Domain name blackmailing? - Advice about selecting “siterubix” and “normal” domain names
Let’s say that you want to build a brand new niche website. Thing is, you are not sure if you will commit fully to working on this particular site, or if you will enjoy enough the niche to work on the site for years to come, etc. Not only that, but you have no money to buy hosting and a domain name. You are just like PotPieGirl when she started out: no money to invest. Zilch. Nada.
Let's also say that a domain name like “cat-training-unlimited.com” sounds awesome to you. You just LOVE that domain name. You search for that domain name on your web browser, and you get a “URL not found” error, which indicates that name is not taken. You are thinking about maybe buying that domain name... but...
First, you have no money to buy the domain anyways. And even if you had the money to buy it... well... what if cat training isn’t really your thing after all? What if you end up wasting 10 bucks and stuck with a domain name you will not use? And you probably don’t want to get in the hassle of trying to sell that freaking waste of a domain name if you do buy it... who would want to buy that thing??
So, instead of buying that domain name, you open up your site using a free platform like blogger or siterubix (at WA), which gives you the ability of using a free sub-domain name. Let’s say that the name you chose for your site is something like this:
cat-training-unlimited.siterubix.com
(or cat-training-unlimited.blogspot.com)
And then, you start working on this particular site...
You do your research on the topic of cat training, you run experiments with your own cat... and it turns out you love the topic! You do more research, start creating useful content based on it, start connecting with other people in your niche, start doing guest blogging... the whole deal.
So, you are getting traffic to your siterubix/blogger site, you have an audience and you are even making money from affiliate sales... money you can now use to buy hosting and a domain name! So, at that point, you decide that now you want to buy a hosting plan and the “cat-training-unlimited.com” domain in order to make your site look more official, and have more control over it. So you search for “cat-training-unlimited.com” in your web browser...
... and BAM!! The domain is taken.
However, there is no website on that domain. All that appears is the GoDaddy/Namecheap/domaincompanythingy that says that that particular domain is taken.
You WANT that domain name for your site. You not only love it, but you’ve already branded your site as “Cat Training Unlimited!”, and you don’t want to change your brand! So, you track down the owner of the domain (I don’t really know how that’s done, but I assume it’s possible), and then s/he tells you...
“OH HAI. You are the guy/gal that runs cat-training-unlimited.siterubix.com, RITE? Yeah, I’ve seen your work before... and looks like you’ve grown quite an audience!
So... you want me to sell to you the “cat-training-unlimited.com” domain? Not a problem! Of course I can sell it to you, honey...
... it’ll be US $1000 :)
PayPal plz :D”
You refuse. The rat says:
“OKI DOKI LOKI! Then I guess I’ll just get to make money from this domain from people that mistakenly type cat-training-unlimited.com on their navigation bar instead of the looooooooooooooong variation cat-training-unlimited.SITERUBIX.com!
Thanks for the free traffic!! ;D”
*Insert you flippin a table here*
*sigh*... time to choose a different cat-training related domain name... and time to do some re-branding on your site, and tell your audience you have to change the name of your site to “master-cat-training.net” or something...
- - -
Now, I think I’m being a bit paranoid with this. I’m not sure if anyone in the history of ever has experienced this... but if it could to happen to anybody, this is what I would suggest to that person in order to avoid that from happening to him/her:
1 -- If you are going to try out a new niche, then test it by writing some Squidoo lenses/Hub hubpages first. Maybe some Ezine articles and Street articles too. Drive some traffic to those first, and see if you are willing to research, experiment and create more content on that particular niche.
2 -- Then, if you think you are willing to start working on a site dedicated to that niche, but you have ZERO money... even to buy a domain name, then start hosting your content on a free platform like Blogger or WA’s SiteRubix. You will have less control over what you can do and add to your site, but you can still attract traffic to it (via SEO, guest blogging, blog commenting, offline marketing and what not) , as well as promote affiliate products/offers in it.
3 -- When you get to choose your Blogger/SiteRubix domain name, choose a domain name that you would not be attached to, but that would still describe what your site is about. For instance, if your dream domain name is “cat-training-unlimited.com”, then choose a domain like “cat-training-advice.siterubix.com” or “master-cat-training.siterubix.com” or “kitty-tamers.blogspot.com”... something similar and informative, but different enough from your dream domain name.
Why do this? Because doing this reduces the chances of your “dream” domain name being snatched. This is because a person could stumble upon your site, read your siterubix domain name, realize that maybe you will be getting the normal version of that domain name in the future, and then proceed to buy that normal domain name for 10 bucks in order to sell it to you for 100+ times the original price... something I like to call domain blackmailing.
