GoDaddy is a privately owned, Internet-based company that provides a variety of services including domain name registration, web hosting and e-business software sales. The company, which is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, was founded by Bob Parsons. Parsons previously owned a financial services software company, which he sold in the mid-1990s upon retirement. He came out of retirement in 1997 to form Jomax Technologies, the predecessor to GoDaddy.
Since it’s inception, GoDaddy has risen to become the largest domain registrar in the world, with tens of million of domains registered to its clients. The company ranks as the world’s largest ICANN-accredited registrar; it’s approximately four times larger than its nearest competition. Recent corporate acquisitions include Outright, Locu, Afternic, and Media Temple.
GoDaddy has redefined Internet hosting services, and it has been the recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades. Among these awards are the 2001 Arizona BBB award for Business Ethics and the 2011 SC Magazine award for Best Security Team. In 2011, it ranked number four in the Phoenix Business Magazine list of “Best Places to Work in the Valley” and it made the 2012 Forbes list of “Best 100 Companies to Work For.”
Known for its sometimes controversial commercials and interesting spokespersons, GoDaddy also sponsors a number of charitable causes in support of domestic violence and child abuse awareness, and sports events, including NASCAR and the Super Bowl. In 2013, the company shifted its advertising strategy to focus more on small to medium sized business owners (SMB). Reflecting this change, its commercials and advertising materials shifted from “sexy” to smart.
Buying domain names is one of the easiest things someone can do. Being able to profitably sell domain names can be an elusive task for some people. One of the great things about domain name investments is that there are many ways for people to make money from their domain names. Learning how to profitably sell domain names – either as a hobby or a full time profession – can be a time consuming and expensive endeavor.
I noticed a UDRP filing at WIPO this afternoon involving a relatively generic domain name. A company called Berry Fresh LLC filed a UDRP against BerrySweet.com. The UDRP is WIPO case D2019-3091. Ordinarily, I would not be inclined to write about a UDRP filing involving a domain name like this, but something caught my attention when I looked into it a bit.
BerrySweet.com is currently registered under privacy proxy at NameSilo, the registrant of the domain name is not publicly known. When I visited the domain name this afternoon, it did not resolve to a functional website. BerrySweet.com has a creation date of March of 2004, making it more than 15 years old.
One of the top domain names on the board at GoDaddy Auctions today is SilverSeas.com. The domain name sounds like it could be sort of generic in the color + keyword sense I suppose, but it is very similar to the Silversea cruise line brand name. It is the type of domain name that caught my attention, but I quickly decided it would probably end up causing issues and I am not going to participate in the auction.
Many of the domain names that will be included in the NamesCon auction have already been added to the GoDaddy auction page. As we get closer to the conference, I believe more domain names will be added. Yesterday evening, GoDaddy’s Joe Styler announced that the reserve ranges have been added to auction descriptions. Previously, the auctions with reserve prices simply stated “Reserve Not Met” and did not show the reserve ranges:
Because customers asked we added Reserve Ranges to the @RIGHToftheDOT @NamesCon auction. Click the domain to expand the detail and then click the Description link to see the Reserve Range. @DomainShane There are more names coming soon. Some Amazing names with low/no reserves pic.twitter.com/QaxoKlRbTi
— Joe Styler (@jjstyler) December 14, 2019
At various times throughout the year, GoDaddy team members host webinars/chats to discuss buying and selling domain names. During the NamesCon conference, GoDaddy VP Paul Nicks and other members of his team also offer advice about domain name sales, specifically related to GoDaddy’s platforms and network. At some point in the near future, I would like GoDaddy to have an in-depth discussion about domain name pricing and price strategy.
When it comes to listing my domain names for sale on Afternic and elsewhere, I use a combination of three factors:
In 2015, Pharmaceuticals.com was reportedly sold for $50,000 via Flippa. The sale was reported by TheDomains.com and other domain investment publications. Despite being acquired for $50,000, the Pharmaceuticals.com domain name is in expiry status at GoDaddy, and it is currently up for auction at GoDaddy Auctions. With just under two days remaining in the auction, there have been 102 bids from 24 different bidders, and the high bid stands at $19,250.
