1. Andrew Allemann of DomainNameWire.com wrote earlier this week about GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest registrar, having topped $750 million in revenue for year 2009. GoDaddy is privately owned although they flirted with an IPO a few years ago. I suspect that remains an option for the company. This revenue level is an impressive achievement as well as an indication of just how robust the internet economy and domain name market have become. Almost recession proof when compared with other industries.

2. In an ICANN related mistake from the past (as I see it), Verisign Inc. were awarded the exclusive contract to administer the .com and .net web addresses. Verisign’s current contract allow them to raise domain name registration prices up to a maximum of 7% per year. Although most all related technologies and costs are coming down in price, Verisign just announced that they will be raising prices again. As you might guess, they have opted for a maximum price increase of 7% raising .com domain registration fees from $6.86 to $7.34. ICANN should have provided for a competitive bidding process instead of awarding one company, Verisign, a literal monopoly.

3. I have continued use of the DevHub website builder to produce a basic site for Corporate.biz. DevHub are furthering their web development tools having recently upgraded their online user interface (adding nicer features) and also rolling out a newly completed payment system.

4. Ron Jackson of DNJournal published earlier this week some info on the purchase of the premium domain name, Barns.com, by North Carolina businessman Jeremiah Johnson (read his bio here). Mr. Johnson already operated a website at WoodBarns.com, but picked up the premium domain Barns.com for $175,000 in a private sale according to DNJournal. This is a smart acquisition that will certainly build brand identity and credibility.

Internet Domains, Site Development GoDaddy, registrar

Let me first say that I am a .com advocate, enthusiast, and supporter of .com domains. Dotcom is an awesome brand unto itself.

Since the first release of non-com alternative domain name extensions (around 2002),  a contingent of .commers began disseminating false information regarding the newer, alternative domain extensions (.biz, .us, .info). I knew that these were deliberate and unsubstantiated misrepresentations.

Having been heavily involved in a variety of both .com and alternative tld’s like .biz, .us, .info, .tv, .net, .tv, and .mobi, I knew that the misrepresentations against non-com domains were false. Ron Jackson of DNJournal.com just posted a link to an extremely revealing study completed by McAfee Software called “Mapping the Mal Web – The World’s Riskiest Domains“.

If we fast forward to the conclusion, it’s that .com ranked as the second riskiest domain worldwide for malware (viruses, phishing, email spam, etc.). McAfee’s study was scientific, and used large samples which ultimately support incontestable, statistically significant results.

This study sheds light on the truth, particularly in regard to the false statements made for years about all of the excellent alternative extensions. For example, .biz has grown steadily in adoption & use for years, and is currently the 10th most registered domain extension in the world (being the global internet portal for “business”). However, .COM purists have proclaimed for years that .biz was a haven for malware and scams. These comments were false, and were made out of fear & concern that .com might be compromised by newer tld’s.

Truth/Fact: The McAfee study concluded that .BIZ had only a 3.6% weighted “Risk ratio” for malware whereas .COM had a 32.2% weighted “Risk ratio”. This totally negates and reverses the claims by .COMMERS that other tld’s are used primarily for destructive or abusive purposes. The weighted “Risk ratio” for .US was only 3.1%, and for .INFO the “Risk ratio” was 15.8% (still much lower than .com).

So again, this is not about putting down .com. But it is about having a conversation based in reality. Dotcom is a great brand and a core foundation of the internet’s functionality. However, .com offers no more safety from malware and other abuses than do .INFO, .US, .BIZ or the other leading alternative tld’s.

The McAfee study is deep and very interesting. I recommend that domainers and other industry professionals read this important study and further their understanding of tld strengths and weaknesses. We need honest & accurate information about all tld’s in the domain name industry & marketplace. What we don’t need are cybersquatters, lies and false impressions presented as facts. That’s a disservice to everyone.

Internet Domains malware, tld

For the weekend 11/26/09 through Sunday 11/29/09, PremiumDomains.US will be offering 20% off of domain names priced $499 or less, and 30% off of domain names priced from $500 to $999.

