Tracking Down Cyber Squattors

I started using the internet in 1990, and the web in 1994. I remember when Yahoo! was only 1 page, and it was believed that there were only 100 web pages in the world. Companies were hiring html developers (with 5 - 7 years experience of course), and domain names were free.

I've owned my domain name for almost 9 years now. At one time, there was no such thing as "cybersquating", "typo domains", etc. Now its and issue that many of us have to deal with at any time or another.

I've discovered that people will resort to great lengths to protect their identity once they've squatted on a domain, but there are many tools to track down the truth about who they are.

How Squattors Hide - Fake Registration Info

One tactic I found used is that squattors will use fake registration information to hide the true owner of a domain name. I found one "company" that owned hundreds of domain names, many of large corporations, but registered each one using a different mailing address and a different name. Many of the names were silly like "Arthur Arthurson", but the company erred by listing all of its domains on link farms, exposing their tactic.

Front Companies

Another method the same company used would be to provide a contact phone number for a fictitious sounding company. For example, if they owned the domain "exxon.com", they would make a front company and call it "Exxon Secretarial Services". They then tried to create a realistic looking corporate web site. This method was exposed because they used the same phone number for all of their front companies. Searching Google for the phone number turned up a large number of fake businesses.

Changing Company Names

I am aware of another squattor who besides being heavily involved in the porn business owns a few domains that it really shouldn't have. Over the years, they have changed their company name but kept the same physical address, a sign that someone is after them and they keep on running. Their names tend to follow the same theme, so the company might be called "Diamond Web Services" this year, but maybe "Sapphire Web Services" last year. Keeping the same contact address exposes that they are in fact the same company. Using whois history tools, you can see how they change their company name ever year.

Denying Ownership

Most smart squattors will claim that they don't own the domain name, but they are just holding it for someone else. This creates a layer of anonymity that is hard to crack. The truth of the matter is that the registrant has control of the domain name, and anyone who is simply the administrator should be listed as the Administrative Contact. If someone is listed as the Registrant than they are by all means the owner of the domain name.

Foreign Registrations

One company I cam across used a foreign registration in a distant country to hide its true identity. One might think it is hard or impossible to negotiate with a foreign entity, if you can even speak the same language. But in the case, the foreign registration was just a cover for another domestic company that was trying to hide the fact that it was a competitor. The mistake was that the registrant was squatting on 2 domains, and on one he left as an email contact the address of the domestic company, which led to the true identity.

Escrow Services

Escrow services allow anyone to sell domain names without anyone knowing who is the true owner or who is receiving the proceeds from any sale. I contacted some escrow services regarding cyber squatting and was told that since true domain ownership is a complicated issue, they do not get involved. One cybersquattor was exposed because the NIC required a signed letter from the existing registrant, which exposed his true identity. This led to identifying other domains that he was squatting on.

Tools to Uncover Squattors

Whois history allows domain owners to see the whois records for many popular domain names. Not all domains will be listed, but surprisingly many are. I was able to use this to track previous owners for the past 6 years. Find this tool at http://www.domaintools.com/

HTML codes tend to be used repeatedly by squattors. Many squattors will use paid parking sites to earn revenue off of domains. However, in some, affiliate codes will be used by the individual, allowing multiple sites to be tracked to the same individual.

Google and USENET can be useful. Not only did I uncover the name of a squattor, but I found someone else who was looking for him. A great way to track these people down is to combine forces and work together. Post keywords identifying the squattor in domain forums along with your contact information.

Using domain name sales records, I was able to determine when certain domains transferred hands. I could also tell how much the owner paid for the domain name.

Find out which domains are hosted on an IP address at http://www.webhosting.info/. Some IP's might have a small number of domains hosted, while others might have hundreds of thousands. This tool is useful to find what other domains a squattor might own, some of which might be yours.

Five Common Domain Name Myths

With domain name articles and tips floating around all over the Web, most people probably feel that they know a good deal about picking and protecting a domain name. However, some common domain name myths persist. Let's debunk a few.

Myth: Once I register a domain, I can use it forever.

Fact: While it's possible that you'll keep your registered domain name forever, it's not guaranteed. Several things can happen that would cause you to lose your domain name. First, you have to register your domain name each year (or register it for multiple years up front) in order to keep your access to it. If you forget to renew your registration, you could lose your domain name, or someone else can register it and charge you a huge fee to have it transferred back to your name. Second, you could lose your domain name in a trademark dispute.

Myth: My domain name is automatically trademarked, so no one else can ever use it or anything too similar to it (such as with other extensions).

