In the Middle Ages people debated the question, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” Very little has changed. Here in the Twenty-first Century we consider such imponderables as “Does Google penalize websites with more than one hyphen in their domain names?” Now, as then, the answer is unknowable for the engineers at Google are as impenetrable as the mind of God. About all we really know about hyphens is that you can use them, but not at the beginning or end of the domain name.

Some citizens of the web claim that the search engines will penalize any hyphenated domain names. Some say that animus only applies to names with two or more hyphens. It isn’t clear from the literature what it is about multiple hyphens that annoy these engines, but some think it’s the appearance of multiple keywords and the presumed intent of the owner to game the system.

Others swear by hyphens. They say multiple hyphens make it easier for people to read and remember your domain when your name is quite long. Take, for example, a name like howtoreadapoem.info. Isn’t it a lot easier for the human eye to scan how-to-read-a-poem.info? They have a point: in an Internet culture that opens and discards sites in two seconds or less, how many people are going to labor over the pronunciation of your domain name? They also claim the spider bots prefer hyphens because it makes it easier to parse the keywords (I find it difficult to believe anything slows them down).

I feel strongly about both sides of the issue. On the one hand I have created hyphenated domain names with the intent of getting extra mileage out of the separated keywords-an obvious attempt to sucker the bots. On the other hand, in the increasingly crowded world of extension.Com, hyphens are the only way late-comers to the domain name game can get the words and phrases they need for their businesses, organizations or whatever. Surely God-Oops, I mean You-Know-Who-would be aware and understanding of that. There, aren’t you glad we’ve finally put this heavy question to rest?

What is a domain name? A domain name is a unique name, kind of like an e-mail address is unique, which is registered in a database called WHOIS through an organization called Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI). The domain name corresponds to a unique set of numbers called an IP (Internet Protocol) address. The reason we use domain names instead of IP addresses is that they are closer to our language. It would be difficult to market a site like this: “Go to 64.233.167.99 or 216.109.112.135 to search the internet!” A much easier way to do this is to say “Go to http://www.Google.com or http://www.yahoo.com to search the internet!” (Both Google and Yahoo are trade marked by Google, Inc., and Yahoo, Inc., respectively).

A domain name points to a computer called a “name server”. The name server knows that your domain name corresponds to your web hosting server’s IP address and it routes the person who typed in your domain name to your web hosting server – to your web site. That is how people anywhere in the world can see your web site by typing your domain name.

In 1992, the National Science Foundation granted an exclusive contract to NSI to be the sole registrar of top level domain names. NSI also had a cooperative agreement with United States Department of Commerce (“DoC”). With no competition, consumers were at the mercy of NSI.

In 1998, NSI and the DoC amended their cooperative agreement to allow for competing registrars. NSI was forced to provide domain name registration to the competing registrars at wholesale prices, rather than the standard $34.99 annual fee. NSI still charges $34.99 per year.

In late 1998, the DoC assigned the responsibility of overseeing the transition to a competitive market for domain names and accreditation of new registrars to a new organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

In 1999, ICANN began taking applications from companies who wanted to become registrars – and then capitalism took over: companies had to compete for business. Prices came down and service improved, however some are better than others. For a more detailed history of this transition, visit http://www.icann.org/registrars/accreditation-history.htm.

Even with the positive effects of competition in the domain name marketplace, the process of internet domain name registration remains a mystery for many.

There are a lot of companies that want to charge you hundreds of dollars to do the simple task of domain name registration for you. There are some registration companies who will charge you $35 just to register a domain. And there are web site consultants who charge over $100 to do the work for you. But you can do it yourself in about 15 minutes and it can cost as little as $1.99 for a year. If you do some research, learn a little and work smart, you can save yourself some money – and some headaches.

Most of the things in this world are not free. But there are a handful of things that can be, they are just not easy to find. And while having or getting something without shelling out any money can be good, it may come with a price, though not monetarily.

Nowadays, many people are engaging the help of the World Wide Web to tell other people what they want to say. They use the internet to sell their products, spread the word in just about anything or simply to show the world who they really are. No wonder many of the internet users are having the same name for different things. This makes it vital for people to create a unique domain name.

Many websites entail users to pay for a minimum amount for them to have their very own domain name. Yet there are a handful of websites that offer absolutely free domain names. Nevertheless, they all require a registration process. A prospective domain name-owner needs to read the fine print though because if the domain name is for free there can be some setbacks that it accompany.

Some of these are the following. It may contain advertisements that the owner have no control of. This is to ensure that the domain name can survive on its own. It will also have limited features and any added ones may prompt the user to shell out some cash. Lastly, the user can only have limited access to its domain name, again he or she needs to pay now to upgrade the domain name to make use of more features and applications.

