I am simply amazed at how many people "Hand Register" domain names each and every day. 99% of these domains are Junk! Anything done on the domain will be a Waste! You are instantly settling for second best without even trying from the start to Be The Best! Another BETTER domain name should of and could of been purchased! It’s called the Domain Aftermarket!
Yes, it’s always nice to spend only $10 but It’s never fun to Lose $10 either!
Some may say that just "any old domain name" will work for your website. Well, that may be true for some, but Very Few! Think of the websites that YOU purchase from online. What do their domain names pertain. Are they 3 or 4 words long and include numbers in them? Not Likely.
Do they not pertain to what the site offers?
Domain names include either a Brand (eBay, Godaddy, Facebook). Brands are Very Expensive to build but shorter is better if you decide to do this. Companies also use their Domain names and take the "No Brainer" approach and the site offers what their domain name says! BackTaxes.com offers Back Taxes services! Shoes.com offers Shoes. AmericanFlags.com offers American Flags.
Each of these are a "Market" and owning the generic domain name for that market is VITAL. It instantly gives you and your site credibility! That is something that is not done easily online! Buying the right domain name will help you in doing this. Hand Registering a domain will NOT!
Just like the property in your town is owned by "somebody", it is the very same way online. It is not "wrong" for somebody to own a generic product or service domain name. It is not wrong for somebody to own a "search phrase", "popular term" etc unless a Trademarked term is in the domain. Face the fact, the current owner just beat you to it. Dont’ hate them for being smart, see if you can work with them and then better yourself.
If you are serious about Making Money Online, and serious about Business, it’s time to stop "Hand Registering" domain names and start purchasing the domain name(s) that you Really Want! How?
Start buying domain names in the domain name aftermakret. aka, from the people that own the domain name you really want! How? Use the free service that holds the database of domain name owners. Whois. I suggest www.whois.sc . You can also search for listed domain names for sale instead of searching to see if a domain is available to hand register. You can do this at sites like Sedo.com, Afternic.com, Yofie.com.
It’s time to Get Real, stop wasting your money and get serious! Get the Very Best domain name your money can buy you and don’t look back!
Kevin M.
Just an FYI: You might want to check your Premium Domain Name link on your Yofie.com site. It appears someone (in china??) has compromised it.
GL,
hawkeye
Jamie Zoch
Thank you Kevin! F’n Hackers!!!! Last time they took over the Whole Domain!
Henry J.
LOL, didn’t you hand register dotweekly.com in September 2007?
If you’re new to domaining and don’t have much money to invest, ignore this post and go find yourself two to three keyword strong .nets or .orgs. Pop up a little PPC driven informational site on the subject, get 10 to 20 link quality link partners, and then sit back and wait for search engines to do the rest of the work. You can turn hand regs into $4 – $12 day websites using this strategy all day long.
Jamie Zoch
@Henry
DotWeekly.com was captured on the Drop. Which is different then “Hand Registering” IMO.
Just because a domain name doesn’t have “age” doesn’t mean it was a hand reg.
Kevin Davis
Hello Jamie and it also depends if you have got a catchy name or not.I hand regged MiddelClassFamilies.Com and its at auction rite now at domainfest online auction.I thought that was a good one.There is a lot of good ones that have not bee tapped yet.I always enjoy reading your blogs,Cheers Kevin Davis.
Yaron
Jamie,
I have to disagree…
A lot of newbies hand registered junk. BUT, if you know what you are doing, there are still a lot of great names available out there.
I have a long list of available names, that I can’t registered all at once just because I dont have the budget….
Jeff
Hey Jamie – what do you think of Rick Latona’s post where he says: “Start hand registering names like a mad man. I, for one, am going to try and pick up 50,000 names by the end of the year.”
Jamie Zoch
@Yaron
Do you find “better” domain names at TDNAM.com, SnapNames.com, NameJet.com, Sedo.com or hand registering? I do agree “some” domains can be hand registered but the mass majority are not worth it. Remember 40K + domain names drop daily and many domain industry leaders have said maybe 5-7% of those are really worth anything.
@Jeff
Yes, some hand reg domain names if you really know what you are doing are fine. It really depends what you want to do with them. What Rick does is purchase Long Tail Searches and builds Mini-Sites. If that is what you wish to do, that is fine. Are their better domains that would do better in the Aftermarket that would hold a better resale value, build more trust in your site from the start? I think so.
Leonard Britt
I will agree that a lot of hand-registered domains are junk. And many small companies have really bad to so-so domains. Convincing such companies to fork out money for generics is a different story. However, I disagree that just because a domain is a hand-registered .NET that the domain is junk.
