subject we can better manage and grow a web presence. Developing a website for something you are passionate about will be fun and rewarding. It doesn’t seem like work to write, share and learn about something you are interested in.

Because of these key benefits, projects you are passionate about will become more valuable and marketable than projects put together with the sole intention of making money.

There are ways to find a happy medium. I think a wise option is to not think about monetization until a website is well established. When you have a captive audience of fans and followers you should have no concerns about getting advertisers, selling products or otherwise profiting from your hard work.

Passion or Profits? DotSauce Magazine

[Image: John Carleton, For The Win, via Flickr Creative Commons]

You should be a happy camper if you have a lot of technology or business related domain names. These are niches that I target when doing expired domain research, though I wouldn’t pass up gems from other niches that have good end-user potential.

Poll Question

In this poll question I’m asking you to share what your portfolio is comprised of. It should prove interesting to have a perspective look at how the industry is investing in domains.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Thank you for your participation!

Be sure to subscribe to DotSauce so I can let you know when the results are in.

Benefits of Niche Targeting

There are several benefits of targeting a niche over choosing a variety of categories. It’s nice to know ahead of time what you’re getting in to. Targeting niches helps you specialize and grow more knowledgeable about related sales, popular keywords and trends.

Niche targeting saves you from having to dig through the proverbial haystack and can make for more productive research sessions.

While on the hunt for domain names to add to your portfolio, consider your online marketing reach. Ask yourself, “What type of audience can I reach with my present network and web presence?“ It can boost business to target a particular niche that you know your network is already interested in.

To get started, create a list of keywords to target on drop lists and aftermarket listings. Update your keywords regularly. Get additional keyword suggestions with SEO tools and the AdWords Keyword tool.

Niche Challenges

If you are too specific, and I’ve seen this often, some investors will end up with all their eggs in one basket. Categories like 3D or Green domains run the risk of any one industry going southward or being replaced.

It’s nice to be able to offer something for everybody. Consumers like to have choices. If you are targeting a niche, you may want to consider branching out to related industries. It could be as easy as asking your current customers what other topics and industries they have interest in.

Do you have any further suggestions for niche targeting? Please leave a comment; I would love to hear your ideas and how it is working well for you, of course without revealing too much about your prized niche!

Poll: Is Your Domain Portfolio Niche or Diverse? DotSauce Magazine

I recently discovered that NewTLDs.tv maintains an interesting list of new gTLD proposals. This database represents 135 applicants who have expressed interest in managing new top-level domains. However, there are some organizations that have competing interests in the same gTLDs, such as .NYC, .Shop and .Web.

A wide selection of major cities have submitted proposals including .Paris, .Berlin, .Dubai, .London and others. I would like to see more support around new gTLDs for cities and states in America. Several countries, continents and even .Earth are also represented.

Specialized gTLDs have made a strong showing, representing many industries such as .Game, .Bike, .Music, .Sport, .Money and ideas such as .Peace, .Love, .Eco and .Free.

I have selected what I believe are the top 10 gTLD proposals. To get an idea of how I selected these TLDs you may be interested in reading my article on premium TLDs.

Please take a moment to vote for the top three gTLDs you feel will be the most valuable in terms of domain resale for top keywords.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Thank you for your response. Check in again soon to view the results. If you would like, you can leave a comment below explaining your vote or why you think a different gTLD will be more valuable.

POLL: Which New gTLDs Will Be the Most Valuable? DotSauce Magazine

This week I would like to see if any significant number of domainers are taking advantage of social media to market their domain names for sale.

Please take a second to participate in the poll:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Domain Sales on Facebook

Last year, I setup the Domain Name Marketplace group on Facebook (shown below). It has since grown to over 650 members with sales being posted almost daily. Admittedly, I have not taken advantage of my own resource enough to say that I have sold any domains via Facebook.

I think there is potential in this space and will be picking up my efforts soon. I would be interested to hear from others who have had success with promotions on Facebook pages, groups or your own profile.

Domain Sales on LinkedIn

In my limited experience with LinkedIn I have made many connections to professionals in the domain and web development industries. I have also joined several groups focused on Domaining.

A handful of LinkedIn domain name groups are relatively active and have discussion forums where you can list domains for sale. The one time I did make a listing I had someone contact me a few weeks later interested in buying a name. So, as with Facebook, I think LinkedIn can be a good opportunity to market domains for sale.

Domain Sales on Twitter

I’ve had surprising results advertising domain names for sale on Twitter @DotSauce and @AQDN.  Occasionally I will tweet a single domain name, my asking price and link to more info/purchase. In several cases the domains have sold in just minutes!

You can advertise your domain names for sale freely on Twitter by becoming a verified seller on @DNMarket (shown above).

There are several factors that may determine success in marketing on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn; the most notable being your following, friends and connections. You also have to consider the frequency, timing, wording and performance of your sales promotions.