Domain name categories cover -> real estate, business, medical, legal, geodomains, hotels, and keywords. Please use the domain sales page “Contact us”  link to indicate your desire to purchase a particular domain (shown below)

Extensions covered are mostly (.info | .US | .biz ), but including some (.com | .net | .org | .TV).

The direct links to the sales lists are here:

 20% off $499 or less  |  30% off $500 – $999

Internet Domains

AdMob is a top advertising platform for the mobile internet and Google is buying them for $750 million. The acquisition will provide Google with an immediate 30-40% of mobile advertising market share as stated in this Bloomberg article on the forthcoming purchase.

Many of the proposed ads will be delivered inside of iPhone apps available to mobile users. Typically in the form of a banner located at the bottom of the app or page. Ads will also be embedded in search results for popular products searched online.

Obviously fueling Google’s move is the incredible growth in mobile internet. CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, is quoted as saying …

Our mobile revenue is growing faster than our regular revenue

The AdMob acquisition is Google’s largest since the buyout of YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006. Google is also hiring again in preparation for their expansion into mobile internet advertising.

For more information, read this open letter to the public by Omar Hamoui, Founder and CEO of AdMob. Interesting in Omar’s comments is his statement about how slowly mobile advertising initially proceeded. He attributes rapid growth to the introduction of the iPhone.

The official mobile web address of the internet is .mobi. For information on mobile web addresses, visit www.mtld.mobi.

.MOBI domain names for sale -> PremiumDomains.US

.MOBI Domain Names, Internet Domains .mobi, AdMob, advertising

Ancestry.com has launched an initial public offering (IPO) and raised $100 million from the sale of 7.4 million shares. The website is reported to have over one million paying subscribers, and they have few other relevant competitors operating in this area of the market.

Ancestry was founded in 1983 and employ approximately 600 people. The company has said it may use a portion of its proceeds to expand through acquisitions and investments.

The stock trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol, ACOM. Ancestry have grown their online business through the sale of birth certificates and marriage records. Total revenue for 2008 was $197.6 million.

It’s been quite awhile since we have heard of an online company doing an IPO. Sounds like Ancestry.com put themselves in a good position through useful products and steady growth.

Not long ago, #1 domain name registrar GoDaddy.com came close to initiating their own IPO, but they pulled back when the larger economy started to experience problems associated with the mortgage crisis and general negative investment sentiment.

Internet Domains, Site Development ancestry, IPO

The Economic Development magazine, Site Selection, has ranked North Carolina as the No. 1 state in the nation for “business climate”. The other top 4 in order were Texas, Virginia, Ohio, and Tennessee. Said about North Carolina …

“Commerce and curriculum are a natural match in North Carolina, which tops the business climate rankings yet again.”

Factors which contributed to this honor were the presence of numerous institutions of higher learning and their integration into (and partnership with) local industry.

Rising companies in North Carolina that are part of the growing economic momentum are Siemens Energy, Cree, and Deutsche Bank. Research Triangle Park (commonly referred to as RTP) has continued to move onward and upward with the highest per capita number of PhD’s in the country.

According to the Site Selection article, Research Triangle Park has distinguished itself as one of the most successful business incubators in the country spinning off some 1500 successful companies. RTP is situated among three leading universites: Duke, UNC – Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State. These three rank in the top 50 academic institutions out of the country’s 679 major colleges & universities.

Adding to North Carolina’s #1 designation is a thoroughly developed commerce & technology infrastructure that readily connects North Carolina with the rest of the world. High technology has found a home in North Carolina and is an essential component of the future.

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Related internet domain names from the PremiumDomains.US portfolio include: NorthCarolina.info, Raleigh.info, Charlotte.US, Greensboro.US, Greensboro.biz, Greensboro.mobi, Winston-Salem.biz, HighPoint.biz, HighPoint.info, and Burlington.biz.

.US Domain Names, Internet Domains

Attorneys typically have well-developed websites profiling their legal area of expertise and providing potential customers with an easy means of reaching them for case consultation.