RKB
Just because a domain is hand registered doesn’t make it a bad domain. I have hand registered lots of geo targeted domains.
Jason
I try to pick the good ones out at http://godrops.com everyday, but it IS an AWFUL lot of working finding short, .COM, catchy and strong keyword domains. A very little % makes the cut.
You need a name with SOME instant “cred” and that means shorter, 2-word .COM — no way around it. I hand reg just 2-3 names a week from the drop and taster drops. I’m NOT running to the next domainer auction with them (although one did get in last year – didn’t sell), but I do only get names I KNOW are catchy, I can develop quickly, monetize and get on the Google radar.
The domains in the aftermarket are AMAZING quality, no-doubt. But, IMO the best way to get names of that quality and not pay a fortune is to start making phone calls and emails personally…
Troy
Jamie=)
Are you trying to provoke people with this post?
Just because you don’t make money with hand reg doesn’t mean that other don’t.
I make a fair amount each month and 95% of mine are hand reg (and I don’t yet make any money off of the domains that I have bought from others, all of my money makers are hand reg.)
So, while it is ok for you to say that you don’t think that hand reg domains are valuable, trust me… you are incorrect=).
Troy
Just hand regged HomeSmokeAlarms.com. Took me an hour at the most to write the content and put up the site.
Hopefully I can start making some money in the next couple of months. Might not make much but even $30 month will be nice for an hours worth of work.
Jeff_Libert
1% of 100,000 new registrations would suggest that about 1,000 hand regs were worth the registration fee.
Success requires patience, such as the patience required of a good student, one who is prepared to learn before entering a competition.
Experience lends an advantage too. Oldtime domainers, ones who have been in the game for awhile, have insights gained from doing business, parking domains for years, etc. that help them make better choices. Not all seasoned vets are prepared to mentor, but you are lucky if you find someone “entirely” willing. OTOH, how many newcomers have the humility, character, demeanor to make a “worthy pupil”, i.e., someone an old battle axe might deem worth the investment and effort? Probably 99% wouldn’t qualify due to presumptuousness, arrogance, “I know what I’m doing” attitudes or “I don’t have the time to learn.”
If you study domaining history some of the very best in the game learned from others and that is why they are part of the 1%.
I’m not part of the 1%, but I’ve done okay, and do a fair bit to mentor those willing to listen.
For example, in one of my alter egos (CrankyOldMan) I let this loose years ago and many profited.
http://www.domainstate.com/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=9569
Others may know me as “Webwork”, another alter ego
that applies to my role as moderator of WebmasterWorld’s Domain Forum. Again, a place where I have spilled the beans. For example, talking about geolocalization of domains, years ago, when many could still be had for reg fees. Or talking about “predictive domaining”, one of the most useful insights for newcomers and an insight which lead to a website by the same name. (And, yes, I generously didn’t not reg the domain, because there’s always room for others.)
I wonder how many newcomers bother to read the old classics? No? Because they’re “out of date”? Hardly. Certain strategies still work, because they’re evergreen.
So, no, don’t stop hand reg’ing. Not at all. Just do it wisely. I’ve hand reg’ed about 35 domains in the past 60 days and I’m firmly holding myself back. That’s also part of the art: restraining impulse, finding what’s available that appears desirable and then only choosing 1 in 10 or 1 in 20 of those.
If you take such an approach then maybe you will be a 1 in 100 or 5 in 100 player. Of those 5 in 100 perhaps 1 will actually be worth $1K+. No easy, but if you choose wisely you will also generate a bit of bona fide parking revenue to help ease the pain of renewals pending a sale.
Jason
@RKB when there’s lot of a kind of domain available. beware. longtail GEO domains are notorious for being available…
Jamie Zoch
Dont’ get me wrong, I said some domain names are worth to hand register.. If they make sense for your use or you think you can resell them, fine.
Domains captured on the “drop” I do not consider those hand reg’s. Although the cost can be the same, these are harder to register then just going to a registrar and having your pick. I am not talking about “Backordering” a domain. I consider that part of the Aftermarket.
So maybe some of you are considering domains that are captured just as they are dropped (not using a backorder service)as “hand registered” where I consider those as drop catching. I do think many of these domains have value, but not many people are able to grab these domains because a lot of people go for them, this includes Me.
Stevie
I hand register about 2-8 .us names per day (sometimes none for a few days sometimes 1), and out of the 300 or so over the last 8 months that have been hand regged i’ve sold 11 that have paid for all the names plus the chance to buy another 200 at reg fee (namecheap) prices)
EG:
GolfRules.us hand reg
SecurityNetwork.us hand reg (turned down $140)
TechnologyInsurance.us hand reg
FloridaSecurity.us hand reg
BrazilNews.us hand reg
Miamiclubs.us hand reg
i could for sure go on like this all day,
you just need to be carefull in what you register,
Jason
OK let’s compromise: hand-reg’ing is for domainers, while end-users should use the aftermarket…
Stevie
your average end user has no idea what the “aftermarket” is or where it is
more domainers buy names from the aftermarket than endusers (fact) 85-90 domainers against 10-15 end users ? out of 100 sales.