I’m looking forward to the results of this poll. Regardless if the number of responses is large or small, it will likely encourage me to write about some advanced social marketing techniques in upcoming articles.

Poll: Have You Sold Domain Names via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn? DotSauce Magazine

This poll was created to get a brief glimpse of the market and see what volume of domains DotSauce readers are investing in this year.

Please select an option below and click “Vote!”

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Get A Move On…

Hopefully the domain buying activity shown in this poll will motivate myself and others to start up a regular domain research schedule.

Personally, domain purchases tend to come in waves. When inventory is low and or whenever I get paid I will invest in a new round of quality domains usually for resale or long-term holding, but surely not as often as I would like.

My AQDN.com domain marketplace is overly due for new inventory, so I am presently working on adding new listings.

Thank you for participating! Check back later to view the results.

Poll: How Many Domain Names Are You Buying This Year? DotSauce Magazine

I thought this would be a nice question to see what you might be interested in learning more about. There are numerous resources and tools available that make domaining more accessible to those just getting started and experienced domainers alike.

Note: My apologies for the duplicate publication. DotSauce Mag was transferred to a new server and this latest article was lost in the process.

If you previously responded to this poll your vote was lost, sorry!

I am almost positive that “Selling domains to end-users” is the obvious answer to this poll question. End user sales is the most profitable and difficult task a domainer faces. So, I have excluded that response to get a more realistic view of interests. Here are your options…

Building a Domain Portfolio Website

In a previous poll on DotSauce, I found that 37% of respondents had created a custom domain portfolio website. With open source software like WordPress, it’s fairly simple for the average person to create a nice looking web presence.

It pays to learn some of the more advanced features and find the right plugins that complement your site.

Marketing Domains for Sale

I’ve written about selling domain names a few times. It’s always a popular subject as one might guess! Have you embraced new tools, avenues and resources for selling domains in 2010?

Creating an Email Newsletter

Some of the biggest brokers in the world rely on their email newsletters to bring in the sales. Have you considered creating one? There are lots of options in this space, some paid, some free. There’s also the question of just how to get people to subscribe and buy.

Valuating / Appraising Domains

This is a definite skill that can’t be learned over night, but with each sale and purchase you make or hear about experience is gained. Learning from industry experts and keeping a close eye on the aftermarket is a good place to start.

Automated appraisals are a popular topic right now, but are they really useful for valuating a domain for sale?

Researching Domains to Purchase

There are many great tools and techniques for researching expiring domains and domains on other marketplaces and drop houses. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming.

Negotiating Domain Sales

This can be a difficult task as each domain sale is unique. Many have shared sales letters, email correspondence, tips and tricks on asking prices, making offers and bartering. What really works?

Please select an option below and click “Vote!” Thank you!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Subscribe to DotSauce to be updated on future articles and resources related to the topics you’ve just read about. And be sure to come back soon to view the results of this poll!

Poll: What is the most difficult challenge you face as a domainer? DotSauce Magazine

I know of several domainers who have live portfolios accompanying their blogs and services, and still others who prefer to do things privately through email and newsletters.  Both of those methods can be a powerful and personal way of selling domains.

Some, like myself, like to do a little bit of everything by listing domain names in popular aftermarkets like Sedo or Afternic in addition to posting sales on domain forums, email newsletters, domain marketplaces, and even Twitter.

So what about you? Please respond in our poll…

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

I have found my best sales results come from direct sales to people visiting my domain portfolio pages. You can place your portfolio website address in email and forum signatures to spread the word to your associates, friends and social networking contacts.

Having your own portfolio website can open up new avenues for building contacts and reaching potential end users.

My personal domain portfolio has evolved over the years.  Initially it was placed as a simple page addition on my personal blog which proved hard to update, then I customized various portfolio scripts to my liking, but finally opted to build a custom site using WordPress.

Some of my domain portfolio is now found at AQDN.com – Affordable Quality Domain Names. I have not had a chance to update in awhile (I have been buying names more than reselling lately). However, be on the lookout for some fresh names and new features at my portfolio soon.  You can also follow @AQDN on Twitter.

I would suggest you keep things simple by using an open source software like WordPress.  While it is primarily a blogging CMS, there are features built in for keywords, categories, posts and pages that are perfect for building out a domain portfolio.

Do solid domain research and a little marketing know how to get your portfolio website off on the right foot.

If you have any questions, would like any tips or suggestions on where to get started building your own domain portfolio website, please leave a comment below.  I may do a guide on building a custom WordPress site if there is any interest.

Poll: Do You Have a Domain Portfolio Website? How One Can Help You Build Business & Customers DotSauce Magazine

This poll includes 12 popular online industries that are in some way directly or indirectly related to domaining, so I expect alot of you will show some interest in at least a few of these.

