Buying Domain Names

When I'm buying domain names I almost always use 1&1.co.uk Let me tell you why, and then I will go into what you should look for when you buy web domain names, in terms of the name itself.

Domain prices are usually around £1.99 for a .co.uk and around £8.99 for a .com although that is just an average. It's what I've paid for most of mine.

I've bought domains through the following companies: 123 reg, Hostgator and 1&1 who I have already mentioned. I find 123 reg and hostgator hard to use, simply because their sites aren't very user friendly, but that's just my opinion!

I find 1&1 professional, very helpful with phone help and online help easily available. Most importantly they are easy to use, plus they automatically renew your domains so you never risk losing them.

I've bought over 100 domains with 1&1 and have had no problems. To find out what domains are available you simply type in a domain name you'd like and within seconds they tell you if it's available. Actually buying it then just requires a few clicks and it's done.

They provide loads of web services too, although I now no longer need those for my sites as I'm building them all with SBI


You can also buy domains in domain auctions. This is only really relevant for you if you are looking for a top quality domain that is already owned by someone else who is now wanting to sell it. It can be well worth the money because, as I explained in the online domain names section the right domain name can help your business hugely.

To buy at an auction you can try the following companies: Great Domains, Afternic, GoDaddy & Sedo.

So, what should you look for when choosing a domain?

I've already mentioned on the page just discussed that having the subject of your site in the domain name is very beneficial. Even better, make sure you get the best KEYWORD or KEYWORD PHRASE that describes your site's subject in the domain. These may be the same as each other in many cases. Look at my keywords section for more information.

Should you have hyphens in the domain? That depends: if you intend using the domain for your own website, then it can be a good idea to use hyphens in domains that consist of several words. This is because it makes it easier for the all-important search engines to read it and therefore rank you. Example: www.party-plan-tips-and-techniques.com A domain like this would be hard to read for visitors and search engines without hyphens!

However if you are buying domain names as an investment, and you want to make money selling it at some point, then look for a domain with no hyphens (or just one) that is short and memorable as this makes it more valuable in most cases.

For instance it's fairly obvious that the domain www.money.com will be worth more than www.how-to-make-lots-of-money-today.com

If you are serious about making money with domains, visit www.dnjournal.com as they list all recent domain sales and give loads of info about domains.

I hope you've found this info about buying domain names useful. On the next page I'll show you how to sell domains for big profits!

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