The internet is rife with money-making opportunities for those willing to seize them — domain names included. If you know how to invest in domains, you stand to generate a sustainable profit that is likely to grow over time.
Domain names are one of the internet’s most valuable commodities; every brand or business needs at least one to exist online, and by making the right investments, you will enjoy a healthy return on investment (ROI).
Here we’ll consider what domain name investment is and the reasons why you should invest in domains.
Used to identify one or more IP addresses. For example, the domain name microsoft.com represents about a dozen IP addresses. Domain names are used in URLs to identify particular Web pages.
For example, in the URL http://www.pcwebopedia.com/index.html, the domain name is pcwebopedia.com.
To invest in domains is essentially to deal in them, strategically speaking. At its core, domain name investment involves buying a selection of potentially lucrative domains and selling them for a profit at a future date.
The buy low, sell high concept definitely applies with domain investing.
Like most investment models, by building a solid portfolio of domains, you will maximize your profit potential. And once you gain momentum, you’ll gain the ability to invest in domains fluently, buying and selling often to generate a sustainable revenue stream.
To invest in domain names is to own a part of a digital landscape that is currently going from strength to strength. We live in a tech-driven age and that’s not going to change any time soon — it’s time to get involved.
Now that you know what domain name investing is, let’s look at the reasons why you should invest in domain names.
7 reasons to invest in domains
In 2009, an investor sold “insure.com” for $16 million (no, that’s not a typo) — a transaction that put the power of domain name investment solidly on the map.
Since then, the value of domain names has increased, with the world’s most expensive publically reported (carinsurance.com) name weighing in at a value of $49.7 million. And although domains like “insure” or “car insurance” are at the extreme end of the scale, a wealth of domains sell for hundreds of dollars every single day.
Still pondering whether you should invest in domains? Let’s look at seven essential reasons to invest in domain names.
Free from tax and insurance.
Cost-effectiveness.
Limited supply and growing demand.
Unique value.
Capital appreciation.
Depth of investment.
Return on investment.
The benefits of investing in domains are quantifiable. Let’s dive in!
1. Free from tax and insurance
The vast majority of investments — both physical and digital — are subject to overheads that include tax and insurance.
Yes, when it comes to domain names, there are zero taxes or insurance to pay. Unlike physical assets such as real estate, where your investments are subject to property insurance and location-based taxation, domain names are free from such obligations.
Expanding on our previous point: Since you’re not required to pay insurance or tax to deal in domain names, they make quite the cost-effective investment.
In the grand scheme of things, buying a domain name is cheap. It’s also simple, and as you already know, in business, time is money.
Generally, domain name registration fees are small, with annual costs of around the $10 mark. Of course, there are always variations, as some domain names will hold more value than others. But, with little to pay to secure a domain, investing in one is simple, accessible, and far more cost-effective than most investments.
Want to check out some domain options? Give it a try:
3. Limited supply and growing demand
The internet is an ever-expanding entity. In fact, last year, the number of global web users exceeded four billion, and as we migrate to an increasingly digital existence, this number is only going to grow.
As more businesses and individuals enter the digital arena, the demand for domain names is growing exponentially. And with this demand comes great opportunity.
The best thing about committing to invest in domains is the fact that you’ll be entering a limited supply and growing demand situation.
Domains are like prime real estate in that almost every business needs one and many brands will be looking for the same or similar names.
The perfect domain name can help a business monopolize their market and get the lion’s share of web visibility in their niche, which means more sales and lots of them.
That’s the reason carinsurance.com sold for so many millions.
If you own the right domain names, you’ll be able to sell them to the right buyer at the right price, because there will be a serious demand for your domain name, and in the eyes of your prospects, a significant lack of supply. This, of course, will put you in the driver’s seat, increasing your chances of making a healthy profit from every investment.
The uniqueness of every domain name makes almost every one inherently valuable. Plus, since there are so many unique names out there when it comes time to invest in domains, you’ll be quite literally spoiled for choice.
Not only will this make your venture all the more exciting and rewarding, but it means that you have the option to build a broad, varied portfolio or become a specialist in a particular niche, industry or sector.
5. Capital appreciation
Some investments are incredibly risky, and unless you’re either very lucky or knowledgeable and have the right contacts, the potential to lose money or fall into negative equity is enormous. But, not with domain names.
We can’t guarantee that you’ll win with every investment you make, but what we can say is that domain names are far less risky than most buying and selling-based pursuits.
Like a desirable real estate location, solid domain names appreciate over time.
Almost every good or recognizable domain will be bought by a brand or business eventually, and the more desirable a particular domain name becomes over time, the more value it will accumulate.
Studies suggest that two-letter domain names alone have increased from $200,000 in 2006 to a current value of $1.6 million — an 800% increase and a testament to the appreciating power of domain names.
Once you’ve found your footing, you can begin to sell your best domain names for shares and stock. This is what’s meant by “depth of investment.”
Some people who decided to invest in domains and made real fortunes chose to leverage their portfolio and invest in some of the companies they offered domain names to, giving themselves additional long-term profit or revenue streams that proved very fruitful.
Naturally, if you’re looking to make such a move, experience and research are essential. But the point is, domain name investment can become more than just buying, sitting, and selling alone — if you adopt the right mindset.
You can also earn a steady level of passive income through your domain name portfolio by leasing certain names out to brands or businesses for set time periods. You maintain complete control of your domain name at all times and simply take your rent money while it appreciates in value.
Once you feel that your domain has accumulated enough value, you can sell it — the best of both worlds.
Also, with domain parking, you can register or purchase a name without an affiliated website. In doing so, you can generate a stream of steady income of ad clicks and web traffic before you eventually decide to sell.
Yet more reasons why there is a depth to domain name investing.
7. Return on investment (ROI)
If you invest in domains, you’re more than likely to enjoy an excellent return on investment.
Essentially, all of the above reasons to invest in domain names, collectively, demonstrate why doing so offers a solid ROI. To put it in perspective, let’s recap:
Your overheads will be low, and you won’t have to pay tax or insurance.
Registering and buying names is simple and cheap, with typical costs coming in at the $10 per year mark.
There is a limited supply for domain names and a huge demand.
The unique value of domain names make each one inherently valuable. Also, with so much choice, investing in domain names is varied, exciting, and ripe with opportunity.
Most domain names, like good real estate locations, appreciate in capital value over time. A surefire reason to invest.
With options to lease domains or trade them for company stakes, stocks or shares, there is a real depth (as well as plenty of money-making opportunities) associated with domain name investing.
With low risks and the potential to make a steady stream of profit over time, domain names offer an excellent return on investment, the cornerstone of any business model worth its salt.
Ready to start investing in domain names?
There’s no doubt about it: domain investment is a lucrative opportunity that will make an excellent side hustle or even a full-time career. All you need is the time and the right tools for the job.
GoDaddy’s easy-to-use domain investment platform offers a domain brokerage service, domain transfer (singular or bulk), value appraisal, WHOIS data, access to domain-based auctions, and more — all of the tools you need for success.
Moreover, with GoDaddy’s Discount Domain Club, you can save up to 60% on premium domains every day of the year while benefiting from comprehensive user support.
The early bird always catches the worm. Start investing now to reap great rewards in the near future, and beyond.
At GoDaddy, we’ve always believed that everyone has the right to make their own way. Not everyone, though, has access to the kinds of resources, mentors and funding that make entrepreneurship possible.Our newest documentary web series shines a light on the struggles and extraordinary successes of entrepreneurs who have started with less and who achieved their goals.
“Made in America” is an inspiring new series that captures, through intimate conversations, the stories of two such entrepreneurs.
Four episodes follow Sequoia Ferguson and Consuelo Rosales, two Memphis-based entrepreneurs who have progressed through Empower by GoDaddy, a philanthropic program that equips men and women in underserved communities with the training, tools and peer networks they need to accelerate their journey.
The women find a new mentor and supporter in the series host, Scott Shigeoka.
Scott was recently named the GoDaddy Entrepreneur in Residence. He will spend the next year bringing attention to inclusive entrepreneurship and the stories of those who have benefitted from it.
By documenting the diversity of journeys that lead to American small–business ownership,we hope to show that entrepreneurship is an attainable aspiration for every person in America.
These are their stories.
Sequoia Ferguson
Sequoia Ferguson was 16 when she had her first child. Even so, she knew at that early age that she wouldn’t let it define what shecould (and would) accomplish. She’s since earned her undergraduate degree, founded a business, earned her master’s degree, gotten married and given birth to a new baby. This year, her oldest child goes off to college.
That’s So YouBoutique is Sequoia’s “other” child. After eight years as a retail brick-and-mortar store, the rising cost of rent and hefty overhead of carrying a large inventoryforced Sequoia to shutter her store. In partnership with Empower by GoDaddy, the community development program Communities Unlimitedbacked Sequoia with a micro loan to help her evolve her business. She is pivoting her business model, transforming her store into a traveling storefront and taking advantage of pop-up opportunities.
Watch her episode to see herre-launchThat’s So YouBoutique as a pop-up shop/mobile truck. Her first destination — Memphis Pride.
“The places we are seeing higher relative rates of job creation are among women, people of color, immigrants…These are the folks who are starting businesses in a time when we’re seeing that generally declining. So they are precious and you want to invest in them. But they’re also the people we know who’ve had the biggest barriers.” ~ Joyce Klein, Director, Business Ownership Initiative, The Aspen Institute
Consuelo Rosales
Consuelo immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a teenager. She struggled with limited English language skills and initially saw opportunities for herself only in the cleaning or restaurant industries. For 13 years, she worked as a housekeeper. She married and had three children, but the physical work was taxing, the pay was low and her marriage deteriorated.
Consuelo was a victim of domestic violence. She cites her economic dependence on her husband as a key reason she stayed with him. Eventually, she came to see business ownership as her way out. She started her own cleaning business by knocking on doors and was able to eventually support herself and her kids — and leave behind the abusive relationship.
With the support of Communities Unlimited, and Empower by GoDaddy training, Consuelo has begun to build on her early success. She’s getting her website up and running, with the understanding that larger corporate clients expect to be able to find her online. She’s taking English language classes to become more comfortable in her role communicating with potential clients. Most recently, she’s hired additional staff to ensure her business can meet the demand of increased clientele.
Watch her episode to see what we witnessed during the several months of production: her confidence and self-assurancegrowingwith each step along her journey.
“When you have stereotypes placed against your industry that’s opportunity for you to grow because it means other people aren’t paying attention to where the openings are. And so this is really smart for people who are thinking about getting into an industry where they think the stereotype is going to be low, or you’re worried about how people are going to perceive you. Don’t worry about that. Go in, full on, because you see something others don’t and you’re going to excel because of that.” ~ Mario Armstrong, brand expert/entrepreneur
Scott Shigeoka, narrator
As GoDaddy’s Entrepreneur in Residence, Scott advocates for inclusive entrepreneurship and provides expert guidance to the everyday entrepreneurs he meets. His own experience as a founder provides a unique platform from which he can offer truly empathetic mentorship.
Scott is an American entrepreneur, storyteller and designer. His work concentrates on bridging social divides through powerful content and shared experiences. His forthcoming book, covering his journey traveling across the U.S., will focus on the wide range of perspectives collected from a nation divided by politics, geographies, identities and unequal access to life-changing resources.
Check out all four episodes of “Made in America, a GoDaddy Series” to see Sequoia and Consuelo’s journey. We hope that by sharing these stories we can illustrate the real difference that business ownership can make on families, communities and individuals. Click here to watch the series.
Security has been one of the biggest concerns on everyone’s lips recently, especially surrounding WordPress websites. As quickly as we come out with newer, safer pieces of software, it seems like hackers and bots gain more and more traction.
As long as there are websites out there collecting valuable information, there will be people who want that information. And no matter what new tools and tricks we develop to keep our sites safe, there will always be some tried and true methods to keep a website secure.
There are tons of plugins that allow you to monitor the site, scan the site, take backups for you, the works. But the more plugins you have, the more bloat you add to the site. And the more opportunity for vulnerability, which makes it all moot.
GoDaddy Pro provides me with all of these options and more, with only a single tiny plugin added to the site. From preventative methods to just-in-case procedures, I’m equipped to ensure my clients that their investment is always safe.
Website health
Probably the most important thing I use GoDaddy Pro for is overall website health.
Just like a healthy body is safer against illness and infection, a healthy website is a safe website.
As soon as a plugin or theme developer announces a security patch to their software, bots immediately race out to hunt down WordPress sites that do not have that patch updated. As a result, I always tell my clients that updating is best done daily. And they always look at me as though I’m nuts. Who has time for that?
GoDaddy Pro does – or rather, I do, because I use GoDaddy Pro! Being able to easily and quickly update plugins, themes, and WordPress core to their latest versions means I stay on top of new security and performance updates. Bots simply don’t have the time to find those vulnerabilities.
Maybe there was a new version of WordPress released recently and I’m uncertain if all my new plugins will update nicely. I’m able to utilize the Safe Updates feature which will create a restore point for me, compares the site before and after the update would happen, and will help me reverse the update if a conflict occurs.
Website monitoring
One of a business owner’s worst nightmares is their site going down on an important day. No matter what is going on — from grand openings to conferences to sales pitches — the site needs to be up and it needs to look great.
To realize the website is down in the middle of a sale and have to wait hours or days to get it back up could mean way too many dollars down the drain.
The security monitoring tool is incredibly handy. It looks for malware, blacklists and errors that could threaten the website. I can check on-demand or automate them. I can review previous checks and generate a client report to ensure them of the security of the site. I can get notified of anything suspicious via email or Slack.
With GoDaddy Pro I’m able to add uptime monitoring for each of my client sites, just in case something slips through the security monitor. If something happens, I’ll know immediately and can address it even before they know. It eliminates so much of the frantic and frustrated back and forth of trying to work together to find out what’s wrong, especially if my client and I are in different time zones.
Website backups & recovery
Of course, every once and awhile, even my best efforts don’t always turn out the way I want. Maybe I’m on vacation and don’t notice an alert. Or maybe the client gets too brave in updating the site and something breaks.
Even if the absolute worst happens and the site completely vanishes, I don’t ever have to stress over it.
I’ve struggled with a lot of different backup tools. I remember when I was first learning about WordPress, I tried setting up a popular backup plugin. For the life of me, I couldn’t get it to work. Call it user error, call it a complicated system… I ended up giving up and testing my luck with no backups at all.
