DomainSherpa.com is a domain name information website which features interviews with domain name investors. I recently found this site, which is authored & edited by Michael Cyger, and was impressed with the quality of Michael’s online interviews with well-known domain industry veterans.

Most entertaining & informative are two interviews, one with Ron Jackson, and the other with Mark Ostrofsky. Ron is the editor of DN Journal (the popular domain industry trade magazine), and Mark is the domain pioneer who sold Business.com for multi-millions during the early years of the internet’s explosive proliferation.

In the DomainSherpa interview, Ron Jackson discusses his domain name portfolio and his interest in the .US domain space. Following Neustar’s public release of the .US extension in 2002, Ron used various strategies to secure nice quality domain names like Reno.US, GreenBay.US, and three-letter domains like AFI.US. Ron shared having hundreds of three-letter .US domains in his portfolio, many of which would be ideal fits for a wide variety of US-based companies.

In the Ostrofsky interview on DomainSherpa, Mark informed viewers of his recent release of a new book he authored entitled Get Rich Click!. Mark also spoke of his affinity for .BIZ domains and his belief that the .BIZ domain space is significantly undervalued. I share this sentiment, and have held that the internet’s official Business (.BIZ) web address is stealthily expanding year after year. dotBIZ presently has 2,254,284 worldwide registrations.

Also quite thought-provoking & informative on the DomainSherpa site are interviews with Andrew Allemann of DomainNameWire and Elliot Silver of ElliotsBlog.com. Both domain investors offer their unique experiences and views on domain investing and website development.

My only criticism of the DomainSherpa site is the inclusion of a guest article which references Estibot, an automated domain appraisal device which has been criticized for producing distorted, unreliable domain valuations based on limited, simplistic metrics. Unfortunately, the guest writer article fails to emphasize the illegitimacy of automated appraisals, particularly in regard to premium domain names. Since DomainSherpa aspires to be an authoritative domain information site, any endorsement of Estibot detracts from the site’s credibility and integrity.

That being said, I very much like what DomainSherpa is offering. Michael Cyger is personable and an excellent interviewer. I encourage all to check out the site and to enjoy his interviews with domain industry veterans.

For more on domain investing, negotiation, and domain appraisal, read:

• Domain Appraisal Myth
• Domain Name Negotiation
• Domain Seller Considerations

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Menius Enterprises acquired the domain name Methadone.US some months ago. I have been developing the domain into a methadone treatment information site using the DevHub website builder.

Chemical dependency is a prevalent illness in American society and many of us have encountered it in one form or another, either directly or indirectly. Methadone is a very specific medication-assisted treatment approach used to help those suffering with an opiate dependency.

In recent years, methadone treatment clinics have steadily emerged across the USA as more individuals found themselves trying to cope with opiate withdrawal and the disruption to their lives that addiction brings. Methadone.US aims to reduce the stigma associated with methadone and to provide some basic information on the many benefits of methadone treatment programs.

The Methadone.US domain name is an ideal generic web address particularly for U.S. based residents, families, professionals, and treatment centers. As is typically the case, the time required to develop a comprehensive web portal is hard work. Writing and refining custom content (carefully screened for accuracy and relevance) can become very time consuming. But the effort is worthwhile when the end product provides a valuable service.

Taking a great domain and constructing something of value on that domain (where nothing existed previously) is a gratifying endeavor. Content generation is more art than science and is best approached with a quality, over quantity, focus. This has been a chief consideration in the authoring of Methadone.US.

The site is still under construction, but is taking a definite shape and form. It will eventually be monetized through paid directory listings and direct advertising. But for now is incorporating Google adsense feeds, many of which are an excellent match to the content provided on the website. In terms of easy access and the marketing of a new site, starting with a logical, premium domain name is always a big help.

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The Neustar registry has created a new logo for the .US web address. The new logo contains a fitting new tagline too, “America’s Address“. The .US domain name space currently enjoys just over 1.76 million total registrations, most of which originated with U.S. businesses or U.S. citizens due to the necessity of meeting nexus requirements for United States residency or U.S. incorporation.

.US remains one of the premier web spaces for United States focused websites. While obviously appropriate for American companies & businesses, .US is often identified by foreign internet users as a default web address for the U.S. due to the popularity of two letter country codes in other parts of the world such as .cn for China or .ca for Canada.

A key selling feature of .US is its instant familiarity to American internet users, its uniquely American identity, and the ability to utilize a high-quality .US domain name as opposed to settling for an awkwardly long .com domain name alternative (see graphic above).

The dotUS logo change is good timing going into 2011, and would appear to follow the recent logic that dictated the .BIZ logo redesign and associated tagline “Better Name. Better Results.”

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Much is written about attracting visitors on the world wide web. Website visitors come from many different sources such as referral links from other websites, search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing), and the holy grail of all which is direct navigation. Direct navigation traffic is valuable, and occurs when a user actually types a domain name directly into the url address bar and bypasses the search engines completely.