Jamie Zoch
@Stevie #19
Now go back an reread my post as if you were an end user 
AMEN! At least one person noticed that I am trying to educate the end user about the Domain Aftermarket!
hugh
Jamie how many end users do you think are reading your blog ?
Frankie
Jamie,
I have been fortunate or shall I say preveledged to be consulted when a new company or url is being formed a couple of times including last Friday. In each occasion, I have been brutaly reminded that “The best sound in the English language is a man’s name” What does this mean? Well, each time a client chooses a name nothing I tell them will sway them. People will choose BennardPhotography.com over FloridaPhotographer.com even though they live in Florida and there client base are Floridians. This is just a tip of the old proverbial iceberg.
This weekend I am helping another company. The name they choose is of course available for reg fee. Ironicaly I cannot sway them otherwise and if truth be told, they will do just as well for there market because not everyone is a domainer and not everyone knows how to control unsolicited traffic. This particular company is a Job placement company and they have choosen something like XXXXConsulting.com (xxxx are place markers)
It took me a cool 10 minutes to convince them not to go with xxxxConsultingGroup.com
I had to walk away with a little success
Jamie Zoch
@Hugh # 21
A lot more end users then you may think. DotWeekly.com is indexed all over on Search Engines, Twitter, Facebook, Digg etc.
Acro
This type of logic is dangerous, as it assumes that all domains ever to hold value are already registered. While I am not a fan of en masse registrations as verticals, I think that there are a lot of domains that were dropped or expired and are available. Simply because someone else didn’t want them or had focus only on traffic, doesn’t mean you can’t make money from hand registering domains. I often generate a list of about 6k to 7k .com domains that existed in 1995 and dropped at some point since then. I often peruse this list and have resold several such hand-registered domains for respectable amounts.
RegFeeNames.com
I think people are falling away from jamies point this is about educating end users!
READ HIS POST AGAIN PEOPLE!
If you want to hand register know what you are doing.
There are sites out there that supply free lists of reg fee names such as mine RegFeeNames.com but dont register names unless you plan to develop it or flip snd educate an enduser.
Enduser should buy generic domains that fit there product not go out there and register a name that doesnt fit there business.
well thats my rant. dont have s go at jamie people.
Regards,
Robbie
Ed Keay-Smith
Hey Jamie,
Interesting post mate!
This is a very grey area as I agree with what you are saying and on the other hand I don’t.
I agree with what you are saying that most new hand registered domains are totally crap and the people registering them must have been on crack at the time. Just useless names that are no good to anyone. What were they thinking??? I often ask myself when I look over some of the drop lists.
But on the other hand I have sold only four of my “hand registered” domains in the past 12 months that have paid the renewal fees of all my domains which are approx 900 or so at the moment.
Now if this conversation is purely about registering .com domains then yes as everyone knows it is very very difficult to pick up a good hand registered name.
But what about all the other TLD’s and ccTLD’s???
Is .com the only extension on the planet? The way some people go on about it you would think it was!
Yes I know .com is King Yada Yada Yada…
Well what about the dam Queens and Princes??
What about net,org, co.uk, de, .in, com.au etc etc
Great domain extensions that still have one and two word generic names UNREGISTERED. Heeeeeeeeeelllooo is anybody else getting this??
In particular the ccTLD market is still wide open and as far as I am concerned to many people in the US have blinkers on regarding ccTLD’s (please note I said “to many” not “all”
and think that the .com is the only one worth registering.
I have just spent the past 7 months traveling around the world with my wife and daughter and I can say from first hand observations that .com in other countries is a very distant second in terms of usage compared to the local ccTLD’s on billboard ads, tv, radio etc.
This is what very smart people such as Rick Latona have discovered and is now chasing down the ccTLD like a man possessed.
I for one have most of my domains spread across .co.uk, .in & .co.in and .com.au the rest of about 200 domains are .com, net & org.
Every day I am registering new “hand registered” names in these extensions.
