Domain blogs and domain news sites have recently written about a new domain name leasing company, Root Orange. Root Orange are offering a unique way for local companies to utilize premium domain names in their respective local city or region. 

Root Orange’s technology allows local businesses to lease a localized version of a domain name. When someone types in the domain name, the user is delivered to the business who has leased the domain in their own respective home city.

For example, let’s use the domain name “DivorceLawyer.com” and the city of Los Angeles, CA. When someone in Los Angeles visits DivorceLawyer.com, they will be delivered to the website of the Los Angeles law firm who leased the domain name for the Los Angeles area.

Currently, Root Orange are leasing DivorceLawyer.com in Los Angeles for $899/month. To lease DivorceLawyer.com for Phoenix, Arizona would cost $289/month, and only $129/month for Fresno, California. Lease pricing is based in part on the size of the city/region and its corresponding population number.

The advantages are obvious in that a particular attorney can capture all of the traffic for DivorceLawyer.com in his or her city.

Root Orange are currently leasing city spots for the premium domain name, Attorney.com. Attorneys across the country can have this domain name redirect visitors to their legal website if they lease the rights to Attorney.com in their city. Pretty interesting approach to the monetization of a premium domain. And of course, a more affordable means of capturing high-quality traffic without having to invest in a multi-million dollar premium domain.

Internet Domains root orange

Poker.org was just purchased for $1 million by PokerCompany.com (source DNJournal). Sedo is reported to have brokered the deal. Pure poker, casino, and gambling domain names are high interest keywords, and generally have sold for substantial amounts in recent years. Poker.org is the highest ever “publicized” .org domain name sale.

Also of special interest is a post at DomainNameWire regarding Afilias. The entry reports that Afilias has requested approval from ICANN to release 1 and 2 character .info domain names from their reserved list. The Neustar Registry did something similar several months ago with the .BIZ web address resulting in a number of 5-figure sales for 1 character .biz domain names.

Lastly, consider this a public service announcement -> Avoid automated domain name appraisals. Like the ones you find advertised & sold on domain name registration websites. Sadly, I have noticed a new wave of people selling (pushing) automated domain appraisals, quoting them in domain forums, and referencing them in email inquiries.

Quality domain names in particular cannot be properly appraised using the simple metrics that automated appraisals employ. Those who sell automated domain appraisals are looking to cash in on the gullibility of new domain investors and buyers. An experienced domain professional will never make reference to automated domain appraisals as they are uniformly understood to be nothing more than a gimmick or toy.

There may come a day when automated appraisal algorithms are sophisticated enough to tap into real value and produce a defensible price range for premium domain names. At the current time, nothing comes close to doing this. All automated appraisals have enormous margins of error such that they consistently fail tests for validity and reliability.

.ORG Domain Names .biz, .info, gambling, las vegas

I have been writing for some time about the corporate world gaining increased awareness of the .biz (business) web space. The trend appears to be occurring in both the United States and abroad (on a truly global basis).

A number of large corporations are operating parallel websites on both the .com and the .biz web address while some companies are solely establishing their primary website on the .biz domain. This makes sense in that dotBIZ is recognized globally for “Business”. Dotcom has the largest footprint, but is not necessarily representative of “business” on a world wide basis.

Below are examples of both international corporations operating with a .biz presence, and also a few privately held companies doing the same.

	WaveSecurities.biz – Merrill Lynch’s online financial management & investment platform.
	RBSGroup.biz – The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Huge international bank with over 40 million customers worldwide.
	Cisco.biz – Cisco Systems Inc. is a well known international computer networking giant.
	EarthLink.biz – Well known internet access company offering business solutions.
	F-16.biz – Yes, the F16 fighter jet, other F-series aircraft and a range of other hi-tech defense products.
	CorporateSuites.biz – East coast based private company who specialize in corporate office suites.
	CitizensManagementInc.biz – One of the largest service companies in the midwest. Part of the Hanover Insurance Group.
	Pepsico.biz – The Pepsi Bottling Group, the manufacturer of Pepsi-Cola beverages worldwide.
	uk-ipo.biz – The official government body responsible for intellectual property rights in the (UK) United Kingdom.
	Start.biz – The National Business Register which keep data on 10 million businesses, trademarks, and brands in the (UK) United Kingdom.
	Billboard.biz – The Music industry web portal for world famous Billboard magazine.
	BaylorCollegeofMedicine.biz – One of the leading medical schools in the United States.
	DSI.biz – A leading provider of management & consulting services offering business valuation & acquisition, forensic accounting, and corporate restructuring.
	TheNCAA.biz – The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association).
	DollarCar.biz – Dollar Rent A Car Inc. was founded in 1965, has over 640 worldwide locations, is in 53 countries, and has maintained a fleet of over 185,000 vehicles in the USA & Canada.