I probably don’t have to tell you how that went.
Probably my favorite feature of GoDaddy Pro is the way the backups work. I can sell my maintenance clients on the option of monthly or daily backups, depending on what they need. (I have the option of weekly, every 12, 6 or 1 hour, but monthly and daily for best for me.)
I don’t have to set anything up or configure anything. I just make a few selections and with zero code and zero configuration, my backups are off and running. And they’re taken off-site, which means if the client’s host is compromised, we invariably have reliable backups.
I can see at a glance when my most recent backup is. I’m notified if any of my backups fail. And if I need to restore a site that’s gone down, I push just one button to make it happen. That way, I can promise my clients that, if a crash or hack takes place, their site will be back up almost immediately.
For such a small price, and such a small amount of my time, I’m able to guarantee the safety of my client’s website.
Rather than just installing a security and backup plugin and forgetting about it all, I can find a balance between automation and custom-care for each site.
No one wants to pay thousands of dollars for a website, which could very well be the heart and soul of their business, then lose it to a crash or insecure plugin. What GoDaddy Pro allows me to do is give my clients – and myself – peace of mind when it comes to securing their investment.
Our new GoDaddy Pro home screen is a central dashboard that lets you see everything at a glance. We’ve redesigned it to help you get in, do your best work, and get out.
Welcome to the new GoDaddy Pro home screen
We’ve organized the new GoDaddy Pro home screen into sections based on related information and tasks. We call them cards. They’re like meta boxes in WordPress.
The new GoDaddy Pro home screen
Activity Summary (Recent Activity)
The Activity Summary card is a summary of recent activity from your clients and their sites. The activity updates are grouped by type. You can quickly take action.
An activity summary showing everything at a glance
Site Activity
The Site Activity card shows recent activity from all the sites you manage. If there’s a client associated with site activity, the client’s name will appear next to the update.
The latest activity from your managed websites
Client Activity
The Client Activity card shows recent activity from your clients. If there’s client activity associated with a specific site, we include a link to the affected site, so you can get to it faster.
The latest activity from your managed clients
Your Benefits
The Your Benefits card shows your current points balance, and your progress towards the next membership tier. Refer to this card if you’re ever wondering about your benefit status.
Your GoDaddy Pro reward points and benefits are easier to access
Highlighting announcements & important info from GoDaddy
Recommended Reading
These cards are highlights from the community. We’re starting with GoDaddy Blog articles, but it may expand to include additional content from GoDaddy Pro members and around the web.
GoDaddy Pro is our free partner program for web designers & developers. It includes tools, resources, and exclusive perks to help you grow and manage your business.
Before you are ready to compete in national and international markets, it is important to strengthen your company’s position in the local arena. This is true for all facets of enterprise activity, especially when it comes to online promotion. SEO for niche websites (aka niche SEO) is different from regular SEO, and you need to be familiar with its unique characteristics and proven techniques to win the favor of local customers.
Let’s begin by reviewing the most common mistakes to avoid when running an SEO campaign for niche markets.
Not doing keyword research.
Incorrect distribution of keywords on pages.
Poorly written content.
Bad link building practices.
Ignoring databases for local businesses.
Make sure you’re doing SEO niche the right way and ranking higher in the search engines by avoiding these six niche mistakes.
1. Not doing keyword research
Properly selected semantics are key to online selling success. Avoid high-frequency, common keywords, like “lawyer” for example. Queries using common keywords are highly competitive, and you will have to spend a lot of time, money and effort to achieve high rankings from them.
This can be quite energy-intensive and risky, with no guarantee that your efforts will attract potential clients to your site.
Instead, try using medium- and low-frequency micro-niche keywords. If you provide local services, use keywords indicating your location, for example, “NYC divorce lawyer” or “find a divorce lawyer in New York.”
Thoroughly analyzing your competitors’ keywords to find out which search queries bring them the most traffic is recommended by digital marketers.
Monitoring niche trends is particularly important for local companies fighting for superiority in a closed ecosystem. You should know internal rules to build your brand’s good name and always stay one step ahead.
Once you have settled on keywords, you need to correctly distribute those keywords.
When picking up queries, be sure to check the user’s intent. To do this, enter a query in the search bar and carefully study the results.
In addition, check whether the keyword is commercial or informative:
If the query pulls up catalogs and commercial pages with service and product descriptions among the search results, then the keyword is commercial, and it should be used on commercial pages.
If your search brings up informative articles, then incorporate keywords with similar informative content.
The queries you select should be based on your goals and the preferences of your target audience.
Once you settle on semantics, group your keywords according to topic.
Using our legal services example, keywords associated with divorce attorneys should be placed in one group, while keywords associated with DUI cases should be placed in another.
Once your groups are formed, start placing keywords on your website pages.
Some people make the mistake of trying to place all their keywords on a single page, thinking the page will then be ranked for all the queries.
Landing pages are most often used to promote multiple keyword groups. However, this approach often leads to poorer ranking on all keywords, so it is best to create an individual page for each query group.
If you have related query groups, for example, “family lawyer” and “divorce lawyer,” and you are unsure whether to place them on a single page or create a separate page for each group, analyze your search results to help you decide.
There are two extremes of SEO: over-optimization and under-optimization.
Try to find a happy medium when writing content for your niche site by using keywords in moderation.
Your content should also be unique, high quality, deliver value, and showcase your company’s advantages.
Consider launching a branded blog to establish trust with your target audience and create a community of like-minded people around your company.
Don’t awkwardly place keywords. They should be relevant to the page’s subject matter and organically woven into the content.
Add keywords to titles and headers, and include them in the body of your articles and product descriptions.
While checking search results, you can analyze your competitors’ use of a particular keyword, to get an idea of the best text lengths and keyword counts. Choose an average length and count for your own keywords.
Editor’s note: Not ranking high in the search engines? Let GoDaddy’s SEO experts help your business get found.
4. Bad link building practices
Google Search is a constantly evolving system. You might be able to trick it once, but it won’t take long for Google to discover your shady practices and find ways to deter them.
For example, the Penguin and Panda algorithms were created to control abuse by website owners who were using certain link building techniques to try to work around the system.
Search engines and link builders are forever locked in an ongoing struggle. As soon as Google comes up with a new control measure, digital marketers invent sophisticated new tricks to get around it.
It is important to constantly monitor changes in search engine algorithms and leverage backlinking strategies that remain compliant with the algorithms to avoid getting trouble with Google.
To avoid being penalized for unnatural, self-promotional links, avoid the following detrimental practices:
Using software that automatically incorporates links in your content.
Placing too many links in a single post.
Unnatural self-promoting comments like, “This brand is the best. Follow the link and check out their catalog.”
Making comments that do not correspond to the subject matter. Let’s say a forum user asks how long it takes to recharge a car battery. Instead of answering the question, a negligent link builder might post a call-to-action like, “Buy a car battery here!”
Creating poorly formatted profiles. A profile lacking a photo and bio could be a red flag to forum administrators, who may think you created your account exclusively for advertising purposes.
Embedding links to promotional pages. If you want to attract traffic to your website, it is best to use links to your blog articles and case studies rather than catalogs and product descriptions.
Using anchor text based exclusively on keywords. Google treats this approach as pure SEO. If you decide to hide a link under the keyword “family lawyer,” supplement it with a couple of additional words, for example, “family lawyer in your city” or “family lawyer with a successful track record.”
Every industry has special online databases for local enterprises, like Yelp and TripAdvisor. People use them to search for products and services nearby.
To improve the online exposure of your brand, be sure to create a company profile on local databases.
As a rule, profiles should include your company name, physical address (if you have a location), web address, contact data and other relevant information, depending on the platform.
Search engines treat local databases as trustworthy resources, so creating a profile on them will help your website rank higher.
Wrapping up
By avoiding these niche SEO mistakes, you can ensure that your website stays in good standing with Google and other search engines. I hope this article proves useful, gives you an idea of SEO for niche sites, and inspires you to create a top-notch digital marketing campaign for your local business.
This post was originally published on Jan. 2, 2015, and was updated on Dec. 5, 2016, Nov. 20, 2017, Nov. 27, 2018, and Nov. 25, 2019.
Everyone needs a little help now and then. In your business, you probably hired people to give you a hand in the various facets of your operation. Maybe you hired a graphic designer to create a lovely logo for you, or a customer service agent to help you deal with burgeoning holiday sales. If these people are not your employees, they are contractors and need to be given a 1099-MISC tax form. So, what is a 1099-MISC and when is the 1099-MISC due to contractors?
What is a 1099-MISC?
The 1099-MISC is a form that the IRS uses to have you report what you pay to people who are not employed by you, but to whom you have made payment in exchange for services.
You paid at least $10 in royalties or broker payments
You paid $600 or more in rents, services, prizes/awards, other income payments, etc. (see below)
You have fishing boat proceeds
You paid an attorney $600 or more in 2019
You directly sold at least $5,000 of consumer products to a buyer for resale (see below)
You should issue a 1099-MISC to someone in the following situations:
You paid a contractor $600 or more during 2019.
You pay at least $10 in royalties (reported in box 2) or broker payments in lieu of dividends or tax-exempt interest (reported in box 8).
You pay out $600 or more in rents, services (which includes parts and materials), prizes and awards, other income payments, medical and health care payments, crop insurance proceeds, cash payments for fish you purchase from someone who is in the business of catching fish, or payments made from a notional principal contract to an individual, partnership or estate.
Any fishing boat proceeds.
Payments of $600 or more paid to an attorney.
Form 1099-MISC is also used to report any direct sales of at least $5,000 of consumer products to a buyer for resale anywhere other than a permanent retail establishment. Additionally, you need to file Form 1099-MISC for each person from whom you have withheld any federal income tax under the backup withholding rules, no matter how much you have paid them.
When is 1099-MISC due?
Form 1099-MISC is due…
When these conditions apply
Jan. 31, 2020
Due to recipients if there’s data in box 7 for non-employee compensation
Feb. 28, 2020
Due to recipients if you do not have non-employee compensation and you file on paper
Feb. 28, 2020
Copy A due to IRS if you’re filing manually and box 7 is empty
March 31, 2020
Due to recipients if you do not have non-employee compensation and you file electronically
April 1, 2020
Copy A due to IRS if you’re filing electronically and box 7 is empty
When is the 1099-MISC due to contractors AND the IRS? Here are your answers:
You need to have the 1099-MISC in recipients’ hands by Jan. 31, 2020. Be sure to factor in mailing time.
If you’re filing your 1099-MISC manually and there’s data in Box 7, you’ve have until Jan. 31, 2020, to get Copy A to the IRS.
If you’re filing your 1099-MISC manually and there’s no data in Box 7, you’ve got until Feb. 28, 2020, to get Copy A to the IRS.
If you’re filing your 1099-MISC electronically and there’s no data in Box 7, you’ve got until March 31, 2020, to get Copy A to the IRS.
Penalties for filing 1099-MISC late
If you don’t get a correct 1099 to the recipients by the due date, and you cannot show reasonable cause, you may be subject to a penalty. The penalty would apply if:
You don’t get the forms to the recipient on time.
You don’t provide all information required to be shown on a 1099 return.
You include incorrect information on the return.
You file on paper when you were required to file electronically.
You report an incorrect TIN (Tax Identification Number).
You don’t report a TIN.
You file paper 1099 forms that are not readable by machines.
You might be wondering about the amount of the penalty. The 1099 deadline penalties are based on when you file the correct information return. The penalties, according to the IRS, for businesses that make less than $5 million, are as follows:
$50 per return ($194,500* maximum) if you correctly file within 30 days (by March 30 if the due date is February 28).
$110 per return ($556,500* maximum) if you correctly file more than 30 days after the due date, but by August 1.
$270 per return ($1,113,000* maximum) if you file after August 1 or you do not file required information returns.
*As adjusted for inflation
Such additional costs are the last thing you want to deal with while you’re growing your business!
Calculating 1099-MISC amounts due in GoDaddy Online Bookkeeping
If you use GoDaddy Online Bookkeeping, it’s simple to figure out how much you owe to your contractors. Here’s how:
Log in to GoDaddy Online Bookkeeping and make sure all of your payments to your contractors are entered and categorized correctly. We’ve provided the “contractors and freelancers” category for ease of use.
Go to your Expenses tab and set your filters to Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2019.
From your filtered Expenses tab, you can narrow this down further by entering each individual contractor’s name in the search tab.
Viola! Online Bookkeeping has calculated the amount you paid each contractor.
If you have any questions about form 1099-MISC, including more detail about when 1099-MISC is due to contractors and/or the IRS, check with a good accountant who can walk you through all your options.
The above content should not be construed as legal or tax advice. Always consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.
Choosing a great domain name is one of the basic steps toward establishing your digital presence, and now you’re finally ready to buy one. You’ve considered all of the factors for picking your perfect domain, and you’ve thought one up. You sit down to register your domain and … it’s already registered?! Now what? We’ve got some tips and tricks on how to find out who owns a domain.
Why finding the domain owner matters.
How to find out who owns a domain name.
What to do after you’ve found the domain owner.
While it can initially be a bit of a let-down when the domain you wanted is already taken, there are ways to tell who is the owner of a domain name you’ve had your eye on. Read on for useful steps to secure your perfect domain.
It gets somewhat complicated to figure out who is the owner of a domain name.
Domains are not always purchased for the sole purpose of being utilized immediately. Someone might register a domain with plans to start a business, and then move on without actually using their domain.
Then there are others who actively buy up domains, hoping that someone else will buy it from them.
If the domain that you wanted is already registered, pull up the domain in your browser and see if there’s a site on it. If not, chances are good that you might be able to buy the domain off of the current owner. Even if there’s an active site, it never hurts to ask, right?
How to find out who owns a domain name
A WHOIS search is a great place to start discovering who is the owner of a domain name. What is a WHOIS search, though?
WHOIS records give you important contact details for the owner and managers of domains.
They also provide the name of the domain registrar (such as GoDaddy), the status of the domain and important dates (such as, when the domain was originally registered and when it expires).
All of this information comes in handy when you’re looking into buying a registered domain.
If the domain was recently registered, for example, you might have an easier time purchasing that domain from the current owner. Older domains aren’t impossible to register either, but that information all factors into the steps that you might need to take to purchase that domain.
