Checklist before you buy a domain name

[temi]

I bought two domains recently and I got stuck with some silly things I should have checked before buying the domain name, this lead me to compiling this list so that if you are buying a domain name, you will not get stuck like me.

* The most obvious thing is ownership, check to ensure the vendor selling the domain name actually owns it
* Check to ensure the registrar the domain is registered with is one you can do business with. One of the domain names I'm stuck on is registered with a registrar that requires you to pay over $100 to opne and account with them.
* Is the domain name over 60 days old? If the domain name is less than 60 days old, you cannot move it to another registrar.
* If its a valuable domain name, consider using and escrow service to pay for it, instead of paying directly to the vendor (Unless you know the vendor well)


Hope other members add to this list

 

[RiverWire]

Yeah it can be a risky businesses ive been caught out a couple of times mainly because i got to excited and just payed for it with out good research first.

Tips i would add to the post would be

• Take your time in deciding to buy
• Make sure you really have time for the domain ( one of my weak points)
• Check the correct stats i.e Dropped Domain, Fake PR, Age and Backlinks

If you get everything right you can get some real gems, you can find most of the info you need at places like Smart PageRank - check & monitor PR, these tools might be usless to most but it gives you a good base.

For example it gives you the domain age, Alexa rank , backlinks, and a direct link to the internet archieve (domain history is always a good thing)

Other sites that are a must is

Fake PageRank Detection SEO Tool and PR Check - SEO Logs.com

Which will quickly tell you if the PR is fake.

Remember that if you are checking weather the PR is fake and the site tells you something like "This domain is showing PR5 but we cant find the google cache to confirm" this doesn't mean that the PR is 100% fake, it could just me the domain has been banned by google, its then up to you weather you want to take the risk and buy it anyway, if you choose to buy it get a new site hosted on there,log onto google webmaster tools and request reinclusion stating that you have just brought the domain, i haven't had a reinclusion request turned down yet.

Also a sure sign the domain has been dropped is that it will show as a new domain in age section, sometime's if the domain has been dropped the backlinks do not always disappear so be careful on how you choose what to buy

 

[thegateway]

Those are great tips, thanks!

 

[Red_Virus]

Escrow is really the best and the only option If u are looking at some highly priced domains.

 

[TeamPlayer]

I`ve heard of some nice profits from people buying & selling domain names. Apparently the ForumDN is one of the most popular places for trading.

Never done it myself, bit frightened of the pitfalls, but for some it could be an earner.

 

[vicdigi]

Excellent tips Temi.
Especially as I've now got over 100 domains up for sale on UK One!

 

[FerrariDave]

Great set of tips, will definitely remember these next time I am buying a domain name. Thanks!

 

[xhan]

Is the domain name over 60 days old? If the domain name is less than 60 days old, you cannot move it to another registrar.

you can but it costs.

 

[seometer]

One of the domain names I'm stuck on is registered with a registrar that requires you to pay over $100 to opne and account with them.

Holy.. What company is that? Is the account like a wholesale reseller account?