You may select as many industries as you like, but please try to select only those which you are actively interested in.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Thanks for taking the time to answer. If I missed something please let me know in the comment area below.

Check back later for the results!

Poll: What Online Industries Are You Active In? DotSauce Magazine

Well I’ve updated my fancy WP-Polls plugin and will now begin sharing more domain and development related questions for you to answer anonymously.

Some people may sell tons of domains at low prices while others sell a select few valuable domains, potentially to end users.

This latest poll has to do with domain sales revenue. I would like to get an idea of the readership and see what types of sales they are making.  This can help me write targeted articles as techniques can be different for certain sales.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Thanks for taking a moment to answer.  Drop back by later to see the results.

Feel free to discuss your answer or the results in the comments below.

Poll: What is Your Average Domain Sales Price? DotSauce Magazine

Now let’s get some details! This is a multiple-choice poll and also has an option to add your own answer. So take a minute to think about your domaining plans for 2009 and check off all the answers that you think you will be doing this year.

Thanks for participating! Look forward to seeing the results and please leave a comment if you want to share details about your plans for 2009!

Poll: What Are Your Domaining Plans for 2009? DotSauce Magazine

I recently viewed the results of a poll on ProBlogger in which only half of respondents stated that they make money by means other than blogging.  Kind of a depressing result, however his readers are, of course, thousands of bloggers. Here we are domainers and developers!

I am sure there are many different ways we all go about earning our income in this industry.  I have put together a poll featuring all the ways I could think of that domainers earn money online.

Check all the boxes that state ways you make money online or please fill in your own answer if I missed something.

The results should be interesting after a good amount of response. Hopefully the results can inspire us to branch out and discover new ways of earning money with domains and web development.

What are your thoughts on making money today in the domain and development industry? Please leave a comment below.

Poll: How Do You Make Money Online? DotSauce Magazine

After reading the press release it sounds like they are expecting the .ME Landrush to go similarly to the original .TV domain launch. Auctioning the premium domain names is fine and dandy but hopefully they optimize the auction platform and handle the recurring registration fees well.

.ME domains, with their universal appeal, are expected to be in high demand. So some “premium” names – including verb-oriented domains, such as “Contact.ME,” “Drive.ME” or “Fly.ME,” – will be held back for auction after Open Registration.

Click Here to Pre-Order Your .ME Domain!

Official “.ME” Rollout Schedule

Finally we have some concrete time frames for the public launch of the .ME domain names!

May 6 to May 20: General Sunrise Period. During this time, anyone with a trademark is eligible to apply for a .ME domain.

May 20 to June 6: Quiet Period. The registry will be closed to registrars. Sunrise auctions will begin for names that received multiple applications. .ME domain names that receive only one application will be awarded.

June 6 to June 26: Landrush. This is the first opportunity for the public at large to apply. Anyone who doesn’t have a trademark, but is interested in a specific .ME domain, can apply during this period. This is also when Sunrise challenges begin.

June 26 to July 15: Quiet Period. During this time, the registry is closed to registrars. Names for which there was only one application during the Landrush Period are allocated. Landrush auctions will begin for names that received multiple applications.

July 17: Open Registration. Domain names are registered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Poll Question: Your Feedback on .ME Domains

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Why .ME May be Successful

Here are some ideas that I pointed out in my previous announcement that GoDaddy will be managing .ME with Affilias.

• Will not be restricted, anyone in the world can claim one.
• GoDaddy will use its marketing muscle to globally promote it.
• Many languages contain the word “me” with various catchy meanings.
• Huge branding potential for English speaking countries.
• All registrars will be invited to resell the .ME extension.

Thanks for your feedback and please leave a comment below with your thoughts on the .ME domain extension.

“.ME” Domain Name Sunrise and Landrush Dates Announced! DotSauce Magazine

What does the future hold for domain parking?

I have listened to highly respected domainers offer their opinions and no one person really agrees. We can’t predict what the future holds, especially when life-blood companies like Google are making decisions which can impact parking and government officials are trying to pass legislation like the Snowe “Anti-Phishing” Bill which threatens our privacy and legitimate domain ownership.

Tim Shumacher, CEO of Sedo.com says…
“…over time parking will continue to trend upwards as parking results become more sophisticated, transparent and measurable. Parking may evolve and have a different name in the future, but it will be the same concept as it is a very legitimate and lucrative use of a domain name.”

David Castello of CCIN says…
“Domain name development will continue to be the most important trend for domainers. In the past, parking was considered the end game for most domain names. Now, it is being seen as a temporary first step to monetizing a name before it is developed.”

Make your prediction in this week’s poll…

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Thanks for your response and please feel free to provide additional insight through the comments area below.

Poll: Domain Parking Revenue Predictions DotSauce Magazine