However, domain privacy might block some contact information when you’re trying to use a WHOIS lookup to find out who is the owner of a domain name.
Domain privacy allows the domain owner to hide sensitive contact information, such as their name, address, phone number, email address, etc.
You can still see where the domain is registered and the registration and expiration dates, but the other contact information will be masked. Here’s an example of how a domain would look without privacy:
You can see the contact information on this domain, including phone numbers and email addresses that would allow you to reach the appropriate parties. But how about a privately registered domain? Here’s how one of those would look:
Domains by Proxy is the privacy services provider for GoDaddy, and it replaces sensitive contact details. So the address and phone number you see listed are actually for Domains by Proxy and not GoDaddy.
If the domain you wanted has privacy, don’t fret. There are still ways to see who is the owner of a domain name. In most cases (with GoDaddy’s privacy or a different privacy provider), the email address listed in the WHOIS will still forward messages to the actual domain owner.
What to do after you’ve found the domain name owner
So you’ve checked out the domain that you want, but now what’s your next step?
There are a few options to consider at this point. If you really had your heart set on that domain, but you’re not sure if you’ll be able to negotiate a purchase price with the owner, services like GoDaddy’s Domain Broker Service would be a great start.
With Domain Broker Service, you’ll have access to your own domain broker, who will contact the domain owner and try to negotiate a purchase on your behalf.
Having a domain professional on your side can take a lot of the stress out of the negotiation process.
You might have noticed that the domain is coming to the end of its registration period. Services like Domain Backorders can monitor the domain for you and would attempt to grab the domain, should the current owner let the registration lapse.
Have a Plan B
One possibility to prepare yourself for, though, is that the current owner might not be willing to sell their domain. Or they might want more for the domain than you’re prepared to pay.
In those cases, you might need to come up with some variations on the domain you originally wanted.
You can take a peek at GoDaddy’s Domain Auctions to see if anyone is selling a domain that might work for you.
If you don’t see anything there, there are also hundreds of domain extensions you might not have been aware of beyond the typical .com, .org or .net extensions. Be flexible and creative — you just might come up with something better than you’d been looking for originally.
Hopefully, this guide has helped in your search to find out who owns the domain name that you had your eye on, as well as ideas for alternative domains, just in case. Good luck!
For nearly as long as the internet has existed, savvy investors have found a way to make a profit by trading in domain names, a practice known as domaining. This ranges from massive sales like We.com yielding $8 million in 2015 and Voice.com garnering $30 million in 2019, to creditable everyday business sales like Token.xyz selling for $14,999 in October 2019.
Growing levels of worldwide internet usage, increased demand for short, meaningful domain names, and this decade’s introduction of thousands of new domain extensions make today’s domaining landscape more robust than ever.
Those who are interested in entering today’s internet real estate market and making money with domains can get ahead of the curve by getting a grasp on necessary domaining knowledge.
Domaining 101: Domain investing startup guide
Whether you plan to start domaining as a side hustle or dream of becoming a domaining titan, we will layout the basics and provide advice to help you on your domain investing journey. Here’s what we’re going to cover:
We’ll cover all the basics, including making money with domains and important factors to consider before domain investing. Use our step-by-step guide to position yourself for success in the exciting world of domaining.
Domaining is generally defined as investing in domain names with the intention of making a profit. A profit is most often realized by selling or leasing a domain for more than you purchased it for. However, there are other methods of monetization during the time you are actively renewing a domain name.
A renewed and active domain name may be “parked” on a landing page with relevant advertising or built into a website selling products and services for a profit.
The demand for domain names continues to grow as more internet users bring their businesses, apps, portfolios and ideas online.
Remember how we used the term “internet real estate market” earlier? That’s the simplest way to think of domaining. A real estate investor hopes to buy a piece of land (i.e., domain name) in order to resell it for a profit or to construct a building (i.e., website) on it to sell products and services.
Just as a real estate investor considers various factors in order to determine the value of land, a domainer needs to consider multiple aspects of a domain prior to investing.
Easier to use for sharing content — a must for businesses that rely on social media to drive traffic.
Two- and three-character domain names are scarce due to the limited number of combinations available, and typically have a higher value than longer domain names. Also, a four- or five-letter, pronounceable domain name will have value due to the brandable potential of the name.
Short, one-word domain names are always in demand and typically command significant value, which is highly dependent on the industry and search volume of the term.
2. Keyword strength
There are two variables that determine the strength of the keyword(s) in a domain name: industry relevance and search volume.
Keywords in industries that spend more online advertising dollars typically have a higher value. These include financial services, retail, automotive, travel and healthcare.
The search query volume of the keyword(s) is another variable that may determine the strength of a domain. Domains containing keyword(s) that are typed in often in search engines usually have more value because of the potential to reach more customers via organic and/or paid methods.
A keyword domain normally contains one to four words, however, certain phrases of up to five words do hold value as well.
Memorability is important for many of the same reasons as domain length.
One way to judge the memorability of a domain name is to see if it passes the radio test.
Would you remember the domain if you heard it in a radio ad or saw it on a billboard? If you’re not confident the answer is yes, then the domain probably isn’t all that valuable.
The more memorable a domain is, the more likely a customer will be to recall it and visit the website (and tell their friends). Memorability is a major reason why shorter domains, especially one- and two-word domain names, carry so much inherent value.
4. TLD (top-level domain)
Most websites marketed today use .com as their TLD, and because of its usage and long history, it carries the most value compared to other TLDs. Even though many domain investors do favor .com, the introduction of new generic TLDs has introduced more investment opportunities.
A new gTLD made specifically to serve the next generation of internet users, .xyz, is one to watch.
While a .xyz domain might not hold nearly the same value currently as a .com, both extensions are treated equally for SEO, and .xyz’s short, catchy and highly memorable nature makes it perfect for those looking for a brandable name.
Ready to search for the perfect domain name? Give it a go:
No matter your level of experience online, before you jump into domaining and build your portfolio you will need an understanding of what domaining looks like today.
There are two main methods of making money with domains: short-term investing or “domain flipping,” and long-term domain investing.
Both domaining strategies involve purchasing domain names and building a domain portfolio. How you will manage those domain names, though, depends entirely on which investing approach you choose.
Domain flipping
Domain flipping is the strategy of buying domain names with the intent to resell, or “flip” them for a profit.
Revisiting our internet real estate example from earlier, you can think of domain flipping like house flipping. This domain flipping strategy requires investors to be active in researching available domains on the market to find undervalued domain names that can be purchased and quickly resold.
There are various tactics domain flippers adopt to buy low and sell high.
One common domain flipping approach is to find domain names targeted to niche and trending markets. Emerging trends and industries are a good place to start, and domains in these categories can be found via websites like Afternic, a marketplace to buy and sell domain names online.
Search for domains in profitable, rising industries like technology, science and eCommerce.
Another approach is to identify domains that are held by owners that may have price expectations at or below market value.
Domain flipping requires a large time commitment.
You will need to be active in researching available domain names that are undervalued, stay on top of your domain names, and make sales regularly to make money. It’s common for successful domain investors to sell tens of domains in a given month.
Keep in mind that you should not approach domain flipping with the mindset that a domain name will appreciate as time goes on. Instead, consider how large the pool of
potential buyers might be for that name.
The larger net you can cast, the higher the chance you will find a buyer to flip your domain to.
Another way that domain flippers with smaller portfolios add value to the domain names they are looking to sell is by building out an example website (or landing page). Investors could list selling points for the particular domain name, a creative logo design and an asking price.
This gives potential buyers a more tangible idea of what they could do with the domain name and a clear price expectation.
Consider also securing matching social media handles for the domain that can be included in a bundle, as these could be especially attractive to a new business.
If you prefer a more traditional investment approach, consider this domaining strategy. It involves paying more attention to how well the domain name will hold its value over time.
You will ideally want to register a domain that doesn’t have high renewal prices, and should also consider listing the domain in various marketplaces if possible.
Traditional domain investing requires less regular attention than flipping, but will also likely take longer to turn a profit.
Some domain registries will offer premium names for registration which are higher in value, often due to their keyword relevance, short length and/or high memorability. You can investigate registries that offer premium domain names and check their lists to find good investment opportunities.
For example, the XYZ Registry offers premium domains with “buy it now” pricing that can be registered for a one-time premium fee and renewed at standard prices. This can be effective if you plan to hold the domains for numerous years.
XYZ also provides lists of higher value domain names that are available at standard prices, a great opportunity for finding and flipping domains in your target markets.
Tools you need to build a profitable domain portfolio
Once you have picked a domaining investment strategy, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with all the tools used in successful domain investing.
Domain marketplaces
The main platforms domain investors regularly use are domain marketplaces. The platforms provide a fast and easy way to put your domains in front of interested buyers.
By enabling registrar network integrations like Afternic DLS, domain investors can reach an even broader audience of domain registrants.
Domain flippers can list domain names on multiple marketplaces. If you choose to do this, be sure to track where you list all domains and update any that you sell or reprice across all the marketplaces you’ve listed on. Take into account marketplace commission fees and other expenses to determine your return on investment.
While most marketplaces will have a healthy user base of domain investors, marketplaces that also offer other services like domain parking or advertising can be a good place to reach potential buyers in a market you are trying to target.
Registrars that offer aftermarket services are a great place to get noticed by businesses and investors looking for domain names. GoDaddy Auctions, for example, allows you to list your domain names for sale, set buy-it-now prices, put domains up for auction and manage negotiations.
Escrow service
When you do find a buyer for your domain name, make sure you protect your asset and the buyer throughout the entire sale process by using a domain broker and possibly an escrow service, depending on the size of the transaction.
Brokers ensure your buyer has the funds to complete payment and help you process the sale transaction so you can sell without the fear of not receiving payment or having your domains stolen.
Domain parking
Don’t let your name collect dust when it could be earning you money while you wait for a buyer.
Many domain names receive type-in traffic from internet users typing the domain directly into their URL bar or clicks from URL links on other websites. Parking your domain allows you to display advertising on your landing page, offering you revenue for legitimate clicks.
This passive income can allow you to pay for domain renewal fees and invest in more domain names to grow your portfolio.
Remember you can also use that website space for advertising, telling site visitors the domain is for sale.
Domain drop catching
When a domain name expires, or “drops,” it follows a lifecycle that eventually results in the name being released again for registration. A domain backordering service works to locate domain names that are expiring and aims to register them once they are made available.
These services are a great way to find domains that may have been overlooked and wouldn’t have otherwise been listed in the aftermarket.
Portfolio management
If you only plan to hold a few domains at a time, you may be able to easily keep track of your domain names in the account you set up with your chosen registrar.
For investors looking to manage a large portfolio, it helps to have a management tool.
Your registrar may offer a domain management tool or a special service team that’s equipped to help you keep track of your domains, but there are also portfolio management tools available using domain apps.
Our top three tips for managing your domains:
Make sure that your domain names are on auto-renew so they don’t accidentally expire.
If you have a larger portfolio of domains you may want to sign up for discount domain pricing, if available at your registrar.
Whether you begin your domaining journey only planning to dedicate a few hours a week or want to make it your full-time career, these tools are essential to maximizing your revenue.
For anyone new to domaining, even those with prior investment experience, there will be a bit of a learning curve. Before we discuss how to start off on the right foot, we need to cover what to steer clear of.
Domain squatting
Domain squatting occurs when someone registers a domain name with the intent to profit from the brand or trademark of someone else. This includes:
Registering trademarked terms, names, slogans and derivations thereof.
Registering a specific business or organization’s name with the intent to block them from getting the domain.
Registering any of the above with the goal to profit from selling ads on the page or flipping the name in the aftermarket.
Don’t do this.
Scams and fraudulent transactions
Be sure you vet potential buyers, conduct WHOIS searches on domains offered to you for purchase to verify the owner, and conduct all sales through a broker or escrow service that you trust.
A domain name can appear to be “for sale” but it is your responsibility to do due diligence to determine that the domain name has a clear and free title and isn’t stolen.
If domaining sounds exciting to you, that’s great. But before you commit to domain investing, there are a few other things to take into account.
Full time or side hustle?
Domaining can be satisfying as a part-time venture or long-term career. Which you choose will depend on a few factors:
1. Time
If you want to invest in domains full time, you will be competing with many other investors who already have domaining experience and proven strategies that have led them to success.
Finding valuable domains and building a strong domain portfolio takes time and research.
You will need to consider how much attention you can set aside to focus on investing per day, week or month. The more time you can allocate to learning the basics and executing a solid investing strategy, the more likely you are to succeed.
2. Money
You have to invest money to make money in domaining.
How much you invest will depend on your business model and what kind of domain names you want to invest in, along with how much time you plan to spend optimizing and monetizing your domains.
Much like vacant land in the middle of the desert versus the city of Manhattan, there is a spectrum of different caliber domains. You can buy one three-letter domain name for $50,000 or register .xyz domains in bulk for $0.99 to test building a portfolio of domain names to quickly flip.
Each strategy could be profitable, but each is vastly different depending on the domains and your goals.
If you plan to hold a large portfolio of domain names you will incur higher overhead in the form of renewal fees, so you want to make sure you are at least earning enough to cover the renewal fees and the initial acquisition prices.
Investing in domain names on new extensions is one way to keep your startup costs lower.
There are thousands of new domain extensions available beyond the legacy domains like .com, .org, etc. Investing in desirable domain names on a new generic extension like .xyzor .monster is a great way to target a wide audience while keeping your initial costs low.
If you plan to flip domains within a specific industry, look for new extensions tailor-made to serve them, like .college or .rent.
3. Competition in your vertical
Remember that domaining is already a popular investment opportunity, and you will be entering what can be considered one of the fastest-growing online side hustles today. Before you shape your business plan, look at how many investors are already invested in that segment of the industry and see what domains can be had for good value.
Another important factor in deciding whether to pursue domaining full time or as a side hustle is the overall ambition for your portfolio. If you dream of becoming the next great domain investor, you could be looking at years of time and a significant financial investment.
Maybe you’d just like to make some passive income to supplement your other business ventures or investments. In that case, you can pursue a more risk-averse domaining strategy and set your startup costs as you see fit.
Starting with this approach is a great way to dip your toes in and see if domaining is for you.
If you find you don’t have a passion for the industry, or can’t seem to get enough return on investment, then you won’t have invested too much capital or time.
If you think you have what it takes and are ready for the challenge, here are the first steps you should take to get started in domaining and make money with your domains.