Domain parking is not a new concept by any length of the imagination. If you have an unused domain name, you park it with a given domain parking site, and they auto create a site full of ad’s which in theory generate revenue. The rules have changed recently, and many domain parking sites are being heavily penalized by Google and other leading search engines.

Why Traditional Domain Parking No Longer Works

A few years ago it was quite profitable to park a domain name and generate revenue through a bunch of ad’s which served as a placeholder until your website was ready to be launched. Google specifically has deemed such sites as essentially ‘link farms’ lacking in relevance and useful content which ultimately detracts from user experience.

I personally have had a few domain names blacklisted as I was unaware of these developments. Trust me, you do not want to get your quality domain name blacklisted before you have even launched your site! Learn from my mistakes.

The Solution

There are various paid domain parking services such as WhyPark which allow user’s to automatically generate fresh content rich websites optimised for the search engines. The key is the balance between the relevant content and the Google AdSense ads which drive the revenue. This is a fantastic solution to anyone who is considering developing article sites, as all efforts can be focused on the promotion of the website rather than its creation. If you are seeking a domain parking solution always ensure the content is fresh and rotated daily. In this manner your domain name will have the best chance to increase in PR and value over time, and for you to ultimately drive the maximum amount of profit from domain parking.

For transfer of domain, you should apply to the gaining registrar, as it is responsible for the operation. It is the duty of the gaining registrar to ensure that the application for transfer by the domain owner is a valid one. The validation usually is in the form of an email sent to the admin contact that requires a reply. In some cases, however, signed faxes are used. Losing registrars these days may resort to ‘double-checking.’ In this case, they will perform additional security checks if you seek transfer from them. The losing registrars may ask you to reply to an email, or dispatch a notarized letter. After completion of the transfer, a year is always added to the end of the registration period.

If you have your names registered with a number of registrars, it will be better if you transfer them to one single registrar to make the domain management process much simpler. You should go for transfer as soon as you decide to do so. Or else, if the transfer application is not processed by the losing registrar on the domain’s expiry date, they can put your name “on hold” for non-payment resulting in more holes in your pocket. Usually, it takes ten working days (in some cases, not more than a couple of days) for most transfers to take place. Even then, you should ideally expect a month’s time to complete a transfer.

In case a transfer fails, most registrars will fully refund your money. However, others may charge some “administration fee” for failed transfers. Many losing registrars will insist on confirmation before authorizing transfers. This trend is growing these days, more so from the expensive registrars that are losing out. In a desperate bid to keep their market share in tact, they are taking recourse to every possible step to make moving away from their system as tough as possible.

Part of creating an effective website is domain name registration. Registering a domain name is easy and doesn’t need to be expensive. There are a few ways and many places on the web where you can register a domain name.

Before you register a name, you want to find something that will give you brand recognition and be valuable for your site. Pick something memorable, something that can be spelled easily, and something that really identifies what your business is.

For example, I’d personally love SanDiegoFlorist.com – it says what it is, is probably a term many people search for, and tells the audience exactly what the site entails.

What are some names that you think would be valuable for your business?

Write them down.

Then go to one of the popular, reputable website domain name registration sites (such as NameCheap or GoDaddy) and check if they are available. If they are, consider yourself very lucky. All you have to do is to follow the instructions and register them.

If you don’t find them available, don’t worry yet. All you know so far is that somebody has already registered them before. But it doesn’t mean they want to use them. They might be obtainable after all. Find sites where domain names are sold. Remember your domain name is a valuable asset. If you decide it will bring you nice income (ex. many people enter it into Google and other search engines), don’t hesitate to spend some cash to obtain it, because you’ll get a good return on your investment.

This is a guide that will hopefully help you to understand what parking is and how this method is very productive when it comes to making money online.

The principles of domain name parking are very easy to understand, I will give talk you through the benefits and the process of doing this.

What you need first of all is a site name or domain names, now you can either register a brand new name or purchase a URL that is for sale. The benefits of buying a one that has already been in use is that it will more than likely have traffic still which is what is needed when using your domain names to park them.

There are numerous sites and forums that sell these and you can pick them up pretty cheaply, Of course this all depends on the amount of traffic and the keywords in the domain name, Just think if all the traffic a domain name gets is related to say loans or finance, this would be considered gold dust as finance related traffic is very sought after.

Ok great so you have your domain name and are ready to park it. First you will need to find a domain parking company. I use these guys here for my domain parking, them main reason being is that they allow you to customise your landing page and pay very well per click on the adverts shown on your landing page, We will discuss that later.

