Is there anything more difficult than choosing a great domain for your website? All kinds of things need to be considered, branding, pronunciation, SEO so on so on…. The bottom line though is domains can be worth a lot of money, with famous names like Hotels.com and Business.com selling for $11 million and $7.5 million respectively and the list of domains selling for a $1 million + grows every year. This is all very well and good though for the domain investors with that kind of cash kicking around but how can us mere mortals buy and sell domains and make a profit?

With the explosion of the domain broker role in the last decade finding multi-million dollar domain names is incredibly tough, but never fear it is  still very possible to profit from flipping domains for hundreds – sometimes thousands – of dollars each, and heres a quick snapshot of how to do just that!

Keep it close to home..

Over the last decade, local search engine optimization has grown from a tiny market into a huge industry. From pizza delivery restaurants to dentists, almost every local business wants to be the first result for its target search keywords.

One of the best ways to climb the search engine rankings is with a domain name that includes your target keywords. For example, Wellington PizzaDelivery.com should rank near the top of the results for keywords like “Wellington pizza delivery.”

Use expired domains to search for local domains that could be of value to businesses in your city. Once you’ve found a winner, buy it and contact several local businesses that you think would be interested in owning it.

With a persuasive sales email, you’ll rarely struggle to find a local business owner that’s interested in acquiring a strategically valuable domain name. With the right focus on sales, this domain flipping strategy can be incredibly profitable.

 

Buy expired domains

Ok so as we have discussed in previous blogs there’s more to SEO than just the keyword relevancy of your domain. Domains that have now expired are attractive to buyers as they were previously used for other websites and often have hundreds of backlinks and a reasonably high PageRank. Though the PageRank algorithm has not been updated in nearly two years to many this is still seen as a key metric in assessing the value of a domain.

There is a whole community of domain investors interested in building links to their own websites or rebuilding the domain to attract search engine traffic. In general these are short term flip techniques, think a minor refurbishment before they are sold on. It is good to note expired or dropped domains with a PageRank of five or more are particularly valuable and you can find them at expired domains on a daily basis.

Specialize

It often helps to have expert knowledge when you’re searching for domains. If you understand a niche very well – whether it’s fishing or small business advice – make use of your knowledge and search for domains for sale within your niche.

With an expert’s perspective, you’re bound to discover domains being sold on most registrars and auction websites for significantly less than they’re worth. If you’re an expert, you’ll also find it easier to contact potential buyers in your niche.

From interior decorating to automotive repair, every niche has opportunities for a smart domain investor to profit. Put your expert knowledge to use and scout your favorite niche for good domain investing opportunities.

Be prepared to do a major refurbishment….

I am sure we have all seen the Real estate show, where they buy houses, sometimes the remediation is quick and cheap but often the projects are large and take longer for the house to reach its full value potential. Domains are really no different, sometimes, a domain is worth far more with it comes with an established website instead of on its own. Building a website on your investment domains has several benefits: it proves its SEO value, shows its potential, and makes it more appealing for potential buyers.

If you spot a domain that you think could generate traffic from search engines with minimal additional SEO, don’t be afraid to build a simple WordPress website. If you can find the right buyer, having a website can double (or triple) a domain’s value.

Don’t be afraid to play the waiting game

Some domain flips can be completed in days. You register the domain, search using Google and online business directories to find customers, and sell the domain to an interested buyer within a few days.

Not all domain sales go this smoothly, however, and some may require you to hold a domain for weeks, months, or even years before it’s time to sell. This is particularly true for domains that have huge value to a small, niche audience.

Don’t be afraid to take a long-term strategy to domain flipping and hold domains for years at a time. Remember, it’s better to sell your domains at a huge profit in months than it is to sell them at a modest profit in mere days.

Think outside the box..

The days of .com, .net and .org being the only top-level domains worth considering are well and truly over. Our website www.expired-domains.co is case in point. At one time anything other than a .com was TLD was looked down upon and carried significantly less value. Our very own .co domain is testament to the previous point, building a website, slowly but surely creating a backlink network can seriously pay off in many ways. Today, every domain extension from .io to .us can be worth an incredible amount to the right domain investor.

If you spot a fantastic domain name that uses an unusual TLD, don’t shy away from it out of principle. With the popularity of domain hacks, an unusual top-level domain can often be worth just as much as the ‘gold standard’ .com extension.

Ready, steady, go!

Domain flipping is an excellent way to put your research and investment skills to the test and generate real online income. It’s also a fantastic way to learn what startups, online companies and marketers value in a domain name and online presence. So what’s stopping you go to our awesome expired domain database now and start making money… expired domains.