Domain Names - What Are They and Why Do You Need One?
By Jay Mueller

A domain name is simply your online address. It is similar to a piece of virtual real estate. It is the place people go online when they want to find you. Your domain name can be a traditional.com, or you might choose a.net,.org,.info,.biz,.tv, or even a.me, as well as a host of other extensions. However, the.com extension remains the most well-known and the most popular if you are trying to get your website to rank highly in the search engines.

Contrary to popular belief, all of the good .com domains are NOT taken. Many excellent domain names are still available. You can also find good bargains on used domain names that already have many backlinks pointing to them, so your site gets traffic right away. Places like FreshDrop.net give up to the minute listings of used domains for sale, and domain registrars like GoDaddy and NameCheap are the places to go to register a brand new name.

There is even money to be made in selling domain names. Because it is a piece of virtual real estate, it may have value. There are plenty of tools online you can use to estimate the value of your domain name for free. If you study the art of buying and selling domain names, you should get a good idea of when you may have a winner. Good domain names regularly sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and a few have even sold in the millions.

Of course, for most people, the need for a domain name will simply be to create a website and have a presence online. When you do this, you will probably be registering a brand new name. You can choose to let your registration information remain public where your name, address, phone number, email address and domain name expiration date will be listed in the WHOIS database. Your host name and IP address will also be listed. If you decide to make your information public, you may become the victim of hackers and spammers. You can also pay extra to keep this information private if you do not want potential customers or domain buyers to contact you. It is all up to you, since this is YOUR presence on the web we are talking about. Make it as secure or as open as you like.

Author: Jay Mueller
http://www.jaylynne.com
http://www.ultimate-im-products.com

Jaylynne Enterprises is an Intenet Marketing site providing information on how to grow a home based internet business. Articles include how to use eBay, reviews of software and internet marketing tools, generating traffic and building your lists. Great information on every topic in Internet Marketing. The site provides internet marketing tools both FREE and for sale.

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