1. Educate yourself
One of the best ways to get a head start on making money with domains is by reading about domaining and educating yourself on the industry. There are dozens of domain blogs that share daily updates on the industry and can give you a good sense of how investors are thinking.
Read what registrars like GoDaddy are sharing on their blogs, as well. These can be a great source of information as you begin domaining.
Start building your domain portfolio with domain names related to industries you follow or fields you are an expert in. That way you will be able to find buyers more easily, set fair prices for your domains and build a solid investment base that allows you to branch into investing in domain names that target other markets or industries.
Whether it be a legacy domain extension or a new domain ending, there are many paths to take on your quest.
3. Get the tools you need
Even if you plan to start domaining with just a few purchases, conduct keyword research before you choose domains to buy and put them in a portfolio management platform. This can be as simple as making a detailed spreadsheet and choosing to keep your domains at only one or two registrars.
Read up on news and trends in the verticals you’re targeting and create a list of potential buyers you think you could sell your domains to.
4. Set fair prices for your domain names
If you have no prior experience in domaining, an appraisal tool may be the easiest way to start. Research aftermarket sales of domains similar to the domains you have for sale and make sure your prices are in a similar range.
5. List your domains for sale and get them in front of buyers
This is a crucially important step and will likely require the most effort and management. Utilize domaining forums, list on domain aftermarkets, create solid landing pages and outreach directly to potential buyers to attract interest in your domains.
If you have social media profiles, you could use them to contact buyers and promote the domain names you have for sale.
6. Understand how domain transfers work
If you plan to purchase domains listed by private sellers, they may be registered at a different registrar than your preferred choice. Make sure you know the domain transfer process of both your registrar and the seller’s registrar.
If you know you will be transferring domains often, familiarize yourself with a key aspect of the transfer process, known as EPP codes. These codes work like the key to the title of a domain and allow you to
move the name between two different registrars.
When you sell a name, be sure to use an escrow or broker service so you don’t get scammed. Always know who your buyer is and make sure your assets are protected.
7. Continually monitor the value of your domain names
The domaining market changes rapidly, so be sure you always know what your domains are worth.
Knowing when to sell, when to hold and what domain names to invest in will help achieve the most profit.
If the market value of domains in a particular category or vertical has shifted, be sure to adjust pricing accordingly.
Some domain investors build portfolios with thousands of domain names. In cases like this, it is important to categorize the domain names you have according to the traits that make them most valuable. Categorization could be by industry, name length, extension popularity or any number of factors.
Also, monitor the number of incoming inquiries and your sell rate closely. You must test different landing pages and see how each one affects your inquiry and sell rate. After you gather the data, make intelligent adjustments to optimize the sell rate and average sold price per domain.
8. Start small and try different strategies to see what works
Try investing in a few low- to mid-tier domains and see if you can turn a profit. If you are successful in this small experiment, reinvest your profits into more domains and build from there!
9. Don’t be afraid to pivot
If you’ve started investing in domain names and are struggling to find buyers, consider other types of buyers for those domains or look to sell them and instead invest in domains in another category or vertical.
Having the ability and foresight to adapt is key to success in any endeavor, and that is especially true in an ever-changing industry like domaining.
10. Be ready to make mistakes
No matter how much you prepare, there is always the possibility of making a few bad buys or wrong decisions along the way. It has happened to many domain investors, good and bad, but mistakes can be the best teacher.
Find the lesson to take from a bad investing experience and roll that knowledge into an evolved strategy as you continue onward.
11. Get involved in the domaining community
Participate in discussions on domain blogs and forums, attend industry events like Namescon, or join a domain investor group in your area. This will help you immerse yourself in the industry, learn from the experience of other domain investors like yourself and will give you a deeper connection to domaining.
Domaining can be an exciting investment opportunity, but making money with domains requires thorough research, an understanding of what strategy you want to pursue, and a plan of action.
Before you jump into domaining, remember to:
Set a budget, invest in industries you know and have a plan to reinvest your profits into more assets for your domain portfolio.
Get the domaining tools you need to succeed and use them.
Stay up to date on domaining news by monitoring new domain extensions, emerging industries and naming trends, and watching what domains are selling and for how much.
With the right tools and plan, anyone can invest in domains. If you’re ready to start domaining, GoDaddy has the domain investing tools you need to start and grow your new venture.
As the new year approaches, it’s important for businesses to reevaluate and rejuvenate their social media strategies. In 2020, it will be as important as ever to have an engaging strategy on social media that incorporates creative, visual storytelling, influencer marketing and social customer care. Make sure your business is using these social media trends in 2020 to stay ahead of the game and top-of-mind with your customers.
Social media trends in 2020
We’ll be laying out these 4 social media trends you should use in 2020.
Create purposeful, engaging content
Use in-the-moment visual storytelling
Practice social media customer care
Team up with local advocates and influencers
1. Create purposeful, engaging content
We’re kicking off our list of social media trends in 2020 with trend numero uno — create engaging content on your social media pages that encourages audience participation. Storytelling has long been a trend on social, and we’ve all heard that “content is king.” But in 2020, you’ll want to post content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that not only tells a story, but also encourages audience participation, starts conversations and build relationships.
Think about content you’ve posted, (or content from other brands you love). Now, think about the interaction those posts get. What worked? What flopped? What can you do more of or do better on your social media pages that will get your audience engaging with you across platforms? We have some ideas for you.
On Facebook, post about your newest offerings, deals and developments. It will keep your audience in the loop and will keep them coming back to your page to see what’s new in 2020.
Here, Washington, D.C. restaurant, Compass Rose, posts a new menu item on Facebook. They posted an excellent photo paired with an engaging caption, and as a comment, someone asked, “Are you guys participating in D.C. Restaurant Week?” That comment gives the restaurant an opportunity to respond and invite that potential customer in to try their items during Restaurant Week — and all year long.
On Instagram, use these social media trends in 2020.
Encourage your audience to use a branded hashtag of yours, letting them know if they use it, they could be featured on your profile. In this example, Atlanta brewery Terrapin Beer Company says it’s “#TakeTerrapin Tuesday” on their Instagram post. Then, they call for their followers to get involved by saying, “Show us where you Take Terrapin using the hashtag and we might feature you on our profile.”
This tactic is an effective way to get people talking about a brand on their personal Instagram feeds. Instagram users posting about your products and integrating your branded hashtag into their posts spreads the word about you to their friends and followers. This helps build brand awareness for your business to an audience you wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise.
Instagram is also a fantastic place to utilize user-generated content to create interaction and start conversations. In this example, Timber Pizza Company uses a photo from fan, @baumkitty, and makes sure to tag her in their fun, on-brand caption. You can see that the first comment is @baumkitty using the clapping hands emoji (👏) to show that she loves how Timber Pizza used her post.
This post started with a conversation (between the restaurant and the fan), and then created more conversations in the comments of the post. This kind of fan interaction also has the potential to create more user-generated content. Now, other fans will feel compelled to share their photos while visiting Timber Pizza knowing that the restaurant might share them on their feed.
On Twitter, decide to dive into social media trends in 2020 with a Twitter Chat. The key to success with Twitter is to be more than a spectator and be a participator. Add value to conversations on the platform, and that will differentiate your business from your competition.
“Twitter chats (or Tweet chats) are public conversations organized around a specific topic on Twitter. These moderated discussions take place at a predetermined time, with a predetermined hashtag. They’re a great way to build community around your brand.” —Hootsuite
Hosting a Twitter chat is an engaging way to bring people together, talk directly to current and potential customers and create community around your brand. You can host a live Q&A, start an AMA (Ask Me Anything), ask trivia questions, or provide tips and tricks that can help your customers. Just make sure to do some promo tweets ahead of time, encourage users to participate in the chat by using your unique, branded hashtag and send a recap at the end.
Next on our list of our social media trends in 2020 is practicing excellent social media customer care. More and more consumers are turning to social media to review businesses and to get their issues resolved quickly. Your customers are reaching out to you across social media platforms, so be responsive and be there for them.
“Social customer care is differentiated from [customer] service in that it starts before a customer reaches out to you about a product or service. It means that you not only respond to complaints but you also reward compliments. You recognize who your recurring customers are and keep them hooked.” —Sprout Social
Every mention, comment and wall post that comes in for your business on social media has the power to influence customer opinions of your brand and their likelihood to come by for a visit. In this example, Gessner Heating and Air Conditioning makes sure to respond to a fan comment. This keeps the conversation going that their post started.
Many reach outs from your current and potential customers on social media will be requests for business information, questions about your products and services, real-time notifications of their visit to your business and descriptions of previous experiences.
Skillfully handling customer questions and requests on social media by implementing social media customer care can be the difference between impressing a customer or losing their business.
Respond to all recommendations on Facebook, public comments, timeline posts, tweets and private DMs to make sure you’re providing the best social customer care possible. In this example, Mi Tierra San Jose Mexican Restaurant responds to a customer recommendation on Facebook with a personalized, professional and succinct response showing gratitude and customer appreciation.
And, you never know, one customer comment, idea or piece of feedback could have a big impact on your business. Take this example on Easy Tiger’s Instagram post. One customer commented that a special they offer should be added to their permanent menu.
The business responds that they will take this feedback to their kitchen team. This interaction shows anyone who sees this post that their customers are important to them and that customer feedback matters.
3. Use in-the-moment visual storytelling
Next up for social media trends in 2020: in-the-moment visual storytelling content! Using Facebook Live and Instagram Stories triggers immediate reaction and can help your brand boost engagement.
“Why are marketers getting so excited about Facebook Live? Because it’s a fun and fairly simple way for them to use the power of video to communicate their brand stories, and build authentic relationships with fans and followers — in real time.” —HubSpot
So, what can your business share in real-time to start building relationships with your Facebook audience? In this example, the Cheeky Peach, a clothing boutique in Athens, GA, uses Facebook Live to show off their newest items. Below, you can see the engagement that is possible with a video like this.
Customers are putting in orders in real-time while watching the video — increasing both sales and interaction with their brand on Facebook.
Businesses should also be sharing engaging content on Instagram Stories in 2020.
Fun fact: 1 in 5 Instagram Stories shared by a brand receives a direct reply on the platform from a user, according to TechCrunch.
64% of marketers have either already implemented Instagram Stories into their social media strategy or are planning to in the next year. —Hootsuite
Jump in! Start sharing what’s happening at your business and all the elements that make your business unique on Instagram Stories. Post shots of new products, events and specials, behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks and how-tos. To really get conversations going, add user-generated content into your Instagram Stories strategy. Here’s how you can do it.
If a user mentions your business in her Story, a notification will appear in your DMs. (The icon looks like a paper airplane in the top right corner of your feed.)
Open your notifications, find that mention, then, click, “Add this to your Story.”
In the Story creation screen, resize the content, add fun elements and share!
Here’s Kriser’s Natural Pet using a cute, post-grooming post from user, @ericadhess. Kriser’s was tagged in her post, so they added her post to their Story. They also added a heart graphic to make it their own. Now, instead of posting this shot directly from their account, they have incorporated a mini customer testimonial. This lets their followers know that consumers love having their pets groomed at their store.
4. Team up with local advocates and influencers
We’ve come to our final trend to add to your social media trends in 2020 to-do list. You can team up with local advocates and influencers to further your marketing goals and connect with more real people in your community.
Too much promotional content can come across as sales-y and disingenuous, especially to millennials. But, consumers love endorsements from real people. They want to see that consumers like them are enjoying your product and services before giving you a try.
22% of millennials online purchase products after seeing influencers endorse them. —SocialMediaToday
So, how do you pick local advocates and influencers that are right for your business?Your local advocates can be local media or publications. The best influencers can be your very own customers and brand ambassadors a.k.a the biggest fans of your brand. What you need to look for are people or publications with good reach, an authentic following and genuine engagement (consistent likes and comments.)
Here is an example of successful, local influencer marketing. User @minneats posts a photo of Punch Bowl Social’s mac-and-cheese. Her Instagram account has a fair amount of followers, and it’s full of photos of her favorite eats. So, she might be a perfect influencer for this restaurant to team up with to spread the word about their brand.
To complete the circle of sharing and appreciation, Punch Bowl Social then shares @minneats’ post on their own feed and credits her by reposting her original caption. All of these actions help Punch Bowl Social spread the word that consumers in their community are posting about them and like their products.
It’s easy to see how connecting with an influencer or brand ambassador can take your marketing further. Utilizing the following of local influencers and community advocates can help build brand awareness with users that might not have ever seen your content or your brand. Once a new fan sees a post about your business, they might navigate to your social pages, check out your website or walk right in your doors to see what you’re all about.
Key takeaways: Whatever you decide to do with social media trends in 2020, make sure that you’re posting content that is getting genuine engagement. Then, interact with that engagement.
Don’t just post! Start conversations, join existing conversations and build relationships across platforms to further your marketing goals and grow your brand.
Engage your customers like never before with GoDaddy Social. We help businesses elevate their online presence on the platforms that matter most. Get started with us here.
Single page website ideas are becoming more and more commonplace because of their simplicity and conciseness. Structuring a website to make sure content and navigation are on the same page can be challenging, but done right, it will look great, and website users are going to experience a flawless and efficient user experience.
Website and app designers know very well what difficulties can be found in single-page website projects. However, they need to be done correctly in order to ensure that you get the attention of customers quickly.
This is probably one of the biggest reasons why single page websites are starting to appear more commonly throughout the internet. Single page websites are easy to use, and all the information can be seen quickly. This means that users that discover the information will be more encouraged to perform an action depending on the goal of the site.
In this article created by our team at Amelia, lists single-page website options that can be used as an inspiration source.
Single Page Website, Definition
Before checking the websites mentioned above, we will first explain a bit more what a single-page website is and how it can help with the projects you are working on.
Simply put, a single-page website is a website that uses only one HTML page to show all information. This helps users find the information they need by using simple actions such as scrolls and clicks.
The content on a single page website is already loaded on the initial page. This makes the experience quick and fluid for the user. When navigating to different destinations of the site, any user can click navigation links that allow them to jump to specific parts on the page. Another thing they can do is to scroll down and go to the sections they want to go to.
Many creatives started to use the one-page website recently. We can also see page designs similar to this being adopted by larger companies. This is proof that single page website designs are becoming popular indeed.
When should we use a single-page website?
