Registering the Next Big Thing - Are all the Hand Reg Opportunities Gone?
As I said in a prior post, when I first started out in this business I hand registered a couple of hundred names, sat back and waited for the wealth to pour in.
This never happened so I started buying names I knew had value as this seemed like a more sensible approach to succeeding in this business.
But does this mean to say that there isn’t any money in hand regging names?
It sure as hell doesn’t!
Fortunes are being made by savvy domainers who register names that capture trends, or that take advantage of the changes we see in New technology, Medicine, the internet, TV shows, sports, politics and up and coming events.
The world is constantly changing and it’s these changes that offer those who keep their eyes open the potential for big rewards.
One of my names that has seen some good enquiries (well it was) was a hand registered .net. I’ve received three good offers for the name to date and foolishly I turned them down (if only I could turn back the clock.)
The name is ScrapMetalPrices.net and although it’s not going to make me my fortune a mid $xxxx payday on a $7 investment is a pretty good ROI in my eyes.
I haven’t registered names for quite some time now, but I just picked up BlogPrince.com, which I think is a very brandable nice sounding name.
So going forwards I may register a few more names, but I certainly won’t be getting carried away like I did in the old days. These names will have to pay their way and I’ll need to be confident there will be demand for them.
Of course the next big thing can come from anywhere, so keep your eyes peeled and you never know, maybe you could get lucky and get to the top of DNJournal’s charts with your hand reg.
Still if you’re not sold by what I’ve said maybe you should listen to mark Ostrofsky, the President of Internet REIT:
"Another example of this is the word ‘ringtones.’ It is worth millions right now, but five years ago, it wasn’t worth 50 bucks. If you see a trend or something that you see coming out that the next guy doesn’t–spend ten bucks and buy up that name."
Or how about Rick Latona in his recent interview on DNkitchen.com
"95% of all the domains I get are hand registered."
I’d be interested in seeing which hand registered names you have that you feel have the most potential.
James
James,
I am quoting you:
“I’d be interested in seeing which hand registered names you have that you feel have the most potential.”
I assume I can post here in the comments area so I will list a couple.
StocksAndTrades.com
WebmastersPub.com
Informing.me
LearnTheFuture.com
Learn The Future is a sticky phrase
James,
Some domainers may hate you for writing this article
Hand registered domains have been a hidden gem for many domainers over the years. While the bulk of domainers were possessed and obsessed with drops, expired domains, Google PR ranks and traffic rankings, some kept their eye on the ball.
You have to keep the main thing the main thing. Branding. Too many domainers seem to forget that a domain name is the name of a website, and as such, the domain name should meet some basic branding criteria.
Instead, domainers went out on a tandem, focusing too much on the little spoils and gains of PPC, only to find themselves with huge portfolios of useless domains when the PPC revenues ceased to flow.
I hand registered 95% of my domains, and about 75% of them have received offers in the past.
Domainers who grasp the branding potential of domains now, will reap good harvests in the days, months and years to come.
Here is a small sampling of my registrations from the past few weeks. It’s not likely that they’ll provide a big payoff but I’ve always been able to generate a nice return from names like these.
ResidentialLawnCare.com
AlcoholRecoveryProgram.com
LibidoMedication.com
BiodiversityResearch.com
CoachAirfare.com
BloopersVideo.com
CopperMountainHotels.com
AcceptDebitCards.com
VinylSwimmingPools.com
PutterShafts.com
RetailCashRegister.com
RetailCashRegisters.com
AdaptorPlugs.com
IndustrialVacuumSystems.com
ElectricGuitarLesson.com
ProfitableInternetBusiness.com
DerogatoryCredit.com
FineStemware.com
CorporateSchools.com
DownComforterSet.com
HybridArchitecture.com
WebCapability.com
RugUnderlay.com
-Bill
AvailableDomainNames.com
Thanks for mentioning my interview with Rick Latona. If anyone is interested in reading the full interview here is the link, http://www.dnkitchen.com/interview-with-rick-latona/
Hand reg has, and always will have huge potential, like you said the world is always changing, and it’s always possible to find good names, and once and for all the world doesn’t end on dot com, any good name can be of good value to an end user even in different TLD’s
One simply has to be carefull when registering new names, it’s easy for a newbie to get excited, and to start registering every name that comes to mind, i did a few mistakes myself, and i still have a few lousy names on my portfolio, but i’ve learned, and thank God i didn’t spend much on non worthy names.
Hand regged domain names are the best! I find at least four or five everyday using alot of the free tools available online. The number one rule it to keep it simple, I mean there are some people who register the silliest domains believing they are going to make the next google.
Two word generics are the best to register and develop. Getting 200% ROI in the first week!
Still discovering a few gems:
MotionSensingSecurity.com
LoftFurniture.net
ClinicalTrialVaccine.com Perfect for sub-domaining
FoodCouponsToPrint.com
Pre-paidGameCard.com
(see latest news on pre-paid game card)
Still tons of opportunity!
I have to admit that I spend the most time browsing the expiring domain lists, but occasionally I hand register a few domains that I like based on mostly brandability.
beltbike.com (upcoming trend)
brightwiz.com
artbutterfly.com
prbull.com
beautyswan.com
filmglory.com
huxon.com
osavi.com
oxoni.com
exorb.com
I think I should start spending more time inventing new names in stead of having to compete against other drop catchers every day at drop time.
Thanks for another good post!