Beware of this new scam trick
Hi everyone, I wanted to make you all aware of this new scam trick. I believe some have received similar emails as well… Read more
AUCTION RECAP OF NOVEMBER 26, 2020
A look at the final auction prices, closeouts and more from the domain auction list posted on November 26, 2020. If ther… Read more
Domain Shane’s Daily List of Domains at Auction for Friday November 27th, 2020
Hope everyone had a good Thursday or Turkey day. Today’s a crazy day if you’re in retail and no different for me. Lo… Read more
Thankful for These Domain Tools
There is not one perfect domain industry tool that does everything I need. In fact, there are quite a few tools I use re… Read more
AUCTION RECAP OF NOVEMBER 25, 2020
A look at the final auction prices, closeouts and more from the domain auction list posted on November 25, 2020. If ther… Read more
Happy Thanksgiving: Domain Shane’s Daily List of Domains at Auction for Thursday November 26th, 2020
Not much to say today other than Happy Thanksgiving to all that celebrate. Make sure to call or text anyone you’re thi… Read more
Coach.co records 5th highest .co sale of 2020
Coach.co was listed at Sedo according to Archive.org for 50,000 Euro. The domain sold on Wednesday for $29,814 at Sedo.… Read more
Thanksgiving.com redirects to a 3 word .com
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the premium domain name is owned by the people behind USA Today. (Gannett). Tha… Read more
Pointing multiple domains at one site? Here’s a few things to consider.
Over the last few years buying domain names for SEO value has become increasingly popular. The reality is, if someone sp… Read more
AUCTION RECAP OF NOVEMBER 24, 2020
A look at the final auction prices, closeouts and more from the domain auction list posted on November 24, 2020. If ther… Read more
Amazon Acquires AmazonFarts.com
I was looking through my morning DomainTools Registrant Alert email, and I saw an amusing domain name that caught my att… Read more
Domain Shane’s Daily List of Domains at Auction for Wedesday November 25th, 2020
For the last 6 months, I haven’t had much trouble dealing with COVID. I work outside for the most part and have space… Read more
Would you sell this .IO portfolio for 20 BTC?
If you can remember back to earlier this year, which honestly feels like years ago now, then you’ll remember the block… Read more
NameSilo Black Friday/Cyber Monday .com transfer deal live today
NameSilo (an advertiser here) is announcing a special Black Friday/Cyber Monday transfer special a few days early. $7.99… Read more
Verisign: “Internet Grows to 370.7 Million Domain Name Registrations”
Verisign released their Q3 2020 Domain Name Industry Brief. .Coms increased, new gtld’s were down 1.5 million vs Q2. H… Read more
Overpaying Today for a Deal Tomorrow
It is arguably more difficult than ever to privately acquire a great .com domain names. The majority of investment quali… Read more
AUCTION RECAP OF NOVEMBER 23, 2020
A look at the final auction prices, closeouts and more from the domain auction list posted on November 23, 2020. If ther… Read more
IKE’S LIST OF DOMAINS AT AUCTION FOR Tuesday, November 24th
We probably all get the spam emails from supposed app and website developers scraping Whois data. I usually get them in… Read more
$45,000 buyer of HeyDay.co comes out of Stealth mode
I was surprised at the great price Grit Brokerage got for HeyDay.co. The domain name sold for $45,000. A few weeks ago.… Read more
Sold 2 Weeks Ago for $4,190, FinWise.com Subject of UDRP
A couple of weeks ago, I saw that Finwise.com was pending delete and would be auctioned. I liked the name because it was… Read more
This interview with Brad Mugford is a must-read for Domain Investors
This morning I woke up to see that Raymond Hackney, the publisher of TLDInvestors.com and main writer for TheDomains.com… Read more
AUCTION RECAP OF NOVEMBER 22, 2020
A look at the final auction prices, closeouts and more from the domain auction list posted on November 22, 2020. If ther… Read more
Domain Shane’s Daily List of Domains at Auction for Monday November 23rd, 2020
A newer domain investor named Yogi Solanki took offense to a response I made to his tweet. He said his record number of… Read more
SchoolWebsite.com once sold for $30.8K by Frank Schilling left to expire
SchoolWebsite.com was picked up for $888 back in 2004 at Snapnames. The buyer was Frank Schilling. Frank held the name f… Read more
Using Notion to organize inbound domain offers
Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Notion (Notion.so), a startup based here in SF that raised $68.2M… Read more
Top.Domains records second highest reported .link sale
Go.Link becomes the second highest reported .link sale of all time. Selling for $26,000. Top.Domains was the seller and… Read more
$29,888 buyer of Fantaseek.com revealed
Mike Mann sold Fantaseek.com for $29,888 last month and now there is a website up but it looks a little incomplete. Mike… Read more
Watch out for this China Registry .CN domain name scam
Last week I got a strange email from someone named Zhifa Ning (ningzhifa@outlook.com) who told me they were going to reg… Read more
GoDaddy broke one great Uniregistry feature I liked
One of the many great features I liked at Uniregistry was its support system. The acquisition of Uniregistry by GoDaddy… Read more
I’m testing out a new solution for building lead gen pages on traffic domains
One of the things I told myself I would do this year that I haven’t done yet is to test out putting a few simple lead… Read more
A.I. and voice recognition and their impact on Startup naming trends
Startup naming trends – a return to literal and proper spelling? Stephen Moore over at Marker wrote an interesting art… Read more
Money down the drain on StreamCast.com, FXSC.com and more
Looking at some drops over the last couple days you see a lot of wasted money down the drain. StreamCast.com was actuall… Read more
The end of an era, AT&T sells Prodigy.com
If you’re like me (aka old) then you remember Prodigy, an online service that existed before the Internet that you con… Read more
With Bitcoin approaching historic highs, will crypto domains follow?