Within the domain name realm, there are several particularly rich keywords for the legal profession. They are: lawyer(s), attorney(s), and the various legal specialty areas such as “personal injury“, “malpractice“, “DWI“, and “criminal defense” to name a few. A resulting example would appear as CriminalDefenseLawyers.US.

Ideal for a local website is the inclusion of the geo location which is typically a city name. So a quality, generic domain name might read -> BostonLawyers.biz or NewYorkAttorney.com.

When shopping for a legal domain name to boost one’s online credibility and consumer reach, selecting a singular or plural version is a matter of personal choice. Some attorneys prefer to have both as in PhiladelphiaAttorney.net and PhiladelphiaAttorneys.net.

Still yet another version of covering all bases is exemplified in the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell websites utilizing both Lawyers.com and Attorneys.com. These are obviously elite, premium domain names.

A sampling of past legal domain sales include:

• CorporateLawyer.com $20,766
• AustinDWILawyer.com $17,000
• MesotheliomaLawyers.com $10,659
• Lawyers.biz $2,500
• TrademarkLawyer.ca $5,500
• CaliforniaDUILawyers.com $15,601
• IllinoisLawyers.com $15,101
• NewYorkMedicalMalpracticeLawyer.com $2,766
• CriminalLawyers.com $195,000
• Attorney.org $38,500
• FlordiaAttorney.com $8,000
• IllinoisDUIAttorney.net $4,000
• ImmigrationAttorney.net $4,888
• BankruptcyAttorneys.US $1,080
• InjuryAttorney.info $1,150
• Attorney.mobi $23,130
• TexasDWIAttorney.com $2,350
• ChicagoPersonalInjuryAttorney.net $1,900
• LondonAttorneys.net $2,500
• Adoption.net $18,300
• DUI.mobi $7,000
• DUI.net $18,000

To review or shop for legal domain names, visit:

 PremiumDomains.US or PremiumDomains.biz

Internet Domains attorney, lawyer, legal

Domain name verticals refer to a collection of related domain names that represent business sectors. A particular type of portfolio-building can be based on acquiring geodomains that cover unrelated niche industries: automotive, real estate, insurance, travel, legal … or related parts within a niche industry such as: real estate, homes, condos, apartments, rentals, properties, etc.

These verticals can be city-specific (DallasHotels), state-specific (TexasInsurance), or even country-specific (CanadaJobs). There is added value in possessing all of the major vertical domains within a particular domain extension.

Another type of monopoly (though often difficult to assemble) is to have a business-centric domain in all the top extensions. Major corporations do this routinely to protect their brand and to build on the appeal of each unique domain extension. As in: verizon.com, verizon.biz, verizon.us, verizon.net, verizon.co.uk. Acquiring top generic domains in multiple extensions is extremely difficult particularly for high value keywords (like “hotels”) since such keywords are so rare.

A strategy I adopted some time ago was to focus on a particular geodomain and to then acquire the vertical market domains (and related subsets) around that geodomain location. For example …

California.biz 

• CaliforniaAutos.biz
• CaliforniaHotels.biz
• CaliforniaHomes.biz
• CaliforniaRealEstate.biz
• CaliforniaCondos.biz
• CaliforniaApartments.biz
• CaliforniaLoans.biz
• CaliforniaJobs.biz
• CaliforniaRestaurants.biz

Assembling all of the major verticals around a single locality is typically accomplished through drop-catch and direct purchases on the open market. On rare occasions, you may find a geo-specific vertical available via direct registration (if the city or locality is comparatively small). Major metro locations are rarely available for obvious reasons.

The advantage of securing vertical industries around a locality is that one has the opportunity to create a “brand network” with interconnected businesses and services aimed at the surrounding geographic community. The synergistic value of such geo verticals is far more than the sum of its parts.

From a development perspective, acquiring multiple verticals allows for gradual content building in small steps. One vertical can be short-term monetized while another undergoes development and launch.

From an investment perspective, high-quality domain verticals will retain value long-term which allows the investor to examine his or her options over a longer time horizon. Like most assets, the higher the quality of the initial investment, the greater the likelihood that the asset will appreciate in value and bring substantial return on investment.

Internet Domains domain portfolio, vertical market