A lot of websites have a lot of information that needs to be displayed. Even simple businesses can have a site with different pages showcasing their contact information, services, and more. Indeed, the multi-page design is also useful and fits certain cases. However, often enough, there are projects where the single-page website is going to work better.
Single-page websites can be the entire website, and for a user, this makes a lot of sense. There is no need to have several pages when the whole content can fit so easily into one.
The challenge here is to know when to use each design. For example, this kind of site works great for portfolios but is not that good for online stores. So, understanding where it makes sense to use a single-page website is going to save time and help you create better websites.
One of the advantages of using a single-page website is that it brings focus on one thing. This helps the visitor to make a quick decision and prevents them from being sent to bloated websites with an overwhelming amount of options and information. They are also used many times to represent a landing page. The goal here is to make the user act downloading, joining a newsletter, or more. These actions are known as Conversions.
Other details regarding the single page website and their characteristics are the following:
Sections are clear and defined
Header elements are big
Custom scrolling effects
Actionable Goals
Strong CTA
Easy navigation buttons
Great single page website designs
Have a look at this single page website ideas that can inspire you. There are many website types shown from restaurants, online portfolios, apps, and more. Investigating further into them is going to show the modern trends and what should be considered for the projects that you might do. Here they are:
Superlative
The typography of Superlative, together with their new product, makes this new website look sharp and attractive.
Playground Digital Agency
This excellent, single-page website shows how to bring a portfolio on a single page. We love the transitions; they look great and make the site feel like an online comic.
With this single page website, we can find more about the services that the agency is offering, who are the team members, what clients they had before together with contact information. The site also has a simple, fun chatbot that you can use to get in touch when you do not want to send an email. This is a great addon, as it makes the single page design more interactive.
Balsoy
On Balsoy’s website, we see a quick menu at the top that helps users navigate more accessible through the single-page layout. When users scroll down, they will see different sections that give information about the product. Each chapter is marked with an animation transition that brings a fun vibe.
A Digital Volcano
This digital platform was done by a collaboration between Gin Lane and General Electric, together with Qwake Technologies. This single-page website aims to tell the story of GE’s effort to research our planet, starting with the active volcano in Masaya called Nicaragua.
Jon Phillips
This website is a good definition of primary, and what you see here is the whole of it. Even though there can be more info showing work samples or social media profiles, it is still an excellent example of how a cool single page website should look. This is a great example that shows how you can get up quickly and work on something more robust.
Ackee
Check this simple landing page design that features a dark color scheme together with some great analytics tools. Very simple and professional.
Cisco DNA Mobility Graphic
As single page websites have limited space to show any products or services, they are most often designed using a precise navigation bar or system that improves the UX. In this web page example, we see an excellent design concept together with an active menu that attracts users.
Flying Piñata
Who does not love pinatas? Now you can get this item delivered at your home brought by drones. It is a great idea when you want to spice up a birthday party. This is the aim of the single-page website featured here. It is a great way of showcasing a product and what it is meant for.
Le Moulin de Ponceau
Even food-related businesses can take advantage of single-page websites. A parallax scrolling effect does wonders for the Moulin de Ponceau restaurant. Illustrations that feature food together with a beautiful slider make the content flow naturally.
Ubiq 34
This simple, clean website was done for UBIQ 34 Business Complex. It shows available offices for rent in the space.
Dance Tonite
Simple single page website that features a cool VR project. It is done using user-generated VR recordings that show what you should expect.
Fishing the Feed
The aim of this website is quite noble. The story shown makes people aware of the crisis and puts pressure on the industry that can bring positive changes.
Sonikpass
This two-factor authentication device looks futuristic, and the website gives the same impression. We can consider it a landing page that was made to promote the product. The goal of it is to explain how the device works while users scroll down.
We can see a simple design used for this single-page website. However, Sonikpass also has some beautiful animations to bring some diversity. We consider it an excellent example of how to tell a story using a single page.
Make Your Money Matter
Have a look at how to make your money matter used colorful illustrations on their single-page website. They did to so make it more engaging and adequately exposed what happens to the money when they go in banks. It is a beautiful and informative site that has a great visual design.
Epic
Epic is another example of how a story can be told better when using a single-page website. Anchor links have been added at the top of the page so users can find exactly what they need when they click individual buttons or scroll down.
Each section contains a vivid graphic concept and a short explainer. The layout, therefore, is simple and allows the user to be able to scroll through and have their pick of stories like a digital library.
Built Things
This is a beautiful single-page website that we thought to add on our list. The storyline is done nicely, and it can make sense for all people. It is a great way to find out more details about the company.
RealView
If you check this single-page website, you will understand how a presentation should be done. It offers insights on a relevant topic regarding effective and ineffective employees. But the more significant thing is that the site is itself an excellent example of how to show specific details.
Hyperfocus
Hyperfocus brings a minimal style to the center of attention. It looks beautiful, and the designer behind it did an excellent job.
Live to Change
This is a perfect example of single-page website ideas that show how to structure a large quantity of information. It talks about social entrepreneurship and its impact in the last years.
Wind And Words
If you like Game of Thrones, then you are going to love the layout of this single-page website. It collected data from subtitles this site shows different character interactions that you may not have thought of.
A large part of websites is done vertically. This travel one is an exception and uses a horizontal scroll to show its content. It has exciting background videos that go very well with the entire effects added to it.
Pratham Books Annual Report 2019
This is an excellent example of how single page websites can change the tone of a brand. It showcases the celebration of 15 years at Pratham Books, and they did a great job using colorful illustrations and pure design elements.
Mutant Labs
Take a look at how Mutant Labs uses trust elements to underline their trustworthiness. They added logos of all of their clients to bring confidence towards users that are checking them.
Cycle
Single page website concepts can also be used for different tools. Cycle is a powerful tool developed for product-centric teams.
Scissors & Clippers – Fullscreen CSS3 Single Page Website Template
Using different colors for different functioning areas is a great way of helping users interact easily with a website. The Scissors & Clippers website page that uses this strategy. It has two color blocks that divide the page into two distinct, functional areas.
This helps make it quick and simple for users to discover the content that they need.
Balance
Consider Balance as the first world’s meditation program. The idea behind it is that you develop a habit through which you track your meditation experience. It has many audio files that can be listened to at any time. The more we explored it, the more we liked it and decided to add it to our single-page website list.
Every Last Drop
Every Last Drop is a single page website created by folks at Waterwise. This is a UK-based nonprofit that educates people about water consumption and why it is essential to reduce it. It is an excellent example of how information can be structured easily and creatively using a single-page website.
100 Years of National Parks Service
Looking at the technical aspect of this example, we can see it is straightforward. The site stands out due to its beautiful photography and simple layout.
When you scroll down, you see an icon following your progress, similar to a bookmark. Jumping from one section to another is simple and can be done using the corresponding images.
It has a simple effect and it makes navigation feel enjoyable. When you get to the end of the page, you will know everything about the National Parks Service.
Overlay
This simple website showcases a product design studio. It shows what they are doing and how the startup wants to bring value to its clients.
Oyster
This is a new, single-page website that showcases its product in a professional, straightforward manner.
Glyphy
Useful and straightforward, Glyphy offers a single-page website where you can easily copy special characters and symbols to your device without wasting time.
Minimal Wim
If you are a graphic designer, you are going to love Minimal Wim’s website. It explores the process of creating an entire alphabet.
Ian Enders
This is a tremendous single page website that was created by Ian Enders as an online resume. It is a simple ad creative.
MIND | SETS
We liked how the content sections of this single page website were created and decided it had to be included here.
Angry Bear
This is the website of a design agency, who used their expertise to put out a great display. It has easy navigation and can be used as a source of inspiration.
Shamim Shafiee UI/UX Designer
This website was created with a minimal aspect in mind. It promotes traditional Malaysian style and did a great job with it.
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A computer engineer is a professional who combines computer science with electrical engineering to build new computers and computer systems. Here we discuss computer engineer information concerning job duties, education, salary, and more.
Domain flipping is a bit of a controversial subject in some circles, but it remains a viable opportunity to make extra cash if you’re interested. Web domains are traded on an open marketplace, not unlike real estate.
Just like you can flip a house by buying it for cheap and selling it for more, you can flip a domain.
This guide will teach you the basics of domain flipping, how it works, and how you can flip a domain for cash with the right timing. To help you accomplish this, we’ll answer the following questions:
What is domain flipping?
Why would you flip a domain?
5 steps to flip a domain.
What is domain drop catching?
Where is the best place for domain flipping?
What kind of budget should you allot for domain flipping?
When is the best time to flip a domain to make the most cash?
The high-level strategy behind domain flipping is simple. A domain name is a unique string of characters used to conveniently direct people to a website; to use one, you need to register it, so you can have exclusive access to it.
If the domain name is available, you can buy it outright. If the domain name is currently held, you’ll need to make an offer to purchase it from the current holder.
Domain flipping is the practice of buying a domain name as cheaply as possible. Then, without doing anything with the domain, you’ll sell the domain to an interested party for more than you originally paid.
There’s a bit more to it than this, but this is the basic premise.
Why would you flip a domain?
Why would you do this? For the most part, the motivation is profit. Domains are incredibly valuable pieces of online real estate; in fact, the most expensive domain name ever sold, Cars.com, sold for $872 million.
If you’re in the right place at the right time and choose a domain name with massive potential, you could turn a significant profit when you flip the domain.
If you flip domains regularly, there’s a chance you could even turn it into a full-time career.
Let’s say you’re interested in flipping a domain. What steps do you need to follow to accomplish this?
1. Search for a domain
First, you need to find a domain that’s worth buying. If you want to make the most cash, you’ll need to optimize your strategy by finding a domain that’s both inexpensive to initially purchase and potentially lucrative to sell.
There are many tools you can use to scout for initial domains; for example, you could use a domain name search to hunt for domains related to a specific product, service, or topic.
Go ahead, give it a try:
You could also head to a domain auction, where you can view a list of many domains currently being sold. Make sure to check the expiring domain auctions for possible options as well.
2. Evaluate the domain
When you find a domain that’s friendly to your budget, you’ll need to spend some time evaluating it. There are several factors that make a domain name potentially valuable, including:
Length
Brandability
Relevance
Search friendliness
You’ll likely need to do some independent research to predict whether you can eventually sell the domain for more than you initially paid for it. Make sure you’re also looking at historical sale prices for similar domains.
If your due diligence checks out, you can proceed with buying the domain and registering it to your name. This is usually a simple process that doesn’t take much time.
4. Find a buyer for the domain
This is the most difficult and most variable step of the process.
If you want to flip the domain for a profit, you need to find someone willing to pay more for the domain than you did.
There are a few different angles you can take here; for example, you could use a buy-and-hold strategy, minimizing your effort and waiting for interest in the domain to grow.
If you make your registry public, prospective buyers will be able to find your contact information if they’re interested in your domain.
They may reach out to you with an offer or bid, privately, if they’re interested.
You could also take a more aggressive approach; for example, you could create a landing page for your domain, appealing to people who might be interested in buying it.
And if you’re interested in a faster, direct approach, you could list your domain at an auction.
5. Sell the domain
Finally, your buyer will pay you for the domain, and ownership will transfer upon their new registry. Again, this is usually a simple process that doesn’t take much time.
What is domain drop catching?
One of the most common strategies in domain flipping is domain drop catching, sometimes called domain sniping. Domain registration has an expiration date, rather than lasting forever. When the domain is fully expired, other buyers may swoop in and take it.
At a certain point, the domain will enter a redemption grace period.
Depending on the domain, the current holder will have an additional 30 to 90 days to renew their registration. During this period, domain flippers may keep an eye on the domain. Once the registration has fully lapsed, they may pounce on the opportunity.
This is especially valuable because it’s the only time when a particularly valuable domain will become publicly available.
Expired domains can usually be obtained for cheaper than domains sold directly at an auction because the owner is no longer interested in them.
Where is the best place for domain flipping?
There are two basic stages for domain flipping: buying and selling. If you use an all-encompassing domain marketplace like GoDaddy, you can use the same platform for both stages of the process.
You may also be interested in using a specialty tool if you have specific needs or a specific strategy to follow.
For example, if you’re following the domain drop catching strategy, you’ll need to have a tool that allows you to find recently expired or soon-to-be-expired domains. ExpiredDomains.net and JustDropped.com are two popular options here.
Expired domain auctions through GoDaddy Auctions are also a tried-and-true option.
Once you’ve acquired the domain, you may not need to use an auction or marketplace to sell it — especially if you’re trying to appeal to private sellers.
Auctions can hasten the process, but some domains can benefit from being held publicly for an extended period of time. It will all depend on the type of domain you’re trying to sell and the potential market for that domain.
What kind of budget should you allot for domain flipping?
How much money do you need to start domain flipping? That’s hard to say. Domains sell for anywhere between a few dollars and hundreds of millions of dollars, and you can feasibly start with just one domain to flip. Accordingly, it’s possible to start domain flipping with $10.
However, domain flipping is a bit of a numbers game.
You may end up owning a domain for months or even years before you sell it. On top of that, many of your inexpensive domains may not make you any money, but if even one is able to sell for $1,000, it could make your entire operation profitable.
It’s usually advisable to plan on buying a portfolio of many different domains if you plan to flip domains. Accordingly, it’s a good idea to start with a budget of at least a few hundred dollars.
When is the best time to flip a domain to make the most cash?
In many ways, domain flipping is all about timing. Purchasing a domain before the general public realizes how valuable it is, or selling it when it reaches peak popularity, can make your domain flipping strategy profitable.
So when is the “best” time to flip a domain?
This is going to depend on many factors, but for the most part, buying a domain is best timed when the domain is getting minimal attention — that could mean capitalizing on the early days of a new product or concept, or trying to get a domain when its original registry expires.
If you’re interested in getting immediate cash, selling at auction after completing your registry may be the best option. Some domains are best incubated for a short period of time before flipping, and others may need to be held for months, or even years, before they reach peak maturity.
You’ll need to consider the nature of the domain before deciding the best time to sell.
What kind of domains are best for flipping?
What kind of domains are ideal for domain flipping? That’s hard to say definitively, but you can improve your results by seeking domains that are both inexpensive and capable of being sold for a high price.
Accordingly, the best domains to flip have some of the following qualities:
Expired
Domains whose registry has expired tend to be cheaper than their counterparts. This is because they’re reentering the market for the first time in a while and because the owner isn’t necessarily interested in turning a profit.