Fact: A domain name cannot be trademarked in the US! It also isn't protected by a copyright. However, if your business' name is trademarked before anyone else is using it, then you could sue if someone registered a domain name using your business name (or a common misspelling) to sell products or services that are extremely similar to your own. For instance, if someone else ever tried to register something like Microsoft.net, or even microsort.net, for the purpose of selling computers and software, Microsoft could sue them to stop them from using the domain name. This is to stop scammers and competitors from trying to profit off of a trademarked name. In some countries, you can't even register a domain with their country-specific extension unless you own the trademark there for that business name.

Myth: If I own the trademark for my company's name, I automatically have the right to register my company's name as a domain name.

Fact: You do not, in fact, have the right to register any domain name, even if you have a trademark on the corresponding company name. The reason for this is that a trademark on a business name doesn't give you exclusive access to use that name. It only gives you exclusive access to use that name for the particular products and / or services that you offer. Going back to our above example, let's say Microsoft forgot to renew their registration on Microsoft.net. While they could sue another computer manufacturer or software company for registering the domain name without question, let's assume it's registered by a small company making microfiber-covered sofas and other furniture. The name makes sense - 'micro' as an abbreviation for microfiber, and 'soft' because it's a very soft fabric. That company has every right to use the company name Microsoft, and they would own the trademark for that company name as it applies to the products they sell. Because of that, Microsoft couldn't do anything to get their .net domain name back except offering to buy it outright.

Myth: A domain is only worth registering if you can get the .com version.

Fact: Many web sites have been successful using .net, .org, and country-specific domain extensions. Don't reject an otherwise good domain name just because the .com extension isn't available. If you're setting up a domain name based on keywords, a .net or .org shouldn't make too much of a difference. If you're selling products or services to only residents of your country, a country-specific domain extension could prove to be quite profitable for you, as it tells your target market that you're specifically selling to them.

Myth: You should never use dashes in a domain name.

Fact: While including dashes in a domain name isn't ideal, it also shouldn't be forbidden. Dashes make it harder to market your domain name via word of mouth, but they can be very effective if you're determined to use a keyword-rich domain name for a general content site, if the version without the dashes isn't available.

Copyright 2006 Stephen Ashton

Are You Stuck With a Crummy Domain Name?

Think about the search

Before selecting a domain name it's important to take into consideration how people will be searching for you on the internet. Your name should include a variation of your niche's keywords. A direct keyword match is ideal, but not always available.

Once you've decided to start a home business and settled on a niche, it's now time to research the keywords that are relevant to your business and website and identify the ones with the highest amount of traffic and lowest competition. This isn't always easy! However, I cannot stress the importance of going through this process before you run out and buy your domain name Let's face it, your domain name is a part of your business that will be with you for a long time. Pick a good domain name and it won't be long before you start seeing traffic coming to your website. But choose the wrong name, a name that doesn't describe who you are or what you do, you'll have an uphill battle before you and it can be many months before you start to have regular visits to your website.

So how do I find a good domain name?

Before I go any farther I want to say, this article is not about a step-by-step process of using a keyword search tool like Google's Keyword Tool, which is free or one of the premium keyword search tools available on the market today. All I'm trying to show you are some simple techniques you should use when searching for a good domain name that will give you maximum results. What are these easy-to-do steps?

Simple - Easy - Social

1. Make it Simple - A one word domain name is best. It's probably next to impossible to do today, but if you're lucky enough to find a single word that describes your site, then take it. Don't be discouraged if you need to create a phrase name instead of a single word. If "best.com", is already taken, then a variation, such as, "thebest.com" or "thebestsite.com" or even "thebestreview.com" will work. The important thing here (assuming you already did your research and determine the keyword has high potential for traffic) is to use the main keyword that describes what your site is about. In our example above we have a site about "Best". Very generic and maybe not a good example, but perhaps your website's about camping or fishing or whatever. The same rule applies; the ideal domain name will be "camping.com" or a variation thereof. A keyword phrase can work just as well as a single keyword as long as it's relevant to your site and a common search term.

2. Easy to Remember - This is the main reason a one-word site name is ideal, it's easy to remember. However, even a keyword phrase can be easy to remember too. When doing your keyword search, the search tool you're using will provide you variations of the keyword and popular keyword phrases. It will show you how many times that keyword or phase is searched every month. If you find one that has a high number of searches and competition is low-medium and it's descriptive of your niche, you found a good match. Even a keyword with "high" competition can be a good choice too. Especially if it's not being used as a domain name by another website.