.BIZ Domain Names .biz, .biz domain, corporate marketing, dotbiz, Neustar

Sedo’s 2009 market study is out and summarizes sales data from all of last year. Sedo reported that their company comprised 64% of the top 100 domain sales for 2009.

The 4th quarter of 2009 was marked by a 5% sales increase. Increases were attributed to a surge in geographical and descriptive domains. These types of domains have long been considered the gold bullion of the domain name industry.

Of particular interest was Sedo’s specific mention of the internet’s official .BIZ (Business) web address in the study. They indicated …

In terms of the best-performing extensions for average sales price, Sedo’s study saw the sharpest rise in .biz domains. This growth can be attributed in part to the growth in sales of one character .biz domains, which first became available through the .biz registrar in September 2009.

Jeremiah Johnston, COO of Sedo, said that he expects to see ongoing demand for premium domains as marketers & businesses leverage domain names to meet their goals.

Among some of the hottest categories of domain sales from 2009 were city domain names and employment domain names. Getting more into the game are marketing and advertising firms who are beginning to realize the power that generic, quality domain names have in attracting consumers.

Sedo’s Johnston is quoted as saying that domain names which match the search terms of a particular business are in demand. An example of this would be a domain like DenverRealEstate.biz which was just sold by my company a day ago. The buyer being a real estate company located in Denver. Get the picture?

To shop for premium domains, visit: PremiumDomains.US or PremiumDomains.biz 
or our Sedo Portfolio.

.BIZ Domain Names .biz, Sedo

Just viewed during the first half of the Superbowl a commercial for a new service called FLO TV Live Mobile Personal Television. The official website displayed to millions of Superbowl fans was FLO.TV.

FLO.TV is an excellent domain name being both short and memorable. Since the service being offered is live mobile television, the selection of the .TV web address is just perfect. The company catch phrase is appropriately titled …

Now TV Goes Where You Go.

FloTV is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated. The FloTV personal handheld television can be purchased at Amazon.com, Best Buy, and Radio Shack among several other known retailers.

There is a pretty extensive channel line up including those dedicated to live sports and lots of breaking news channels. The corporate website for FloTV identifies both Verison Wireless and AT&T as main partners having the ability to deliver FloTV to over 200 million subscribers.

For more about the .TV web address, visit the official .tv website. To peruse our .TV domain names, visit PremiumDomains.US.

.TV Domain Names .tv, .TV Domain Names, dotTV, FLO

Some time ago I noticed a mall complex in my home city of Greensboro, NC and a large road sign for the real estate firm handling the mall’s property management. The firm is Collett & Associates based out of Charlotte, NC. The large road sign showcasing their company read www.Collett.biz.

This trend is being replicated across the country with an increasing number of realtors and real estate companies moving to the .biz (Business) web address.

Some realty companies are still maintaining their initial .com site while also launching their newer .BIZ web address. Often with a slightly shorter or more intuitive .BIZ version of the company name.

Collett & Associates were founded in 1987 and currently manage commercial properties in 12 U.S. States. Not only do they manage, broker, and lease commercial properties, but they are also involved in client commercial property investments and a number of ongoing development projects.

My online research produced an impressive number of real estate companies setting up shop with the .biz web address. Since the extension is business-focused, it is an ideal choice for a wide range of companies both internet-based and of the brick-and-mortar variety.

A sampling of others: PeakProperties.biz, ClarkCommercial.biz, NewResorts.biz, MLS.biz, BellMarcRealty.biz, Avalar.biz.

.BIZ Domain Names .biz, business domain names, real estate

I work in the healthcare industry as my primary profession. Domain names are my hobby. I was standing in the nursing station this week and noticed a company logo on a large box full of supplies. The company was Dart Container Corp. and their web address printed on each side of the cardboard box was www.Dart.biz.

Since I very much like the .biz web address, I checked out the company. They are rather large having offices and distribution centers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Argentina. In the U.S. alone,  Dart have 13 facilities spread across 11 states.

The company used to operate on DartContainer.com, but have since switched to the better domain name, Dart.biz. Dart was established in 1937 with their early roots planted in the town of Mason, Michigan. Dart specialize in food service packaging and have since become the world’s largest manufacturer of foam cups.