You won’t have to competitively bid against other domain flippers at a public auction, nor will you have to make a high private bid to appeal to a private holder.
Instead, you’re taking advantage of a low-cost, fresh opportunity.
Short domain names are a mixed bag for domain flippers. In general, the shorter a domain name is, the more valuable it is. That’s because short domains are easy to type, easy to remember, and easy to market.
If you can acquire a domain name of just a few characters, or a domain name with a short, common phrase, you can count on being able to sell it for a higher amount.
The trouble is most other domain-hunters understand this concept and are aggressively searching for short domains alongside you. Accordingly, the purchase prices are pushed higher — which means you may not be able to make them an integral part of your strategy if your budget is limited.
New
New domains are also highly valuable. Occasionally, new domain name extensions and modifications will emerge; when this happens, you can capitalize on potentially lucrative opportunities before anyone has a chance to evaluate them.
You can also take advantage of new products, services or concepts by seizing a domain early in its evolution. For example, cryptocurrency is a fairly new concept; if you caught on to the concept very early, long before it became popular, you likely could have bought a domain like Cryptocurrency.com for a very small amount of money.
They’re specific enough that you probably won’t face a ton of competition from prospective buyers, but they’re valuable enough that you can sell them for a fair amount of money.
For example, you may not be able to get HotDogs.com because of how short and popular it could be, but you might be able to get YourCityHereHotDogs.com.
Keyword-friendly
You should also consider how friendly the domain is for search engines and search engine optimization (SEO). With Google’s Keyword Planner, you can research a specific topic and learn which keywords and phrases related to that topic seem to get the most searches.
The more actively searched the word or phrase is, the more valuable it will be when it’s included in a domain name. Like with short domain names, the problem here is that you might face additional competition by seeking these lucrative opportunities.
Domain flipping is a viable way to make some extra money while getting involved in the world of online real estate. You’ll need a bit of expertise, a discerning eye, and some lucky timing, but if you’re consistent, you can make a reliable stream of income from the practice.
Make sure to take advantage of GoDaddy’s domain auction and other domain-related tools to improve your chances of success.
Everyone has a favorite color or a color palette that they prefer, and it tends to affect the choices made in their daily lives. Designers know this, and as a result, work to evaluate a color scheme at the start of a project.
Although color can be seen everywhere, not long ago, the only televisions available to the general public were in black and white. In more recent years, the yellow color palette has grown in popularity, as it uses bright, strong colors, that tend to bring feelings of happiness and calmness. In this article created by our team at Amelia, we wanted discuss how yellow has impacted our lives, and how the color can be added to yours as well.
Why choose a yellow color palette?
Some people may view the yellow color palette as too bright, but when used correctly, it can inspire many different ideas. The most obvious one being warmth.
Yellow not only offers a cozy effect, but it is also often viewed as cheerful. It stimulates people, and a lot of times, it is associated with food. Pure yellow can be very strong and can be used to get the attention of users.
If you are wondering what yellow symbolizes, the answer is quite simple. It stands for hope, confidence, and imaginative designs.Still, when yellow is overused, it may not look appealing. To balance this, you will need to incorporate colors that go with yellow, but will not be overwhelming.
As it represents the color of the sun, yellow can bring happiness and fun aspects. It is also responsible for activating the anxiety area in your brain. This is why it should be used cautiously. Remember to go for a darker color as a contrast.
Yellow Color Palette Website Examples
Sikkema
This is a more feminine website that is focused on the associations of warmth and brightness of the sun. The website color scheme consists of several nuances of a vivid yellow, and it looks quite cool.
Creative Spark
This site has a yellow color palette and also brings some shades of grey and blue into it. The smart use of colors, together with design elements, makes it successful in sending its message to the viewers.
Lordz
The best color palette to go with for this website was yellow. As we are talking about the Swiss Urban Dance Academy Lordz, we should expect it to have a great design. The yellow color schemes keep viewers energized, and the animations that are in it also do a great job.
Pittori di Cinema
Who said minimalism could not use strong colors as well? The yellow color palette in this website looks great and blends in perfectly with the design part.
The Robin Collective
This is a creative mix gives a magical view of color when entering the website. The yellow palette brings positivity and sunshine to the viewers. The additional shades of blue and orange go hand in hand with the rest of the elements. When the artist deals with highly saturated colors such as yellow, he knows to add some neutral tones that balance the entire effect.
Hlvticons
This color palette from Hlvticons has a combination of the three colors yellow, white, and black. Not only do they look great, but they are also great for inspiration purposes.
Siteleaf
The nice, yellow color palette that is used on the Siteleaf site can be perfect to use for a natural, white background and dynamic, dominant color. It looks great, and the different grades of color bring a nice design. It is not that complicated to obtain a similar effect, so designers can check it out to understand what is going on in there.
Collectif-yay
YAY represents a graphic design collective that features a vibrant website. Although the layout contains a simple layout with a yellow color palette, if you keep scrolling, you see how the background color changes.
The black typography goes well with the rest of the elements. The website looks good, and it mixes colors in a very creative way. They did a great job also with the menu interface. It can be a real inspiration model, so keep it in your list for future references.
Yellow Bird Project
This is a great example of how colors that compliment yellow can direct your eye to certain links on the site. The cool aspect of this is it does it without overwhelming you. Contrasting black boxes, together with a black logo, offer the needed balance. We can also see a bright aqua-green being used that brings another dimension to use. It is simple but creative at the same time.
Assiko
This is a simple combination of a yellow color palette mixed with orange and dark gray. It does a great job of grabbing your attention, and it shows that smart color combinations can also be used when you want to bring an audacious look in front. It is one of those examples that shows colors that match with yellow and do a great job of featuring a brand online.
MA True Cannabis
This website has vibrant colors that create a powerful combination. Together with its design elements, the website brings a nice, lost-lasting impression together with a warm feeling towards the viewer. Anybody that is going to check it out is going to be impressed by what they see on the site.
Adam Hartwig
Another website that takes advantage of the yellow color palette is this portfolio. It belongs to a designer and developer that lives in the UK and specializes in interactive experiences for tablet, desktop, and mobile.
Created by Adam Hartwig, this website shows his creativity and what he can do. The website starts with a simple slideshow of unique hand-drawn elements that displays information about himself. We can see that more than one color is being used, but the main one remains yellow. Yellow is one of the first colors you see when you enter the website.
Bzzy
This bright yellow incorporates the idea of communication, and the site looks great because of it. What could be a better choice for a text-messaging app? As this brand wants to stay consistent, it matches up to its product through all its communication channels.
Together with the yellow color palette, it also uses a red that goes nicely with the black images and font. It is an excellent source of inspiration when you want to try different colors that go well with yellow.
Snipcart
On this website, we see that a gray is being used to set the tone as the primary background color together with subtle yellow accents. The choice goes hand in hand with a bright color that has a subtle and neutral gradient for a color palette that encourages the user to go towards the content and explore it.
This is a great way of using colors to make users explore more the website and what it has to offer.
Frankie Ratford
At first glance when checking out the website of Frankie Ratford, it is clear that the person featured in it is full of energy. We can notice this because of the color choice that has been made. The yellow color palette brings a great energy, and when the other colors are added, it makes the site feel more minimal. This is due to the use of black to balances it out.
Croscon
The website of this company has yellow graphic elements on large images with a white overlay. The large black typography looks great and forms a friendly web design example.
ICO Syndicate
This combination of yellow color palette together with softer hues creates a nice experience on this website. The colors used are:
Floral White
Banana Mania
Safety Yellow
Mauve
Rich Lavender
Mooze Design
This site is very bright and utilizes both a golden tone and a grey one. It manages to create a nice contrast that viewers can really appreciate.
12 Dishes
The simple color combinations on this site make it look elegant and engaging at the same time. Just give it a check and see how the yellow color palette has been used ingeniously.
Loic Sciampagna Portfolio
The combination of blue and yellow looks interesting on this site, and the contrasting hues are simple, elegant, and engaging. With this simple touch of light, some nice vibes can be achieved.
Mambo Mambo
If you want to see a website that takes advantage of the bold, yellow color palette, then you should take a look at Mambo Mambo.
Our Wildlife Garden
Yellow is known for being a color that children prefer. Bright colors attract children, which seems to be the inspiration behind this website.
Best Buy
As we continue, we absolutely had to add this website to our list. The way the yellows are being used is smart, and visitors are going to be impressed by it.
Pennzoil
Concluding our list, we reach Pennzoil, who also use the yellow color palette. See what they did and how the elements balance each other.
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Many organizations build community bridges. Whether local or international, organizations connect awareness to action in order to positively impact their communities. Realizing this, Public Interest Registry — the registry for .org, .ngo and .ong domains — held its first annual .ORG Impact Awards to recognize organizations leveraging the .org domain to make a positive community impact.
“The .ORG Impact Awards recognize .ORGs that are connecting communities, making a difference in the world and leveraging the internet for transformative change.” ~ Public Interest Registry
For more than 30 years, the Public Interest Registry has offered the.orgdomain extension as a way to represent the individuals and groups who are inspired to connect with others by sharing their passion and community-focused content online.
On Oct. 10, 2019, the finalists for the first annual .ORG Impact Awards met at the historic Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the hard work of all of the organizations nominated for awards spanning 12 categories.
.ORG Impact Awards finalists and winners
GoDaddy is proud of the impact that our customers and partners are making on the world around them. Here are several of those customers that were recognized at the .ORG Impact Awards.
C Three Foundation
C Three Foundation Executive Jenny Williamson and Founder Claudia Christian at the .ORG Impact Awards.
Founded by Claudia Christian in 2013, the C Three Foundation seeks to help those struggling with alcohol addiction by providing education and support.
“The primary goal of C Three Foundation is to provide resources for people who are interested in using The Sinclair Method (TSM) to treat their Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD),” says Claudia. “I like to think of us as one-stop shopping for TSM.”
What inspired her to launch the C Three Foundation? As Claudia explains:
“My personal experience with AUD and ineffective traditional treatment led me to use TSM for my own alcohol misuse, which then led me to start C Three Foundation to help others and save them the time I lost searching for answers to my issue.”
As a result of their outreach and education efforts, the C Three Foundation was a finalist in two categories, Best Social Media Campaign and Outstanding Volunteer.
Expanding awareness for TSM as a treatment option for AUD has been a proud accomplishment for the C Three Foundation.
Claudia mentioned that she was “most proud of our physician outreach. When we started in 2013 we knew of one or two doctors in the whole USA who used TSM. Now nearly the entire U.S. is covered and I know that our work has a lot to do with that.”
The Dancing Divas & Dudes
Determined to empower those with special needs and remove negative stigmas, The Dancing Divas & Dudes was founded in 2012. It provides a safe and loving environment for the special needs community to work on physical fitness through dance.
A finalist in both the .ORG Nonprofit of the Year and Rising Star Award, Dancing Divas & Dudes continues to grow and inspire through hard work and positivity.
“Through dance and teamwork, our dancers strive to express the value and worth of individuals with special needs,” says Elizabeth Pistole, president of Dancing Divas & Dudes. “Their community involvement and performances play a crucial role in erasing the stigmas attached to them and providing for a potential-filled future.”
Kiva
Kiva is an organization founded in 2005 with a mission to provide much-needed financial access to underserved groups around the globe.
Kiva provides crowdfunding loans that help business owners start and run their businesses, provides tuition assistance for students to continue their education, and gives families access to emergency loans to help them recover from illnesses or disasters.
“GoDaddy and Kiva have partnered for the past five years to bring needed funding to the smallest of businesses,” says Stacy Cline, corporate citizenship director for GoDaddy.
“Kiva is an incredible organization and network that is pushing the boundaries of lending to meet people’s diverse needs around the world. The ripple effect of the Kiva model is truly changing our world for the better.”
GoDaddy’s Tommy Ho presents an award to Louisa Daly of Kiva.org at the .ORG Impact Awards.
Winner of the Best Use of Partnerships/Celebrity Endorsements category and a finalist for the Innovator Award, Kiva has been working to provide much-needed funding to underserved individuals around the globe.
The campaign that won Kiva recognition by PIR involved partnering with PayPal to unlock funding for global entrepreneurs who otherwise wouldn’t have access to affordable capital. The innovative cause-marketing campaign, “The Big Impact of Small Loans,” ran through October 2018. The campaign incorporated a credit offer to customers and reached more than 60 million PayPal customers globally.
Bags of Taste
Bags of Taste aims to change the everyday diets of people who face food poverty, helping them turn away from a dependence on highly processed foods and instead incorporate regular healthy and tasty cooking habits into their lifestyles.
Founder Alicia Weston, “decided to develop Bags of Taste after hearing about the healthcare costs associated with poor diet.”
“This is worst among those in poverty and it seemed obvious to me that we needed to do more. I also knew, from previous experience, that skills alone were not the solution to the problem, so I started to develop ideas that would achieve the ultimate goal, getting people in poverty to cook more at home from scratch.”
In recognition of their efforts, they won the Innovator Award for a 2019 four-stage behavior change program designed to help people cook healthy, homemade food from scratch while on a budget.
Teach for America
Teach For America is an outstanding organization working to recruit excellent leaders who commit to expanding educational opportunities for underserved communities.
Working shoulder-to-shoulder with students, educators, and community members, Teach for America goes beyond traditional expectations to support the academic and personal growth of their students.
This year, Teach for America was awarded the winning prize in the Outstanding Online Fundraising Campaign category.
Their winning campaign, “Teach for America Alumni and Staff Challenge,” featured a donation match that doubled the impact of alumni donations, as well as an internal awards program that rewarded regional development teams for meeting and exceeding specific participation goals.
The campaign was wildly successful, increasing alumni participation by 13% and generating $2.5 million in funds.
Shining a light on stunning accomplishments
Across the country and throughout the world, organizations continue to strive to make an impact on their communities and raise awareness for their causes.
The first annual .ORG Impact Awards aimed to celebrate .org domain name users of all kinds and causes for their accomplishments.
We’re proud to highlight their accomplishments. Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners of the first annual .ORG Impact Awards — and we hope to see even more GoDaddy customers featured at next year’s .ORG Impact Awards!
Dropped domain names are a great way to expand your domain investing portfolio. Thousands of domain names expire on a daily basis, making it easy to start a high-authority website, relaunch your brand with a domain name, or simply flip it for a profit.
