Advice

Keeping a portfolio updated on platforms like Sedo, Afternic, and Dan can be a challenge. With sales and expiries happening on a regular basis, it can be easy to fall behind on updates. It is important to keep these portfolios updated so you don’t accidentally sell a domain name you previously sold or let expire.

I try to keep my portfolio updated in real time. When I sell a name on Dan, for example, I try to immediately delete the listing on Sedo and Afternic. When I let a domain name expire, I remove the listing from all platforms once I receive the final cancelation email. They key word is *try* and names sometimes slip through the cracks. Every once in a while I will do a comparison of my sale portfolios against my inventory list.

I am not a pro at Excel, but I want to share a step by step guide for how I am able to identify the names I previously sold or let expire that I forgot to remove from sales platforms:

I consider the number of registrations for a particular SLD (phrase to the left of the dot) to be one of the more important “signs of life” for a domain name. When I am evaluating domain names to buy in the aftermarket or at auction, I pay closer attention to those that have many other extensions registered.

Importantly, the number of registrations can be misleading, so there is some nuance that goes into my process for evaluating these domain names.

This morning, I was looking at a domain name currently in auction. I see there are 10 extensions registered, including the .com. Using dotDB, I see there are only 2 other domain names registered with this term. That was peculiar to me because usually if a phrase or term is registered in many extensions, there will also be other domain names registered that have the phrase within the SLD.

One semi-recent advance in relationship to domain name sales is the ability to create artificial intelligence content on landing pages. In addition to this AI content, some marketplaces allow, facilitate the use of, and/or encourage the use of third party created logos for domain names listed for sale. Domain investors need to be mindful of this content.

I was chatting with a colleague the other day, and he showed me something that could be concerning to a domain registrant. A domain name he was looking at had an image that was unrelated to the generic nature of the domain name but was associated with a trademark from a brand that has a similar name.

When it comes to domain investing and domain investors, there are quite a few different business models to make money. Each business model requires a different strategy and different tactics that are often divergent. Choosing a strategy or multiple strategies is an important decision to make, and a domain investor’s strategy can change over time.

Some people have small portfolios of exceptional domain names with high prices to match. They may sell infrequently and are content to wait for the ideal buyer. Some people have huge portfolios of names that churn sales regularly. They use the cash flow to grow their portfolio. Some people don’t focus on selling but they monetize their domain names in various ways. Some people have hybrid business models.