3. Easy to Spell - This is important too! If it's not easy to spell then it won't be easy to remember. Avoid super long keyword phases. Stay away from numbers in place of words - "how to" instead of "how 2". Do not use hyphens - "howto", not "how-to". Never use another language for your domain name. You might think it cute to call yourself, "qui.com", instead of "yes.com", but you will have already ignored the first two steps we talked about and now added another strike against your website by making it hard to spell.

4. Don't - We just touched on this, but stay away from hyphens. If the hyphen is not placed properly or left out altogether, your customer will most likely end up on somebody else's site, but not yours. Do not use a well-known brand name. Just because the 'dot com' has not been purchased yet doesn't mean to go out and get it. You'll lose in the long run. Big corporations are just that, bigger than you. If you decide to use a brand name as your domain name it won't be long before you will one day find a nasty email in your inbox. The email will most likely be from a law firm or even in-house counsel telling you that you're in violation of copyright laws. You now have a choice to make. Either shut down your website voluntarily or have it shut down for you. Either way, you're done.

5. Do - Consider purchasing variations of your site's name. Most Registrars (where you buy your domain name) will offer you variations of the site name that is available. If your site name is "Bananas.com" consider the following variations: "thebananastore.com, or "bananas.net". You have to think about the person searching for your site or brand It's easy to add the word "the" before any site name, and before you know it, that person was sent to another website... not yours.

6. Social Networks - Here's another area you'll need to consider if you're in the e-commerce business; your domain name will be your Facebook and Twitter account name too. That is, if you want to maintain consistency between your website and social sites.

Final thoughts

There are more things to consider when selecting a name than just the six, I've listed above. Nevertheless, I believe these to be some of the most important ones you should take into account when deciding on a good domain name.

The old saying goes: 'sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me'. Well, in the virtual world of the internet, that's not always true. A crummy domain name will hurt you, and it will hurt for a long time. Take the time to think about your business, your brand, and the person searching the internet. If you apply the simple techniques listed above, you'll avoid a boat-load of disappointment and the spending of a lot of money for those pay-per-click ads to compensate for a poor domain name choice.

The Domaining Home Business Model for Entrepreneurs   Finding a Short, Easy to Remember Domain Name - It's Possible!   Get Your Online Presence Started With An Effective Domain Name   Why Domain Age Matters   In the Social Media Age, You Still Need Your Domain Name   

Domain Market - How To Make Money Buying or Selling Premium Domain Names

The domain market of today is one wrought with opportunity. In order to get the goods on the domain name that will make you money, it is important to know how to buy and sell on the premium market. It takes a great deal of expertise to be able to do this properly, but the good news is that you don't have to graduate with any special degrees. You don't need letters after your name or anything like that. You just need the drive to research markets and make purchases based on what names are the most popular. There are two ways that you can make money off the buying and selling of domain names. Clearly, you can create a domain name of your own and hope that others will notice. But this is much more of a crapshoot than the art of buying and selling premium existing domain names. Here's how to take control of your own destiny in this lucrative market.

How to buy

When you are buying existing domain names on the Internet, it is not unlike buying an existing home. Virtual real estate and brick and mortar real estate basically work on the same principle. The longer that something stays on the market, the less viable it becomes for selling at the top asking price. Of course, that is not to say that you can't buy, make improvements to the site, and then sell at a profit. But there will be certain commitments needed from you after the purchase. For starters, people are rarely able to "flip" a domain name that has been on the market for an extended period of time. Secondly, you do not need a lot of money to turn a domain into a hot property. All you need is a little creativity and ingenuity. Adding valuable content and taking the site in a specific direction can be appealing to potential online entrepreneurs in much the same way that improvements to a home can add property value.

How to sell

Selling the property can be either very difficult or very easy. So much of it depends on being at the right place at the right time. But by creating quality reasons to buy, your job as a salesman is that much easier. Hosting providers often have a direct link to buyers and sellers, and as such, they can provide a wealth of information for any virtual real estate investor. Know the site's monthly traffic and existing revenue. More importantly, know what the improvements that are made will do for the sale price of the site.

The premium domain name is still a viable way to make money, but only if you take the time to treat it like you would any other business.

The Domaining Home Business Model for Entrepreneurs   Finding a Short, Easy to Remember Domain Name - It's Possible!   Get Your Online Presence Started With An Effective Domain Name   Why Domain Age Matters   

Steps to Take When Setting Up Your Own Business Website

Starting your own business from home using the web as your hub is similar to the traditional way of doing business. There are a number of threads that link these two, the only difference is that most of the transactions for an online business are done online and using the latest technologies.