Interested in learning more about dropped domain names? Here’s what we’re going to cover in this article:
What is a dropped domain?
How to determine the quality of a dropped domain.
How can you tell if it’s a dropped domain name?
How do you find dropped domain names?
Six key metrics to watch when buying dropped domain names.
Securing dropped domain names.
Let’s take a look at why you should consider dropped domain names and how to go about buying them.
What is a dropped domain?
All domain names are registered for a certain length of time. When that period expires, you have to renew your domain registration in order to keep it active. If you fail to renew the domain before the end of the registration term, most registrars will give you a grace period to renew the domain name.
Once the grace period is over, the domain becomes an expired domain. Most registrars will then list the expired domain as an auction item.
If the domain fails to be purchased during the auction process, the registrar then adds it to a domain name drop list and the name eventually becomes available to the general public. The length of the grace period and the exact process varies from one domain registrar to the next, as well as which domain registry the domain belongs to.
Why buy a dropped domain name?
A dropped domain name is a great business and investment opportunity for several reasons.
You can immediately launch a high-authority website
Good domain names get picked up quickly, which sometimes makes it hard to launch a website on a particular topic or in a particular niche.
When you buy a dropped domain name that matches your niche, you can quickly launch a high-authority website that already has an established rank.
This makes it easier to rank in search engines and get the organic traffic right from the start instead of spending years building it up slowly.
Easily redirect to an affiliate site
If you rely on affiliate marketing for your income, you can use dropped domain names to redirect to relevant affiliate websites and boost your earnings.
If you’re not planning on using the dropped domain name for yourself, once you have acquired a dropped domain name, you can sell it for a profit instead.
While it’s true that thousands of domain names are dropped on a daily basis, the truth is that not all dropped domain names are good investments. However, there are a few common qualities that all good dropped domain names have.
It’s not blacklisted by search engines
The most important quality to look for in a dropped domain name is to make sure it’s not blacklisted by search engines. This will allow you to make use of the domain name immediately and monetize it easily.
While you can appeal the blacklisting of the domain, the process is rather lengthy and complicated.
By checking the domain name before making a purchase, you can avoid a lot of headaches.
Keywords have search traffic volume
Domain names that match common search terms are high in demand. If you plan on selling the dropped domain name in the future, this can be a beneficial factor that will allow you to ask for a higher price.
While the age of the domain name does not make the domain more valuable per se, it is an indicator of the domain quality. In some cases, domain names that have been registered early on are usually the best and the most sought-after domain names.
Shorter domain names are easier to remember, so it makes sense to find a dropped domain name that is relatively short. Hyphens make it hard to pronounce your domain name and users will often forget the hyphen when typing it in, which means they can wind up on a competitor’s site.
It’s registered in multiple extensions
If a domain name is registered in multiple extensions, that means there is likely high demand for it. Some of the other domain owners might be interested in buying a matching domain name in a different extension.
This is a great tip to keep in mind if you plan on reselling the domain name later on.
The easiest way to check if a domain name has been dropped is by doing a quick WHOIS lookup. You can do a WHOIS lookup here.
The results will tell you if the domain name you’re considering is registered, as well as the current status of the domain name.
Once you’ve looked up the domain, you’ll want to look for a line that says “domain status.” The expiration date that shows in the WHOIS can be misleading since it often automatically shows an additional year of registration on expired domains until the last phases of expiration occur.
Pay attention to the domain status instead.
The statuses to look for will be “pending redemption” or “pending delete.”
How do you find dropped domain names?
Finding a dropped domain name can be an involved process. From using clunky keyword-based software to manually crawling the web to hopefully stumble upon a valuable expired domain, trying to find dropped domain names is tedious and time-consuming.
Luckily, there is a better and faster way.
If you’re looking to easily find dropped domain names, you can use GoDaddy Auctions. Just visit the GoDaddy Auctions page and select Expiring as your predefined search.
The results will populate a list of domain names that have expired and whose auctions are expiring soon. Before you start bidding, however, it is recommended to do a bit of research on the domain name you’re interested in.
6 key metrics to watch when buying dropped domain names
Once you have identified a dropped domain name you want to buy, you need to check six important metrics to ensure you will get a good return on your investment.
1. Spam
The first thing you should check is whether the dropped domain name has ever been used for spam purposes or if it used or had spammy links and backlinks.
An easy way to check is to use the Wayback Machine and investigate what type of content was on the site. A few indicators of spammy content include:
Signs of hacking
Keyword stuffing
Unsafe content
Duplicate content
You can also use tools like Ahrefs or Majestic SEO to investigate historical links and backlinks for a particular domain name. Be wary of links that come from spammy websites or websites with no page or domain authority, irrelevant backlinks or links coming from suspicious websites.
2. Domain and page authority
Dropped domain names usually have a higher domain and page authority than a brand new domain.
A higher domain and page authority will help you rank better in search engines from the start, so it’s a good idea to use Moz Tools to check the domain authority and page authority for the domain name you’re interested in.
3. Blacklisted or banned by Google AdSense
Google AdSense is one of the most popular advertising programs for website owners. If the dropped domain name has been banned by Google AdSense, you won’t be able to participate in the advertising program, which makes monetizing the site harder.
You can use the AdSense Sandbox to check if the domain name has been banned.
4. Trust flow
Using Majestic SEO, you can check the trust and citation flow for the dropped domain name you want to buy.
Trust flow is measured by checking the quality of the domain in question and measuring the quality of a linking site.
The higher the trust flow score is, the better your rank will be.
5. Google index status
Another important metric to check is the Google index status and see if there have been any manual penalties. You can do this by simply searching for the domain name in Google.
If you get results for pages with your domain name in it, chances are your domain name is indexed, which is a sign the dropped domain name is not penalized by Google.
6. Trademarks
Lastly, check if there are any trademarks associated with the dropped domain name. This can save you from a lot of headaches down the road as the last thing you want is a lengthy legal battle. Use the US Trademark Search Engine to check for trademarks.
Securing dropped domain names
Once you’ve checked your desired domain name and ensured there are no penalties, no spam, and that the domain is trustworthy, it’s time to make the purchase.
If the domain is available for purchase immediately, you can use GoDaddy Auctions to buy it.
But what if the domain cannot be purchased immediately? The best way to secure a dropped domain name is to use Domain Backorders.
Domain Backorders makes it easy to monitor a domain name that has already been registered. By signing up, you’re purchasing a number of credits that can be applied towards purchasing a dropped domain name.
The service monitors a specified domain name for you daily and attempts to register it for you the minute it becomes available. If multiple backorders exist for the same domain, you can then bid for it at an auction or decide against it and apply your credit towards another domain name.
You can also add domain name privacy to your domain backorder to ensure your information remains safe and private from the public eye.
If your backorder is successful, it adds the domain name to your account once the domain completes the full expiration process and renews the domain for one year automatically.
Final thoughts
Buying a dropped domain name allows you to get a domain name that already has a good rank in the search engines so you can build a high authority website or to sell it for a higher price and make a profit.
You can easily find out when your desired domain name becomes dropped by signing up for GoDaddy’s Domain Backorders. With Domain Backorders, you don’t have to worry about setting reminders and manually checking the WHOIS database to see if your desired domain name has been dropped or not. Domain Backorders makes buying dropped domain names a breeze!
Thanks to technology existing as an essential part of our modern world, technology consulting need to constantly be adapting to the latest trends. Technology plays a more significant role in businesses, and consultants are brought in to help businesses to use technology effectively.
Technology consulting helps organizations be more productive and profitable. In the tech world, there are a few types of consulting, including IT consulting, computer consulting, and more. To understand if any of these options could bean option for you, we will present more helpful information in this article created by our team at Amelia.
Technology Consulting, the Definition
As you have probably figured out, the role of a technology consultant is to help their clients use technology better. Most of the time, the methods behind technology consulting help a business by:
Improves the processes that take place
Reduces the costs of the company
Maximizes any tech opportunities
Today, consulting means a lot more. It can play a huge role in digital strategy or technology change. As it is evolving so quickly, this area of work is becoming essential in helping organizations to grow.
Consulting services are developing and implementing any technology to accelerate business growth, manage risk better, reduce cost, or change how the system is functioning.
Technology consulting can be described as this system:
Service firms that have a significant workforce and operate high bill rates.
Staffing firms that send technologists to businesses for a temporary period as a response to employee absences, temporary skill shortage, or technical projects.
Independent consultants that are self-employed.
Information Technology security consultants.
In technology consulting, the goal is to inform clients of how to use their IT practices to achieve their business objectives. To do that, a tech consultant is also going to manage and implement strategies.
IT consulting services can range from creating a technology to managing a system of processes for a client. Usually, a client commissions the services to a consulting firm who helps in planning and developing the new IT system. In some cases, they also examine the risk of an existing system.
When should a company go for technology consulting?
There are many options when it comes to IT industry, and the offerings can be overwhelming. These options include programming languages, technology tools, and more. So,what do you need?
The easiest way to determine need is to understand the goals of the company. After that, a shortcut towards the IT world is to hire a consulting company that has a portfolio centered around the organization’s needs, coupled with related knowledge and expertise.
Going for a permanent IT expert can be expensive, especially for a startup company. The advantage of technology consulting is that the consultant gets paid for the work done on a specific time frame. Many businesses do not need monthly IT service.
A company might require somebody to install a new system and do the training for the team. After that, the organization can handle the order, and the expert can help when any issues come into the front.
Technology consulting can also be related to suggesting or implementing software or hardware solution in the business. As an example, a law firm that used to implement hard copy records can benefit from technology consulting that recommends the use of a software program.
The software can help the team organize better files and keep them electronically. It is evident that our world is becoming more and more dependent on technology, therefore, this type of consulting can benefit any industry and bring significant changes.
Another thing that technology consulting offers is big data analysis. This helps in finding the best way to collect and analyze data related to the customers of a business. By doing so, all the information can be used for future campaigns.
Another reason why a business needs technology consulting is that now consultants can change a business’s production and marketing.
What do technology consultants do?
Technology consulting services are essentially an external IT department. Most of the projects that rely on technology consulting are focused on implementation. Here, a consultant checks a proposed IT project and makes it happen.
Specific tasks also include performing studies, checking the cost of the proposed solution, planning the implementation, making quality controls, and implementing organizational consulting. Tech consulting also acts as an interface between the company and its hardware and software providers. Any technology consulting activity is going to include one of the following tasks:
Presenting strategies and experience to clients
Developing and providing solutions
Understanding how technology impacts different departments of the organization
Communicating with team members
Going to client sites
Bringing new systems and monitoring them
Creating documentation and showing the progress reports
Being involved with sales, support, and maintaining contact with client organizations
Bringing new ideas and trends
Usually, technology consultants are hired by finances, professional services, or telecommunications teams. Most of the time, each of them specializes in a certain type of client.
In most of the contracts, the work is done for a fixed duration, and they need to provide the resolution in the time frame that was agreed. Technology consulting is usually hired by upper management when they think they need an expert for advice on their technology services.
Usually, areas of technology consulting include:
Software development
IT infrastructure planning
Risk assessment analysis
Security consulting
Recovery plan
What skills are needed in technology consulting?
The idea of being a consultant is to be innovative and fresh. The job mission is to identify all the details about the problem domain. Through long research, questions and discussions are important to get those paint points.
Usually, when a technology consulting company is hired, employers prefer candidates that have some education in the technology field. A graduate degree is an advantage but not a must.
Another good skill to have is communication skills. This will dictate the success of any consultant. Here is a list with what would be ideal to have to succeed:
Communication and people skills
Technical skills
Business skills
Management skills
Language skills
Business skills
Technical language skills
Ending thoughts
In conclusion, technology consulting is focused on innovation, and it helps clients by bringing new helpful solutions that fix any past problems.
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Are you interested in investing in domain names, or looking for resources to help you grow or manage your domains portfolio? Well, you’re in the right place! The domain investor resources below can help you get started or level up your domaining.
What is a domain investor?
First things first: a domain investor — aka domainer — is someone who thinks of domains as commodities. A domainer registers domain names deemed valuable, with the goal to sell the names to interested third parties.
So, what domain investor resources should you have in your domainer arsenal? Here is a list of different resources and what you can expect when using them.
Bulk domain search
Why spend hours searching for each domain name individually when you can search for up to 500 domain names at a time?
Bulk domain search is especially great for searching those niche names and phrases that might have similar or creative spellings that are recognizable to the public — as well as those who are looking to turn over larger numbers of domain names to build and maintain a quicker more comprehensive inventory.
It’s the ideal way to weed through domain names that might already be owned, might not be available for other reasons, or that just might not be the most sought after.
WHOIS
This handy tool helps you locate information regarding important domain data, including availability, ownership and expiration.
Having all of this information in one place minimizes research time and provides you with the detailed general information needed to plan a strategy for each domain possibility.
It’s a huge domain investor resource.
This information is valuable when determining whether or not a domain name will be available anytime soon, or if the owner has had the particular name for a long time and the chance of it becoming available are minimal — so you can change your strategy and focus, if need be.
Domain value appraisal
If you’re unsure of the value of a particular domain, a good domain value appraisal tool provides access to expert opinions regarding the worth of a specific domain, free of charge.
Experts review potential domain names for their consumer interest, availability, SEO rankings and an assortment of other factors that make a domain name worth buying.
Domain broker service
Once you have your mind made up that you want a specific domain for your portfolio, a domain broker service will help you acquire those domains that might be owned or tied up by someone else.
And they will do it in a manner that accommodates your particular budget and circumstance.
A domain broker is one of those domain investor resources that can save a domain investor a lot of money — by doing the haggling for them. A broker will have the facts and information needed regarding a particular domain purchase to acquire the preferred domain name at a reasonable cost allowing the domainer to potentially make a profit when it is sold.
Domain transfer
Once you have your domain inventory and are ready to start making some sales, a domain transfer tool allows you to transfer a domain name you own to another owner quickly and efficiently.
Bulk domain transfer
For those who are heavily invested in their domain inventory and turning over a high volume of sales, this bulk domain transfer resource allows you to transfer as many as 500 domains at one time, cutting down on time involved with completing large numbers of domain transfers.
This is one of the best domain investor resources, especially when you consider that there are numerous extensions for every domain name (i.e. dot.com, dot.org, dot.net) and as mentioned you will want to capture all formats to keep your inventory viable and profitable.