In case you missed it, Bitcoin is dominating the headlines again as it blows past $17,000, the highest value for crypto… Read more
TIL – Flippa has a Due Diligence service, and it looks pretty darn thorough
One of the concerns I’ve always had about buying an existing online business is that after it changes hands the traffi… Read more
Building a pitch deck for your startup? Avoid this common misunderstanding.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, going through an accelerator like Techstars, YCombinator, AngelPad, etc. can make a big… Read more
Google Webmaster Tools Moves Twitter Account
Google Webmaster Tools, now called Google Search Console (for several years), has moved their Twitter account from @goog… Read more
Email Deliverability, Setting Up DMARC, DKIM, and SPF on Your Domain
In episode 46 of the Digital Marketing with Bill Hartzer podcast, I talked about Email Deliverability. If you send or re… Read more
Sedo : Dealing with well-known domainers on neutral platforms
Today’s most established domain investors span about 25 years of trading domain names for profit, if we account for a… Read more
GoDaddy is on the right path
It took a lot of effort for GoDaddy to provide a token report of sales, earlier today. Personally, I lost track of time;… Read more
Some top acquisitions of 2020
Hi everyone, I’m very excited to share some of my top domain acquisitions of recent time. My last post on acquisition… Read more
The Bing Search Engine is Now Microsoft Bing
Microsoft has rebranded its Bing search engine and given it a new name: Microsoft Bing. Most of us will most likely cont… Read more
Beck Power on Building Authority on Social Media and Repurposing Content
On episode 44 of the Digital Marketing with Bill Hartzer podcast, I spoke with Beck Power from Power Creative Media. We… Read more
Afternic experiment of September 2020
Hi everyone, Before I start sharing last month’s Afternic results, I would like to inform you that this is the last po… Read more
Domain inquiries: Is being nice a sign of weakness?
It’s been 20 years since my first domain sale took place in the summer of 2000, and boy, do I feel like it was yesterd… Read more
How do you see it from your viewpoint?
Hi everyone, Today I received an email which I wanted to share with everyone. Usually I don’t share any emails on my b… Read more
Naira Perez on Paid Media, and an Intro to Social Paid Media, and Audiences
On this episode of the Digital Marketing with Bill Hartzer podcast, I spoke with Naira Perez from SpringHill Digital. We… Read more
Why you should NEVER use NameJet
Hi everyone, I believe some regular bidders won’t like sharing it publicly but I don’t care for such mentality of pe… Read more
The Story of BuildFreeSites.com
It started with an idea I had to promote BoredHumans.com. Maybe I could build free websites for people in exchange for t… Read more
Legal Brand Domains : MicroGrid.com and other #domain acquisitions
Legal Brand Domains is operated by Braden Pollock, a seasoned domain investor who is often as hyper-active as Drew Rosen… Read more
Labor Day & Labor Day Weekend : Holiday #domains used as URL forwarders
With Labor Day this coming Monday, Americans are about to take a break from their mostly home-based work. Canadians too!… Read more
Vote twice : Illegal prompt by Donald Trump might result in #domain sale
President Donald Trump prompted supporters in North Carolina to verify their mail-in vote by attempting to vote twice: o… Read more
SUCKS.COM : Another day, another generic #domain applies for trademark at the #USPTO
Summary: SUCKS.COM aspires to be a registered trademark by filing an application at the USPTO. Ever since SCOTUS gave th… Read more
China wins 22678.COM : Sold for $15,755 dollars on #DropCatch
Five digit .com domain, 22678.com, was auctioned off on DropCatch, where it closed at $15,755 dollars. The NNNNN .com dr… Read more
C.COM – Impossible single letter #domain heads to the #USPTO
Single letter dot .com domains are impossible to register or acquire; in fact, only X.com and Z.com are officially regis… Read more
HostMy.Cloud : #UDRP route failed to materialize for .CO.UK registrant
The registrant of HostMyCloud.co.uk went after the absolute matching domain, HostMy.Cloud via the UDRP process. In doing… Read more
Chinese phisher lost Google Authenticator impostor #domain in #UDRP
Phishing is rampant, and when the targeted brand and service is Google Authenticator there’s a lot at stake. The regis… Read more
WalmartPlus.com : #Domain to be used after 14 years
Walmart is rolling out Walmart+ as a direct competition to Amazon’s Prime. For an annual fee of $98 dollars, consumers… Read more
You might be getting $25 dollars from eBay for being one of its first members!