The Dart.biz domain name was originally registered in March of 2002. This short, memorable domain name coupled with the internet’s official business extension makes for a great company web destination.

.BIZ – The Internet’s Official Business Web Address!

.BIZ Domain Names .biz, business, business domain names

Domain name auctions occur throughout the year in various online formats, and less frequently in LIVE versions in which domain conference attendees bid against each other with paddles in response to a live auctioneer.

Domain name auctions are both an opportunity and a risk. You must weigh the pros and cons before submitting a domain for auction consideration. Be sure to understand the contract which you will be required to accept as part of the auction submission agreement. Some terms in an auction contract border on unacceptable, and can significantly diminish your rights (and revenue) as a domain owner.

Here are some potential drawbacks to be aware of in submitting your domains for an auction:

1. LIVE + Silent (or extended) auctions often will not provide you the option of specifying whether your domain will be placed in the LIVE part of the auction or the extended (non-live auction). You may only want your domain name to be considered for the LIVE auction. It is OK to ask for this guarantee up front. The auction house may or may not agree to this. The risk is in having your high-quality domain stuck in the “silent auction” where there is much less visibility and publicity. 

Furthermore, the auction house will ask for reserves that are very low in order to effect a sale (to insure their commission) thus placing entrants at risk of losing a valuable domain in a relatively low traffic auction where your good domain can be sniped cheaply in the final minute of a so-called “silent auction”. Once the domain is sniped cheaply (because you set the reserve too low), then you are contractually obligated to sell it. This is not a good result or feeling!

2. Auction contracts used to require 180 day (or 120 day) exclusivity in which any sale of the domain (even through your own outside efforts) resulted in you paying the auction house their commission. This contract length was far too long, abusive, and terribly lopsided in favor of the auction house and against the domain owner. It actually rewarded the auction house for YOUR WORK instead of their own.

Today’s contracts have been pruned down to 60 days which is more reasonable. I know of many premium domain owners (myself included) who simply refused to submit their domains under a 180 day contract. Historically, this resulted in LIVE auctions receiving lots of lower tier domain names which ultimately received no bids in the auction. This hurt the live auction format for several years because premium domain owners would not submit their domains under such terribly abusive contract terms.

Additionally in regard to auction contracts, look for 60 days maximum length, but also for a 6o day contract that expires automatically. In this instance, you are automatically released from the contract at the end of the 60 day term. If the auction house hasn’t facilitated a sale by then, they’re not going to and should be entitled to nothing. And you should be able to pursue all of your other options without any obligation to pay the auction house a commission.

To illustrate just how exploitive some auction houses could be, they would require the 180 day exclusive contract. But if your domain did not sell at their auction, they still wanted you to pay them a commission even if you sold your domain 4 months later to a buyer you found on your own. Terrible! Not only that, but the 180 day contract would auto-renew locking you in for another 180 days ( in a perpetual cycle of obligation to them). The auction house would be doing nothing to effect a sale during this time period. But they wanted to be paid anyway should the domain sell through your other efforts. Unbelievable.

Rick Latona’s contract, which I recently reviewed, is much better offering a 60-day term that expires automatically. And Latona is known for taking more active marketing efforts than about any other auction house. So Rick is setting a new standard for fairness and demonstrating a more balanced approach to brokerage than any other auction house or brokerage that I am aware of.

3. Auction reserves are a hugely important consideration. Auction staff are famous for saying “Lower your reserve because it will generate more bidder excitement”. This is smoke & mirrors, and a somewhat disingenuous statement that when properly interpreted reads “Lower your reserve because we want to insure that we make money off of your domain no matter what, even if it sells cheap”. Be very careful here.

It’s up to you to arrive at a realistic valuation of your domain name. Be sure to carefully choose the reserve price because there is a very high likelihood that the domain will be sold at that minimum price. The auction house only want to churn sales as quickly as possible, and will not necessarily be a reliable estimator of a domain name’s worth. They are strictly advocating for their own commission. Flip the domain, get the commission, move on to the next. That is their primary interest.

In many cases, a dedicated domain broker with a tiered commission arrangement is a much better option for selling a premium domain name. This will result in a much more targeted marketing approach that is superior to the mass auction house format.

On the good side, having your domain in a LIVE auction can lead to a good sale. Be aware that most all domain conference auctions are predominantly domainer-to-domainer sales. So volume pricing and volume commission are the default fall back strategy for most domain conference auctions. I expect this to improve gradually as the concentric circle of domaining continues to widen.

Domain Auctions domain auction, domain name auction