One such similarity can be found is the need to have a 'showroom' for the business. For the traditional business, a 'brick and mortar' office and showroom should be available where products can be displayed and where services can be demonstrated and tested by the customers. The showroom is also important so that the potential customers can physically check out the products and services offered and clarify some questions. The same is true as well when setting up your own business online. You also need to pay attention to your 'virtual showroom' and in the case of an online and home-based business; the 'virtual showroom' can come in the form of a website. The virtual showroom is not just the place where you can show the products and display the services; the site will also serve as the hub for all transactions related to the business. Here's how you can set up the site for your online business.

To jump-start your dream of becoming an online entrepreneur, set up a site by securing first the domain and a web hosting provider. Ideally, the domain name that you will get should say the nature or the name of the business. But due to the high demand for online names and domains, there's a chance that your preferred domain name is already taken. If already taken, you can get creative and find other terms related to your business. When you choose a domain name, go for short and memorable names and the domain name should be easy to remember. The cost of registration of the domain name and renewal varies, and there are domain names that start at $10 to $30 per year. There are domain providers that charge on a monthly basis.

Once the domain has been identified, the next step is to secure the hosting services. Consider the domain name as your address online and the hosting service as your real property online. When looking for hosting services, you will find different kinds of options but choose the most basic first.

You may want to install a content management system. This is a free and easy to use system that allows you to easily make changes on the site. The top free CMS providers include WordPress and Drupal. Go for WordPress if you are new in the business. Even if you don't have a degree in computer science and don't know HTML, you can make changes on your site through CMS. Once you signed up for a CMS, this is the time to select the plug-ins. When working on WordPress, the recommended plug-ins includes All-in-One SEO, Contact Form 7, Google XML Sitemaps.

Once ready, you can start loading your content. When setting up you own business online and planning for a website, put a strong focus on the contents that you will put on the site. There should be a number of pages on the website. Some of the recommended pages that you should include on the site include the 'About Us' page, 'Contact Us' page, 'Products/Services' page and 'Testimonials' page.

Other pages may be included but the recommended ones that should not be forgotten. The 'About Us' page should tell your readers about the company or your business and the 'Contact Us' page should include the contact details of the business including e-mails and landline numbers. The complete list of products and services and simple descriptions for it should be listed on the 'Products/Services' page. The reader and site visitor should easily get as much information as possible when they are led to this page. Don't forget about the testimonial page. This can serve as your advertisement on site.

Use these recommended steps when you set up the site for your own business from home. Some business may need advanced steps in web planning and design, but for starters you can begin with these actions.

Dany Cooper

The Domaining Home Business Model for Entrepreneurs   Finding a Short, Easy to Remember Domain Name - It's Possible!   Get Your Online Presence Started With An Effective Domain Name   Why Domain Age Matters   In the Social Media Age, You Still Need Your Domain Name   

How International Domains Can Aid Your Business

.com is the most widely used domain on the Internet, and most websites you browse across will be one of these. However, many people overlook the benefits that can arise from using a country-code top-level domain, and in this article I will outline the benefits and why they are useful as a standalone domain or a redirection to you .com.

International domains can help you gain higher rankings on regional Google sites.

On regionally based Google sites such at google.co.uk, they give a greater preference to extensions of that area. This means that if you have a particular audience based in a certain country/continent, it can help if you have your domain name with those extensions. This can direct the traffic you want in your direction, and can help with Search Engine Optimization for those websites. Proof of this can be seen in a random search of 'hardware stores'.

When searched on google.co.uk, the first five extensions are as follows:. org, .co.uk, .com, .com, .co.uk.

When searched on google.ca, the first five extensions are as follows: .ca, .ca, .com, .ca, .com.

Seeing as Google automatically redirects to the country that you are in, people will almost always have the results of their regional Google unless they choose otherwise. Due to this it can be a good idea to consider international domains when trying to get traffic directed to your website.

Another advantage of international domains is that it opens a wider choice of names. Seeing that there are over 150,000,000 domain names registered in the world, over 100,000,000 of those being .com, there can be a great limitation in name choice. All the best .com names have already been registered, leaving many businesses struggling to choose a domain name that will work. For this reason you should take advantage of international domains that have a greater variety of names still available for registration.

Registration of international domain names as an addition to your .com can help you with brand protection through the Internet. By securing your brand name on as many international extensions as possible you can stop third party companies from potentially ruining your brands reputation.

In conclusion, it is a good idea to invest in international domains as they can be beneficial for your company. Make sure that you take advantage of what they have to offer your business.

The Domaining Home Business Model for Entrepreneurs   Finding a Short, Easy to Remember Domain Name - It's Possible!   Get Your Online Presence Started With An Effective Domain Name   In the Social Media Age, You Still Need Your Domain Name