... I just came up with that term... and maybe it means something else. Please, don’t quote me on it!! D:
4 -- Then... well... get to work on your site!! Do your research, run experiments to compare with the research you do, start authoring content on your site, then connect with other bloggers and online business owners, etc.
5 -- Work on your site for 2-3 months, more or less. By that time, contemplate if you do want to work on this site and that particular niche for years to come, or if you would rather commit to a different site/niche for the long term.
If not, then just leave it like that. But, if you have realized that your interest in your chosen niche is high enough for you to write about it for years to come, and if your site is already making you income, then start saving up for your domain name, and preferably, a hosting plan too.
6 -- Once you have enough money for a hosting plan (1 year of hosting, preferably), and for a domain name, it’s time to check if your dream domain name is still available...
Now, what you did on Step 3 will reduce the chance of some jerk snatching your dream domain name. But this doesn’t guarantee nobody will take that domain name, of course. It could happen that another person in your niche, who has never seen your site before, just happened to think about the same domain name, bought it, and then started a site on that domain.
If that were to happen, then I guess you can contact the site owner to see if s/he would be willing to sell you his/her domain name for a fair price, and then switch to another domain. If s/he says yes, then good. If not... well... then you have to suck it up and look for another cool domain name :(
7 -- If your dream domain IS available, then buy it! Personally, I use Namecheap for my domain names. Much better than NoDaddy, in my opinion. For hosting either go with WA or Hostgator.
8 -- Once you have your hosting and domain name ready... you will need transfer your content, and also do some re-branding in your site. By “re-branding” I mean that you will have to change the old name of your site (like, “Kitty Tamers”) to the name in your dream domain (“Cat Training Unlimited”), and let your audience know about the name change. You will also have to tweak the design and graffics of your site accordingly.
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Ok... I really hope all of that actually made sense. I guess none of this would apply to you if you get started by getting hosting and a domain name right away (something I wouldn’t recommend for starters), but if you are getting started by using a free blogging platform like Blogger or SiteRubix, then I think having this whole "domain blackmailing" issue in mind would be a good thing for you... to have in mind... heh.
Thanks for reading! :D
Recent Comments
6
interesting article and informative .shows creative analytic approach to domain names.but please permit me to differ with you on one point,that is that we don't have to be negative every time somebody thinks of legitimate ways to earn money.i'm referring to the use of the term blackmailing.imho this is a
bit extreme term for the above situation.i would call him at most shrewd or opportunist.he had the sense to foresee a good business opportunity.Isn't that what separates successful businessman one from the other?i'm not saying this is the only factor but it's part of the game .lets be realistic not everybody is a saint people are in business to earn money!don't get me wrong i myself would probably not do it but i don't call this blackmail.much of competition deals with these types of situations.again thanks for this quality article well done!
If you have built a following on the sub domain name, just leave it there. You can still brand the name, and the addy will always be different on the rubix site than the .com site. You can also check the .net to see if it might be available. If you are getting enough traffic to make money, let them have the overflow. :)
Solid advice man. It's tough investing in a domain when you're just starting out because everything seems so unsure, and you don't want to 'waste' money. It's also hard to brand yourself from the beginning, with no experience.
It's kind of a catch 22.
If you buy your first domain knowing you will succeed, then get the best one possible. But what if you change your mind and think of something better?
It's also to 'save your best for later', and choose your first domain knowing you will quit later on.
Tough questions, tough questions.
Hey, thank you for commenting Nathan!
Tough questions indeed. The good thing is that whether you get to use the domain name of your dreams or not, what truly matters down the road is how useful your content and offers are, and that people are actually finding your content and offers.
Domain names are important but not THAT important in my opinion. One example I like is the "Art of non-conformity" site, which has the name of the author as the domain name... "Chris Guillebeau". Nobody will ever remember how to type that domain name, but people still get to find Chris' site, and the "Art of non-conformity" branding is what sticks in their brains... not the domain name :D
Very true. I was learning to Podcast from a guy called Podcast Answer Man. He tells a very interesting story of the various brands he's had over the past two years, and was able to retain many followers through his different sites, podcasts, and brands because of his high quality content.
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A very good view point for newbie like me to learn that maybe spending a little bit more money or time will be wise. Thanks for the share. It was very useful info for me as it took me a long time to come up with a niche to lose the domain name to someone else. Thanks for the share