Once you have found a company to use and have created a account with them, you will then need to add your domain names to your parking account, Pretty straight forward so far, The next stage is about as complicated as it gets when you go out to park your domain names and this stage is where you have to change the DNS (Domain name servers) to that of the parking companies. Sound complicated but its not, and the reason you have to change the DNS is because you will be hosting your domain name on their servers, which means no outlay or messing about with hosting for yourself.

To change your name servers it is a case of going to the place where you initially registered the domain name and in your control panel you should find a part that says set name servers, here you will put in the name servers of the parking site you are using. If you are having problems doing this a quick support ticket to your domain registrar will do the trick and they will help you and even to the parking company’s support system and if they are any good they will also advise you where they can. Its does take up to 48 hours for the DNS to resolve completely so don’t be alarmed if you don’t see your landing page instantly.

So your domain name is parked and ready to be seen and generate you money which is the end result of this business, so here we go.

First things first, you will need to create or design a landing page for your names. Sounds daunting if you have not done this before, but with all the tools available with domain parking companies these days it is very easy. That is why this method is excellent and saves you time designing and creating and is done with no knowledge at all.

A few pointers when creating your landing page, personally I would fill it up with content related to your domain names traffic and also pick keywords related to your domains traffic also, this will increase your click through rate on the adverts shown by a huge amount, sometime up to 80% in some cases.

Now your landing page is created and the keyword ads are showing its time to sit back and watch your earnings come in, as you will find there is hardly any initial out lay to get started and once you have experienced domain parking not many stop. Try it out it is good fun and can be great as a main income

The benefits of having keyword rich domain names can be the difference of receiving instant traffic to your website and not receiving traffic. It’s common knowledge that having the exact match domain name containing all your keywords can give a serious boost to your rankings.

The first task of your SEO campaigns should be to find keyword rich domain names. Serious marketers take this approach when choosing an efficient path to go down. The importance of this particular task is regarded quite high after choosing your niche. It’s not usually the case of choosing obvious domain names but rather longer tailed keyword phrases as they have a higher chance of being available to register.

Quality domain names, especially.com ones are likely taken but if you use the right methods you can find good ones that can bring good results. You can even use special software that can help you find good domain names. There are plenty of techniques although many good domainers often keep these to themselves.

Of course, registering a domain name is just the start. Writing good quality content is also a vital part of building a good website although the results of that can be amplified by finding an exact match domain for a decent keyword phrase that gets traffic.

With an exact match domain you can also achieve a higher CTR (click through rate) as people can see the name within the domain when searching for content using the search engines. So if you are wanting to succeed with internet marketing and obtain thousands of people to your website then add weight to your SEO by buying keyword rich domain names to seriously increase your ranking.

Remember, take the right approach and target keywords that are both efficient to your campaigns and more importantly content. Not all of them will be obvious so it might be wise to find some good software to really make the difference and allow you to reap the benefits.

Transferring domain names was like a foreign language to me up until recently when I sold one of my businesses. Then I had to take a fast track in learning how to transfer a domain name quickly!

And I’m assuming I’m not the only one out there that wouldn’t be sure on how to transfer a domain name. So if you are thinking of selling off some of your domain names but weren’t sure on how to do a domain name transfer, you may find this article helpful.

My experience with domain name transfers was with godaddy, so I’ll step you through the process I took to transfer my domain name to someone else using godaddy.

Make sure you have all their details, eg. Full Name, Address, and email account, phone number…

Then you just need to follow these 5 easy steps!

First Step. Log into your godaddy account

Second Step. Go to “Domain Names” and click on “My Domain Names“

Third Step. Click on the domain name you want to transfer

Fourth Step. In “Manage Domain Names” click on “Change Accounts”

Fifth Step. Scroll down and fill in the “New Registrant Name”

That’s it! All you do now is what for the new owner to “confirm” on his or her side.

WHAT, exactly, is a domain name?

The Domain Name System was originally developed to help us navigate through the internet. Every computer connected to the internet has it’s own IP address, a string of numbers that identify it to other computers. Domain names are a way of pointing to a specific IP address to make things easier to remember – so now you shop at Amazon.com, instead of at 207.171.166.102!

The domain name is made of two parts, the name and the extension.The name is whatever you choose, it can be your personal name, your business name, a term or a saying. When choosing a domain, be careful to select something that is easy to remember and is representative of you or your business. There are numerous resources to help in choosing a great name, search Google.com for the term “choosing a domain name”.