Here are some over the past month that I have hand registered for the India market (which only has 1.1 BILLION people by the way!!)
soundproofing.in
rctoys.in
digitalslr.in
mp4player.in
plasticpallets.in
bambooflooring.in
electricshavers.in
remoteserver.in & remoteservers.in
cameratripod.in & cameratripods.in
endoscope.in & endoscopes.in
labelprinter.in & labelprinters.in
mediaserver.in & mediaservers.in
hdcamcorder.in & hdcamcorders.in
remotebackup.in & remotebackups.in
Also some from Australia -
electricdrums.com.au
electronicdrumkit.com.au
electronicdrumkits.com.au
windowlocks.com.au
3dprinter.com.au
cnclathe.com.au
cnclathes.com.au
cncrouters.com.au
reelmower.com.au
reelmowers.com.au
avreceiver.com.au
avreceivers.com.au
remoteserver.com.au
remoteservers.com.au
endoscope.com.au
lcdhdtv.com.au
lcdhdtvs.com.au
kvmswitches.com.au
Now these are just a few but you get my point.
All of the above domains are of a product or service and you can tell what that is by the domain (wow generic ccTLD’s now there is a concept for some)
If you do some research and pay attention to what goes on around you domain names will fly at you faster than you can register them. Just look at magazines, Yellow Pages, TV ads etc etc what is it that people around you are spending money on??
In the past 2 years I have picked up some one word hand registered Indian ccTLD’s such as envelopes.in
firewalls.in
fountains.in
barrels.in
clamps.in
fixtures.in
chisels.in
rollers.in
All IMHO very valuable to the right end user or as a developed domain.
Anyway I say “hand register” all you dam like just make sure you do you market research first before you go and register kkruuroopp.com because you think it may catch on as a name later on!! over a ccTLD name such as electricshavers.in
Its a no brainer to me!
Here endith my rant
Regards
Ed Keay-Smith
http://www.ozdomainer.com
FederarShouldGetAgassiAsACoach
Rick Latona is handregging because he gets a tax write off on the expenses (he said so in his post) – if you consider that he is selling developed longtail minisites for $250 it is quite obvious that they are not making anything even close to a dollar a day or he would not sell at that price. Furthermore the idea that you can get 20 backlinks and watch the money roll in is easier said that done. Finally, search engines are gearing up to devalue thin mini-sites, and all the logtail searches will go to big sites that just have one page on the subject. With regards to hangregging it is a skill, and whether end user or domainer you should only do it if you have sufficient skills.
James
To say that there will not be excellent hand reg opportunities in the future is to say that we live in a static world .. a world that is fully developed economically, socially, culturally, politically and spiritually. It is to say that there will not be news, there will not be new persons of interest, new areas of technology, new “isms”, new thoughts, new ideas. As life on this planet evolves and changes for the good and the bad, there will emerge countless opportunities to capture the spirit and the letter (or letters in forming a new domain name)of the ever-changing world around us. How old are names based on the netbook, wind farms, and Obama?
Credit Score.pl
Jamie offers good advice,
Every smart end-user knows that all the good ones are already taken. The best advice i can give you before it’s too late is buy the damn premium domain for your business and STOP being so cheap. Are you going to spend more money on a stupid office chair than your own brand that everyone will see? I’m only telling you this for your own good.
Stephen Douglas
Jamie, nice bait blog post. lol
Okay, I bit. OOTB (Out Of The Basket, or “new registration”) domains are the only way to go for new domainers, as long as they are EDUCATED in the process of understanding domain values.
With emerging new technologies for adding keyword content for pennies, such as WhyPark.com, any longtail generic domain can get good content that begs for google indexing and organic search traffic. For the price of domain (avg $10) and $.99 per domain, a domainer can create content for their domains that should bring in traffic, get indexed, PR, and custom build the site to work on investment growth in a year… for only $11 total investment. You can’t get that type of value opportunity and ROI ANYWHERE else.
Today, I registered OOTB “roboticdating.com” at Fabulous.com. Cost me $7.30. I’ll bet anyone right now $100 on a $5 bet that I’ll sell that domain within 3 years for over $10,000. Total cost of my investment in three years… less than $25.
I know you’re trying to promote aftermarket sales, and your point is well-taken. I would direct your comments to the marketing directors of companies who turn down excellent generic domains that may cost $5000+ in the aftermarket to settle for lame longtailed domains that don’t put the company in the position to “own” their competition online.
Your readers should know that spending even a few dollars to build out a “hand registered” domain at companies like Evo Landing, AEIOU, and WhyPark can be excellent investments that will payoff in the long run.
Like James says before me here: “”How old are the names based on the netbook, wind farms, and Obama?”
Again, nice baiting, bro!
Accident Claims
Well no one can beat you in writing posts. I really love your posts every time.
Stephen Douglas
Hekk yah then… if you like my nonsense, subscribe to my RSS feed at http://www.successclick.com
(Sorry for the nab, Jamie – i owe you one!)