An article was published recently which spoke to the importance of exact match domains and their correlation with high rankings in search engines. Obviously, exact match domains mirror what the consumer is searching for and therein lies superior value.

Exact match domains also rule direct navigation. In examining last month’s traffic sources for PremiumDomains.US, the direct traffic percentage was quite revealing. An impressive 59.85% of the site’s visitors came from users typing the domain into their browser address field. As noted in the graphic above, search engines accounted for only 9.85% of visitors finding the site. Links from other sites accounted for approximately 30% of the sites traffic.

“Premium Domains” is a strong search term for those preparing to buy top quality domains for their business or for investment purposes. Having a domain name which perfectly matches a user’s query creates not only an instant identification for the consumer, but boosts consumer confidence, and creates a logical connection between their input and your output.

California.biz is a marque premium domain from the Menius Enterprises portfolio. California.biz’s monthly direct navigation traffic is currently running around 31%. This is likely lower than the corresponding .com equivalent, but the key point here is that pure generic domain names have no match in direct navigation. And even more importantly, premium generic domains have no equal when it comes to global branding and for launching high-profile websites with which consumers can instantly identify. In other words, “The name says it all.” And that … is the business of domains.

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Good quality generic domain names in the .US web address are typically already registered. dotUS went “public” in 2002 when registration restrictions were relaxed such that any U.S. citizen or U.S. incorporated business could register available .US domain  names.

As an investor and developer of the .US web space, PremiumDomains.US have assembled a portfolio of high-quality domains in America’s official web address. Below are a few nice .US domain names covering a range of industries and interests.

As a side note, for those who do not know, Neustar provide a zip code service whereby a user can type any zip code ending in .US such as www.90210.us. This service works across the entire United States and typically produces a page of local information associated with the zip code area that was searched.

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Joe Miller is a candidate for an Alaskan senate seat and he is using a .US domain name (www.JoeMiller.US) for his official campaign website. The website has been active for 2-3 months and is on an upward trajectory as is Joe’s public exposure and popularity.

The JoeMiller.US logo makes good use of the traditional red, white, and blue colors common to the American flag. The .US logo is prominently displayed in almost all of Joe’s campaign materials (signs, t-shirts, automobiles, website) and implies the appropriate “American” association for which .US was intended.

I have seen Joe interviewed on both CNBC and CNN in the past two days. The CNN piece in particular displayed the .US logo prominently. This type of exposure is excellent for raising the .US profile in America.

As a side note, some state governments use the .gov web address while many utilize .US. A few examples of state senate sites include:

• www.senate.state.tx.us (Texas Senate)
• www.senate.state.pa.us (Pennsylvania Senate)
• www.state.ar.us/senate/ (Arkansas Senate)

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The .US web address is the official country code of the United States. While .com became a popular mainstay during the internet’s early growth period, the .US domain space became available to the general public in 2002 and is America’s web address. Some .com investors are bothered by this and are concerned that the widespread adoption of .US may threaten their .com investments eventually.

Personally, I do not feel this is the case. My position is that .com and .US will co-exist very well alongside one another. Both domains offer excellent alternatives to U.S. based corporations and individual internet users looking for a recognizable web address.

I enjoy seeing American companies embrace their .US domain name. An up and coming player in the security and surveillance market is Charlotte-based Iverify.US Inc. They are located at www.iverify.us and have already established themselves as a technology leader and fast rising local company.

Iverify.US have been covered by the Charlotte Business Journal on several occasions with the most recent article ranking Iverify as #5 on the local Charlotte Fast 50 companies. Iverify offer unrivaled in-store monitoring and 24/7 interactivity such that they can communicate instantly with both store personnel and customers.

So effective is their technology at reducing shoplifting and other store crimes that they have been awarded expanded contracts with a number of chain retail stores and private corporations. The company bought, and now occupy, a 40,000 square foot building where 185 employees work in three 8-hour shifts to provide constant video and audio surveillance monitoring for their customers.

Once again, quality American businesses utilizing the .US web address in the manner for which it was intended.

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PremiumDomains.biz wrote about Quinstreet late last year when they acquired Insure.com for a reported $16 million. Their strategic purchase was a bold news event that captured the attention of most internet and domain name blogs.

In October of 2009, I had proposed the question for reader consideration as to what Insurance.com might fetch given that it is the ultimate premium, generic domain name for the entire insurance industry. We have the answer to that question. Exactly $35.6 million.

Quinstreet have purchased Insurance.com in what appears to be a total buyout of the domain name and related assets. This puts Quinstreet at the center of the insurance world. They have effectively bought their way into an industry that is both necessary and highly lucrative. To Quinstreet’s credit, they appear to have keen insight as to the value of a generic domain name and its power to connect with consumers.

Now I will propose another question. What would Insurance.US sell for in the open market? We now know that Insurance.com is well out of reach and has been snatched up permanently for over $30 million. This places Insurance.US front and center as one of the best domain names available for the United States insurance market.

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