The extension is the part that comes after the name, the most familiar extension is ‘.com’. There are many extensions, some available only to educational institutions (.edu) or to citizens of specific countries. The most common domain extensions registered now are .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz. It is often recommended that when you choose a domain name, you register as many of the popular extensions as you can, to protect your brand.

WHY would I want a domain name?

The main reason that people register domain names is because they are building a website, but there are other reasons, too. The registration of domain names has become relatively inexpensive, and the variety of uses for them has expanded. Some people register domain names for email only, so they can have a personalized email address. John Doe can now get email at john@johndoe.com, for example. Websites themselves have evolved in such a way that anyone can set up and maintain their own personal spot on the web – it isn’t just for businesses anymore. Blogging and forums (bulletin boards) have become very popular ways for people to communicate with friends and family, post pictures, and share other information; and having your own domain name makes finding your blog easy. Web hosting companies offer personal accounts that allow you to have email, create a blog, and even build your own personal website at very low prices.

Even if you don’t plan on having a website now, registering your domain name is a good idea – you never know what you may wish to do in the future, from starting a home business to wanting to post pictures of your grandchildren. As more domains are registered, it becomes more challenging to find the exact name you want. You can register a domain for from one to ten years, and registering now ensures it will be there for you when you’re ready!

WHO should I buy my domain name from?

Domain name registrars are plentiful on the internet, but make sure you register with an ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) Accredited Registrar, and register in your own name and email address. There are people who may act on your behalf to register a name for you (such as a webmaster), but be sure they register it in your name, not theirs. Even if you want to distance yourself from the everyday operations of your website and domain, you will still want to be the real owner of that name. Domain registration is very easy on the internet, using the registrar’s website interface to choose your name and place your order, even the least techno-savvy can get through it. Don’t be afraid!

Domain registrars offer a tool to check to see if the name you want is available, or if it is already owned by someone else. If a domain is available, you will be asked to purchase or register it. You may see the option to transfer a domain listed instead. If you register a domain name with one registrar, and later decide you’d like to move, or transfer, that domain to another registrar to receive different services, you have that option. But you must actually own that domain name in order to be able to transfer it. Many people have made the mistake of thinking that if they choose transfer, the domain will be taken away from it’s current owner and given to them – this is simply not possible, nor would you want it to happen to your own domain!

So then, Who owns the domain name I want? And how can I get it? are becoming questions that are heard more often. There is a tool called a WHOIS Lookup that can tell you who currently owns a domain name, and WHOIS tools can be found on the web – search for them on Google.com, and you’ll see. Buying a domain that is currently owned by someone else is no longer out of the question, either. Many domain owners are willing to sell their domains, and often list the domains for sale with various domain sale and auction services. There are also services that will accept a backorder for a domain. These services allow you to list your desired domain with them, and if that domain expires and becomes available, the service will try to register it for you. These systems work like a lottery – or more precisely, like a concert ticket system. When the tickets go on sale, everyone is trying to get the front row center seat, but only one can get it. Drop or backorder services do the same thing, all competing for the same domain name. If you choose to try for an expiring domain, research several of these services and register with as many as you can. Remember there is sometimes a fee above and beyond the registration price when you use one of these services.

HOW to keep your domain name in good health (or the care and feeding of a domain name).

First and foremost, now that you’ve got your domain name, be sure not to lose it! The most common way for people to lose a domain name is by not renewing it before it expires. When you register the domain name, you will be asked to provide an administrative email contact. All future correspondence relating to your domain name will be sent to that address, including expiration notices. If you change email addresses and do not update your address with your domain registrar, notices will never reach you. Likewise, you should always update any change of physical address or phone number with your domain registrar, just in case. Put your registrar on your list of places you would inform if you were to move, and you will avoid this common trap.

Another common way to run into trouble is by falling victim to a competing registrar’s advertising. Sometimes unscrupulous companies will send out email or physical letters informing you that your domain will expire soon, and asking you to renew it by transferring it into their domain system. These letters can be very persuasive, convincing domain owners that they must follow the instructions in the letter or they will lose the domain name. Often these cheaters charge a higher fee than your real registrar, and don’t offer a refund once you’ve paid them for a transfer, even if you don’t use it. The best way to avoid this scam is simply to know who your registrar is, and only respond to requests made by them. Keep a copy of your first registration letter in your files, so you can refer to it later if you have any doubts.

The Domain Name System has truly evolved since its inception, and now having a domain name has become a standard for individuals as well as businesses. Your domain name is your personality, your identity, your calling card in the internet world. Choose it wisely and take care of it, and you’ll spend many happy years together!