Auction powerhouse, eBay, is celebrating 25 years on September 3rd, and is giving away $25 dollar coupons to some of its… Read more
SedoPRO World Tour : A great experience 10 years ago
It’s been exactly 10 years since SedoPRO World Tour took place in Boston, Massachusetts. Attending the two day event w… Read more
#Sedo #domain sales for the week of August 31, 2020 topped by MoovLogistics.com at $21000
Sedo weekly: Top sale is that of Moovlogistics.com at $21,000 dollars! Welcome to the latest edition of reporting on the… Read more
Tubortax.com : Fifteen years of PPC monetization ends here
It’s the end of the line for the domain Tubortax.com – after 15 years of presumably massive earnings, it’s time to… Read more
#Microsoft has no trademark in “window” says Respondent in Window11Updates.com #UDRP
From the hilarious claims department: The Indian registrant of the domain Window11Updates.com claimed that Microsoft has… Read more
Michael Robrock is the new CEO at Sedo
Change in management at Sedo GmbH – Cologne, September 1, 2020 – After 20 months in his position as CEO at the Germa… Read more
End of summer : James Booth scores big with Sun.IO #domain sale
Domain investor and broker, James Booth, scored yet another big sale, letting go of Sun.IO for a reported $49,995 dollar… Read more
Zero force point: Don’t bend your own arm into buying that domain name
Every domain inquiry begins with the best intentions, as buyer and seller negotiate. It’s not just the price that affe… Read more
Fake Birth Date Used on Google and Apple Accounts Is on Credit Report
A Reddit user, Reckoner6777, set up a Google Account and an Apple ID with a fake birth date. According to the user, they… Read more
Stolen domain names : The ethics of brokering stolen assets
Domain names have been stolen since the early days of the commercial Internet. The most known case involves the hijackin… Read more
Uniregistry “affiliate plus” payouts update
As shared by Uniregistry, all affiliate earnings balances are to be paid by the end of this month, as the Affiliate Plus… Read more
What is Bill Hartzer Disease?
What exactly is Bill Hartzer disease, and how do you get it? Is it a real disease? That’s a good question, I’ve been… Read more
Web Host Agents Sending Fake Invoices for Website Hosting
A company called Web Host Agents continues to send businesses an invoice for web hosting services. The problem is that t… Read more
Duane Forrester On Search Intent and Internal Site Search
On the latest episode of the Digital Marketing with Bill Hartzer podcast, I spoke with Duane Forrester of Yext about sea… Read more
Google Loses Blogspot.In Domain Name
Google has lost ownership to one of their Blogspot domain names. Blogspot is the former name of the blogging service tha… Read more
Recycling Mike Mann’s domains: Thanks Konstantinos!
Querying Mike Mann’s domain droplist was a herculean task, but Konstantinos of Online Domain delivered! Fifty thousand… Read more
Domain sob stories: Should I feel sorry for your political mess?