GoDaddy Cash Parking
One way to make those slower-moving domain names in your inventory work for is to create a basic one-page website using the inventoried domain name that is marked for sale. You generate a small monthly fee while also exposing the ownable website to a wider view of potential buyers.
Using these slow-moving domain names as advertising platforms will bring in a passive income through monthly sales fees that can be very profitable when done in bulk — and that’s why CashParking is one of those indispensable domain investor resources.
As a sales tool when marketing your advertising space to companies without websites, explain that the site click count will provide the advertiser with an overall idea of the traffic that the name and its variations attract organically. Follow-up by providing a few tried and true ideas for increasing the volume of viewers.
Domain backorder
Just because a domain is not available at the time you originally research it does NOT mean it won’t become available at one point or another. This is where persistence pays off (as long as you don’t become a site-stalker or spam marketer in the process).
A great monitoring tool for staying on top of your unavailable conquest lists is the domain backorder list.
By placing your name on the list, you will be notified in order when the name becomes available.
It’s wise to keep an additional spreadsheet of those domains that you are waiting to become available and periodically check to see if they are still taken. Since domain names are typically registered for a year at a time, include all discoverable information regarding the domain registration such as date domain was registered, type of business using the domain, owner, any lapses in ownership, changes in ownership, etc.
By doing so, you will be able to more effectively target when to look at each name should the unthinkable happen and you forget to add yourself to a domain backorder list.
Auctions
Domain auctions are an excellent way to purge longstanding inventory while helping out cash flow.
From a more lucrative angle, auctions can provide public access to higher sought-after domain names triggering competition when determining the sought-after domain’s actual value versus perceived value.
Auctions also provide a wider captive audience when trying to sell domain names that might be less sought after.
GoDaddy Discount Domain Club
Another great way to keep overhead at a minimum is by using domain investor resources to get a discount, such as with GoDaddy Discount Domain Club.
This site in particular not only offers industry-low prices on transfers, renewals and new domains, creating year-round domain savings.
It includes free membership into GoDaddy Auction and CashParking Premium starting your investment out almost $18 ahead through lower overhead costs.
Other domain investor resources
For starters, domain conferences are a great domain investor resources for networking, keeping up with new and improved tools, and staying abreast of changes in the extremely fast-paced internet domain industry.
A domainer can stay up to date on industry standards, changes and domain news by subscribing to domainer news, publications and topic-related blog sites. Two good publication resources are:
There are also domain investor resources on YouTube that cover many different aspects and methodologies of running a domain investing business, along with forums and social media groups focused on domain investing — the challenges, tips, pitfalls, and successes that other domain investors have already traversed to give new-comers a leg up in an often misunderstood business.
Domain Name Wire recommends that any new or current domain investor who might be stumbling through the process read the informative first-hand article by an experienced NYC-based domain investor that provides an overview of the successes and challenges he went through while building his business.
Another great resource for any domain investor is this domain investing guide. This handy resource provides information regarding:
Buying and selling domain names
Evaluating and appraising domain names
Regulatory and legal issues
Other information regarding domain name investing
That makes it the ideal all-encompassing guide for those details that might not be readily thought of by anyone running their own domain investing business.
In addition, NamePros.com’s blog article “10 Best Free Resources for a Domain Investor” lists several popular and reputable resources for tracking expired domains, watching training videos, keep up on industry news, and follow auction updates.
Speaking of websites, check out other domain investor resources such as:
NamePros.com — Provides updates, industry insider information, forums, news and a host of other tips and tools.
ExpiredDomains.net— Minimizes the amount of time spent reviewing domains that you are waiting to expire with daily updated expired domain listings, easy to use search tools, and aftermarket listings.
DomainSherpa.com — A free one-stop-shop for videos, updates, insights and interviews with developers, end-users, SEO experts and domain investors.
Domaining.com — Considered the domain investing go-to website by many industry insiders because of its many resources, up-to-date news, and blog articles, as well as a variety of other useful resources.
The information these sites offer can save domain investors time and money by eliminating wasted time monitoring potential domains that might already be taken. This provides valuable information about the industry and changes happening throughout the industry, offers free training resources, and minimizes the pitfalls associated with domain investing through other investor’s experience and knowledge.
For those looking for advice from others who might be struggling through the same obstacles and challenges in the domain investor industry, dynadot.com’s community page is a great domain investor resource. It gives domainers the chance to interact, discuss common issues, work through specific challenges together, and network with other domainers efficiently.
And if the above domain investor resources are not enough, check out Que.com’s article “Domain Investor Resources”.
This blog listicle includes domain tool resources from bloggers, investors, web-hosting companies, registration information, escrow services, after-market and auction information among other industry-related resources.
Did those domain investor resources help?
Domain investing is a high-yield business, when done correctly. And having the correct domain investor resources is vital to anyone, whether you are a new start-up or have been in the business for years.
So, before you dive into randomly investing in an inventory of domain names, do your homework, gather your domain investor resources, and establish a plan of action.
That will direct your investments in an already proven direction rather than haphazardly gathering domains that might not be a profitable investment. And when you’re ready to begin building your investment portfolio, tap into the power of domain investing tools to start, grow and manage your domaining venture.
Say you have your eye on a domain name, but someone else owns it. Maybe you’ve been watching it for years … maybe it’s your last name, an upgrade for your business, or something that would be really fun to use as an email address.
Then one day, you see the good news! It’s finally expired, the owner didn’t renew it, and you can’t wait to buy it.
Oh, if only it were that easy.
Expired domains go through several stages before they’re available to the public again. The exact process for expired domains varies by top-level domain (TLD) — what’s to the right of the dot, such as .com or .net. However, for the sake of this article, we’ll specifically focus on the path for .com.
Fortunately, many other TLDs follow nearly the same process, and you’ll get the background info you need to have the best chance at acquiring your new domain name.
How backorders improve your chances to secure an expired domain.
How to use an auction house to register an expired domain.
Conclusion and next steps.
Let’s get started.
How does the domain expiration process work?
When a domain name initially expires, the owner receives notification for renewal. They’re also given some leeway to renew post-expiration since expirations aren’t always intentional.
For example, let’s say you set a domain name to automatically renew, but your credit card expires. When the automated system goes to renew, it can’t because your payment information isn’t accurate. You’ll be contacted and given some time to rectify the situation.
Registry redemption is at least a 30-day period for expired domains mandated by the company that runs the TLD (like Verisign for .com). During this time, the original owner can redeem (renew) the domain after expiration at an additional cost.
Once the domain redemption period has passed, the original owner can no longer claim the domain via renewal.
The easiest way to see if a domain name is in redemption is to check the WHOIS database. On the WHOIS, look for a line that says “status” or “domain status,” depending on the domain registrar:
If the domain name is in redemption, the status will reflect that.
The “expiration date” line in the WHOIS can be misleading — it often automatically shows an additional year of registration on expired domains until the last phases of expiration occur. Pay attention to the domain status instead.
How backorders improve your chances to secure an expired domain
Post redemption, can I finally register the domain? Not quite.
There’s a five-day status called “pend delete,” which is a temporary hold before the domain name is released back to the public. The original owner can no longer renew, but no one else can register it, either. Once this period is over, potential buyers who have purchased a backorder will have the opportunity to secure the domain.
A backorder will attempt to register the domain the moment it becomes available.
If more than one company holds a backorder, the expired domain will go to whichever company’s backorder service was lucky enough to catch the domain when it was released.
Think along the lines of a popular concert with tickets going on sale at 10 a.m. You try to buy tickets and are awarded a place in line based on how quickly you clicked your mouse. You were competing against other buyers for that spot. The backorder service does this automatically for you and tries to grab the expired domain.
If another company’s backorder service secured the domain, you won’t receive the domain.
Coincidentally, if more than one person owns a backorder for the same domain at the same company, then an auction amongst the potential buyers will likely take place.
If no one backordered the domain anywhere, you could register the domain through standard procedure on a website such as GoDaddy. At this point, it’s no different than registering an already-available domain.
How to use an auction house to register an expired domain
Almost all companies who register domains also auction expired domains to the general public.
They usually appear sometime between the original owner’s expiration date and the registry release date post the “pend delete” status.
Your absolute best chance to secure expired domains is to go to the company where they’ll be auctioned.
In most cases, an expired domain will only get to the “pend delete” stage — and thus able to be picked up via backorder — if there were no auction winners.
Let’s recap. When looking to acquire expired domains, keep these things in mind:
Watch the auction houses. This is your best chance to win the domain name.
Order a backorder. If the domain doesn’t go to auction, then you want a company on your side to secure the name in record time. Consider purchasing backorders from multiple places to boost your chances.
Register as normal. If the domain doesn’t go to auction or doesn’t have a backorder in place, then you can register it like you would any other domain.
It’s important to note that the total cost for the domain typically decreases as it progresses along this path. It would be the most expensive in the auction and least expensive during normal registration. But the more popular the domain is, the less likely it is to progress past the auction or backorder stages.
If it’s important to you, don’t take the risk of waiting for regular registration.
Directors of operations play an important role in the running of an organization. Learn more about the job duties and education requirements associated with the role.
In today’s world, content is more important than ever. People are drawn to fresh ideas and information that is useful to them. As this environment is known to be very competitive, consider using the color palette of your website to get a leg up on the competition.
Blue websites are known for generating trust from users, as this is what the color represents. Color is one of the most powerful tools that a designer has, though the tricky part is that it can either make design look great, or break it. This is why choosing the right color should be a priority for any designer.
Why blue websites?
In this article created by our team at Amelia, going to discuss blue and how it can be best utilized on your website. We will offer suggestions about what are the best ways to use blue, and give you some visual inspiration using examples.
A popular example of the use of blue is Facebook. A fun fact regarding the choice of blue was actually because Mark Zuckerberg is red-green color blind. Even though it was probably an obvious choice, it still demonstrates the power of color. Blue is one of the safest options that designers can go with. This because blue is the favorite color in the majority of the population.
Blue is also associated with trust and reliability and inspires confidence among people that see it. According to scientific studies, it has been shown that it has a calming effect on the brain. It is also inviting and friendly. As it is such a vibrant and versatile color, blue has become one of the more popular choices that web designers go for.
This is the reason why blue websites are done more and more using this color. The main categories that are suitable for it are:
Business websites
Financial websites
Spa and wellness
Holidays and cruises
Nonprofit
Cool blue websites examples
Jean-Baptiste Kaloya Portfolio
Jean-Baptiste Kaloya uses one of the most popular colors in their website design with different shades of blue. We can see the soft gradients on the lighter blues that look great.
Squilla Fund
Check out the soft beige tones mixed with a beautiful turquoise on this corporate website talking about the crypto industry. The color palette focuses on reliability and comfort. The name of the blue site colors are:
Teal Blue
Moonstone Blue
Powder Blue
Magic Mint
White Smoke
National Climate Assessment
Blue websites like this one look even better when their mission is clearly defined. Here, we are talking about a climate report that shows essential data and needs to be treated with maximum responsibility.
Webflow Interactions 2.0
Webflow interactions take advantage of the popular blue palette, and also bring in some gradients to get a simple color scheme. There is also some pink thrown in the design that helps in getting a modern, engaging look.
Canatal
Canatal uses shades of blue to display a beautiful design. This blue website is a great example of how to use a monotone color palette without being boring.
Lake Nona
As this website is focusing primarily on a body of water, it is only natural that we see a splash of blue on their website, which goes very well with the more neutral colors shown.
Departika
The color palette used for this website is clean and professional thanks to its soft blues, greys, and whites. It draws attention with its vibrant color mix, and gives us an excellent example of how a blue site should look.
Lobster
If you are a fan of a combination blue and pink mix, then this website is an excellent example of how the two can work well together. Blue websites are sometimes hard to match with a second color, but the designers behind Lobster did a great job.
Skyboat
In this example, blue comes in play for a more business-oriented site. As the design could not be done by just using blue, we also see black being added, and it looks great!
Marqeta
Financial websites like to use blues as this color implies credibility and trust. Because Margeta is offering a different kind of service for consumer credit, its use of sky blue is also different from typical branding. It uses dark blue, purple, and cyan for the color scheme.
Recess
Combining different shades of color is typically the idea in blue websites. This one brings a calm and dreamy vibe.
Awink
The monotone color, together with different hues of blue, makes this website a visually appealing one. We also like its broader, darker accents with the dark and light screen areas that play an optical illusion.
This makes you think you see more colors than there are there in reality.
Cher Ami
This beautiful color scheme brings a royal, elegant look by using deep blue and gold shades. The result is like the other blue websites we have shown, but with a modern twist.
It uses it to deliver a powerful visual experience and immediately positions the brand as a top player.
Julian Damy
To achieve a sophisticated look, the creators of this website used deep blue tones together with gold highlights. The result? A great color palette inspired by art history that looks timeless and beautiful.
Appbot
The colors used in Appbot match the idea of the brand. We can see powerful combinations of blue together with white.
Andris Gauracs
Blue websites are also great to be used as portfolios. This one belongs to a developer, and we can instantly see how the blue demonstrates reliability and trust. The colors that were used for it are:
Tufts Blue
French Sky Blue
Alice Blue
White Copper
Shibui
When you see this blue website, you will be impressed by its clean look. A great way to obtain the same effect is by using gradients. The site’s palette is made of fresh blue and turquoise colors. They bring a calming and relaxing effect.
Groove
The palette on this site was done using blue, white, and black. Although in the world of designing, it is a primary color scheme when it is arranged the way it is on the site, the result is a professional look.
Creddy
This is a classic combination using red and blue to create this fresh website design.
Securinvest
Another new and colorful example of how blue sites can look great while adding other elements as well.
details
This is an excellent site that uses simple, bold colors to bring attention to its design.
Amber Xu
Finishing off our blue websites showcase, we can see the minimalist trend utilized by this website was done by using solid colors against a black background.
If you enjoyed reading this article about blue websites, you should read these as well:
Using our legal services example, keywords associated with divorce attorneys should be placed in one group, while keywords associated with DUI cases should be placed in another.
You will need to be active in researching available domain names that are undervalued, stay on top of your domain names, and make sales regularly to make money. It’s common for successful domain investors to sell tens of domains in a given month.
If you plan to purchase domains listed by private sellers, they may be registered at a different registrar than your preferred choice. Make sure you know the domain transfer process of both your registrar and the seller’s registrar.