An increasing number of businesses produce “sob stories” in order to usurp domain names on the aftermarket. The usua… Read more
Domains and The “Great Repression”
I know I am stating the obvious here, but the COVID-19 crisis will forever change consumer behavior, shifting billions o… Read more
How To Promote Your Site
As I wrote in my last blog posting, what used to work to get visitors to websites no longer does. Any SEO (search engine… Read more
Change Is Hard
I haven’t made a blog posting in over 2 years because I haven’t really had anything interesting to write about. Or a… Read more
DomainAnimal Removed from Domaining.com
FYI – DomainAnimal.com has been removed from the Domaining.com feed due to being sold. The owner of Domaining.com dema… Read more
Partnership between .xyz Domains and Ethereum announced for secure coin management and trading
At Ethereum’s DevCon3 last week, the popular blockchain cryptocurrency announced a partnership with XYZ to allow users… Read more
Radix Claims 77% Renewal Rates After Two Years
New gTLD registry Radix says that three of its larger TLDs have seen a 77% renewal rate two years after launch. The comp… Read more
Amazon and Google to Fight Over .kids at Auction
Amazon, Google and a third applicant are scheduled to fight for control of the new gTLDs .kid or .kids at auction. It’… Read more
Why I Bought A .ai Domain Name
As a domain investor, I have never been a big fan of new domain extensions (domains that are not .com, .net, or .org). T… Read more
Hammock Swings From Rightside to Markmonitor
Statton Hammock has joined brand protection registrar MarkMonitor as its new vice president of global policy and industr… Read more
Coya Buys Coya.com Before $10 Million Funding Round
CrunchBase reported that an insurance startup called Coya received $10 million in seed funding at the end of August. A q… Read more
Registry Bosses to Talk ICANN "Tax Cuts" at Private Meeting
The CEOs of 20 or more gTLD registries are due to meet privately this month to discuss, among other things, the possibil… Read more
Donuts Files Opening Brief in .web Appeal
Company believes covenant not to sue is invalid. New top level domain name company Donuts, through its company Ruby Glen… Read more
GoDaddy Adds Appraisal to Domain Settings Pages
In May of this year, GoDaddy reintroduced its free domain appraisal tool, and the company began showing domain name valu… Read more
Another Auda Director Quit in Secret
Australian ccTLD registry auDA, in the midst of a transparency controversy, reportedly lost another of its directors las… Read more
.club Nears Profitability, Talks Renewals and "Trial" Domains
.CLUB Domains is nearing profitability and poised to become a “growth engine”, despite the view that most of its cur… Read more
Manage Your Own Domain Leads with HelpScout and WordPress
I would like to share one of the main things I’ve been working on lately in case anyone here could possibly benefit: … Read more
My Cloud Gaming Site – 247Gamers.com
I am happiest when I am working on new projects, especially ones that have the potential to make millions of dollars. Th… Read more
4 Options for Free Killer Domain Logos
Whether selling a domain or launching a website, a nice logo can give a boost. If on a steak and taters budget with time… Read more
Sharing
Ever try a neti pot? They are supposed to be great for preventing sinus infections. My mother gave me one many years ago… Read more
The Seven Deadly Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Domain Name from Someone Else
Bill Sweetman's Domain Name Strategy Blog Has Moved! Update your RSS Reader Now. The Sweetmantra RSS feed has moved to:… Read more
Working In Teams
“After all is said and done, more is usually said than done.” The New York Times published a very interesting articl… Read more
NameSilo Marketplace Launches Domain Payment Plans
NameSilo, a domain name registrar, has just launched the ability to offer Payment Plans for premium domain names to cust… Read more
.KIWI Gains 170,000 Domain Registrations In Two Weeks (Yeah, Right!)
.KIWI, a new domain extension aimed at the New Zealand market, has experienced tremendous registration growth the past t… Read more
Why I Paid $1,500 to Rescue Oliver Stone's Domain Name
Bill Sweetman's Domain Name Strategy Blog Has Moved! Update your RSS Reader Now. The Sweetmantra RSS feed has moved to:… Read more
Condo.Vegas Soft Launches
Two months ago we acquired Condo.Vegas, along with its plural, Condos.Vegas, we did this as a continued addition to our… Read more
A Reboot for my Blog
For quite sometime I have had it in my mind to do a “reboot” of my blog at BruceMarler.com. I did my first initial p… Read more
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
When my parents were teenagers, they hung out at drive-ins. My generation hung out in malls (I am 47). And at arcades an… Read more
New gTLDs – Aren’t We Forgetting Something? (My DOMAINfest Asia 2016 keynote)
Bill Sweetman's Domain Name Strategy Blog Has Moved! Update your RSS Reader Now. The Sweetmantra RSS feed has moved to:… Read more
BoatDeals.com – Will It Float?
“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” – T.S. Eliot You may have heard of Beepi.co… Read more
New-Tech Domains and When To Cut Losses
Occasionally I become interested in a new technology that is just beginning to bud, and if it sounds promising, like oth… Read more
A Domain Buyer Broker’s POV on which Domains are Most Wanted
Bill Sweetman's Domain Name Strategy Blog Has Moved! Update your RSS Reader Now. The Sweetmantra RSS feed has moved to:… Read more
Are Capital Controls Behind China’s Move Into the Domain Market?
It is an undisputed fact to anyone involved in the domain name aftermarket that a significant upswing in overall pricing… Read more
Why Choosing the Wrong Domain Name is Like Burning Money
Bill Sweetman's Domain Name Strategy Blog Has Moved! Update your RSS Reader Now. The Sweetmantra RSS feed has moved to:… Read more
Throwback Thursday – One Commenter’s Cogent Corrective To A Blogger’s ‘Cybersquatter’ Rant
While cleaning out an inbox the other day I somehow came across a link to a blog post from four years ago, titled, Domai… Read more
The Yin to the Yang of Domain Sales
Although it isn’t a regular column to this blog, consider this my weekend musings, if you will. The following are so… Read more
Moniker Exiting the Drop Game?
One of the company’s drop-catching proxy registrars SantiamDomains recently (and quietly) changed hands and is now und… Read more