Resell.biz

That’s right,

We have an all-new facebook located at www.facebook.com/resellbiz

Be sure to stop by and “like” our page as we’ll be posting all kinds of great specials that will be Facebook only!

Over the last few months we have been working extremely hard at improving our current service offerings and overall experience. With that being said, I would like to let you in on a few things going on around the office here.

First off, we will be launching some major updates to our website as well as our domain and hosting offerings. Not only are we going to be offering dozens of additional TLD’s, but you will see tons of monthly specials allowing you to offer your customers the best possible prices around!

Along with that we will be offering three all new predefined hosting packages allowing you to compete in today’s world of unlimited hosting offerings. These packages are competitively priced and include unlimited space, bandwidth, and many unlimited features.

By now you may be trying to figure out why this blog post is titled “All for one, and one for all!”.

Well the reason I chose that title is because I’m happy to announce we’re going to be merging everything into one easy-to-use control panel. As of right now our customers have to use two separate control panels to manage their domains and hosting services which just makes things difficult! Once our new control panel is launched you will be able to manage ALL of your resell.biz services within one easy to access location.

So please stay tuned as I’ll be posting numerous updates in the weeks to come. We will be announcing a few new service offerings such as Cloud and SSL as well as posting some screenshots of the fancy new control panel.

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

Over the last several years there has been a rise in domain name hijacking, a dangerous situation where hackers defraud a victim’s domain and use it launch malware or negatively soil a well-earned brand name.

However, while this trend is worrisome, there are ways to mitigate and reduce this threat by using best practices put forward by registrars such as Resell.biz, which offers domain reselling.

“Attackers may use a wide range of techniques to hijack domain names, from spyware, and keystroke loggers to ‘social engineering’ in which scammers impersonate registrants, registrars, or other entities in the chain of trust in order to gain access to passwords and personal information,” said Verisign.

The scammers may then create scam websites which can result in serious damage. Reversing this fraud is tricky, but your choice of domain reseller web hosting platform will play a key role in both preventing this situation and helping you fight the effects if it does happen.

Here are a few key tips to help you fight domain hijacking:

• Research all the security tools on offer by the domain reseller.
• Maintain an active relationship with your registrar, by keeping registration and contact information up to date.
• Choose secure, complex passwords to protect your online systems
• Investigate ‘Registry Lock’ mechanisms put forward by registrars which allows you to set conditions under which registration information can be altered

Resell.biz, for example, also offers stringent terms of services, which prohibits illegal activities including hacking and spamming practices that affect the well being of customers on their automated platforms.

Internal engineers monitor all domain activity on a constant 24-hour basis to ensure your platform is up, safe and secure.

“The threat of domain name hijacking is very real, and organizations are right to be concerned. But with appropriate vigilance and effective tools, it is a threat that

ALL organizations, large and small, can defend against,” said Resell.biz.

114 million .net and .com domains were purchased in the in the final quarter of 2011 which is almost 8% higher than figures recorded in 2010. These numbers were released by Verisign as part of their executive summary contained under quarterly ‘State of the Domain’ reports.

“The largest TLDs in terms of base size were, in order, .com, .de (Germany), .net, .uk (United Kingdom), .org, .info, .tk (Tokelau), .nl (Netherlands), .ru (Russian Federation) and .eu (European Union),” said Verisign.

Interestingly, Verisign also recorded about 64 billion DNS queries to its system in the final part of 2011. This is a staggering figure! There was also a 73% domain renewal rate for .com and .net extensions over the third quarter.

These figures above are great news for domain and website resellers, as they offer clear indications that there is income to be made by web entrepreneurs. Plus, there are zero fees and zero commitments to get started as a domain reseller. The risk levels are low and the rewards great.

Opportunities exist to resell .com, .net, .info, .biz, .name, .us and .in domains to an international audience. Generally, you can expect your new reseller account to feature privacy protection, domain forwarding and mail forwarding, managed DNS, domain theft protection and high-level control panel or management tools.

Plus, all of the above is wrapped up in a white label reseller package which allows you to tightly manage your company branding experience without letting any of your customers (or competitors) know you are using Resell.biz to power your domain business.

By the way, in the fourth quarter of 2011 Verisign reports that there 225 million domain name registrations across all Top Level Domains (TLDs), an increase of 5.9 million domain names, or 2.7 percent over the third quarter. Registrations have grown by more than 20.4 million, or 10 percent, since the fourth quarter of 2010. You can see why domain-reselling packages are becoming so popular!

The Big Apple will fork out  $185,000 for a new top-level ICANN domain extension ending in .nyc to house its future online presence and revenue-creation operations.

While this may seem like a hefty sum to pay for domains that until recently cost less than $35 per year (picture .com and .net domain names), the new domain gTLDs are seen as one of the biggest branding opportunities to hit the Internet.

They allow government agencies like New York City to tightly manage their branding experience while other listed companies like Coca Cola can forge new marketing campaigns using examples such as .coke extensions.

According to Information Week, New York City hopes the new pricey domain will generate revenue as well as help residents locate government services.

“The use of the domain also is expected to bolster local businesses and New York City’s global profile as well as promote and market tourism to the area,” said Information Week.

The city plans to license out the domain to all those lawfully and substantially connected to the Big Apple including initiatives around tourism, business and residential projects.

In addition to licensing fees, New York City hopes to generate additional revenue from click-through fees and advertising sales.

“The city will receive a minimum revenue of $3.6 million the initial five-year contract period, with set yearly minimums of $300,000 for the first year; $650,000 for the second year; $750,000 for the third year; $850,000 for the fourth year; and $1,050,000 for the fifth year.”

Neustar is brokering the purchase and maintenance of the domain for New York City, which looks set to run for a five-year period.   However, it will be almost six months to a year before the application is approved and finalized by ICANN.

The new domains offer a number of tangible benefits including new business models, better brand definition, and brand awareness and having tighter control over your online identity.

It can also be used to geographically celebrate local citizens, commerce activities, and culture. Some examples include  .boston,  .utah, or .california.

ICANN states that by May 2012, once all the applied-for strings have been posted, you will have an opportunity to object to any that you believe would infringe your legal rights.

ICANN then suggests you refer to Module 3 of the Applicant Guidebook for details on the objection process, that is available off their website.

ICANN is calling the introduction of these new domains, which went live in January 2012, as one of the biggest events in Internet history. The opportunity to own custom, vanity domains such as .computer or .ocean or .london have obvious brand appeal, but they are nearly as expensive as a tiny matchbox apartment in a major city zone, costing roughly $200,000 for a single application, which can take several months to process.

ICANN recognizes the controversy surrounding the new extensions stating that “a decision to apply for a new gTLD should not be entered into lightly”, as it entails running a registry business ,which comes with the associated responsibility of maintaining a critical and highly visible piece of Internet infrastructure.

Here are some of the benefits and risks of pursuing the above.

gTLD BENEFITS

• Leverage new business models which allow you to establish accessibility policies for your customers and even erect custom high-security zones

• You have complete control over pricing relating to domain registration

• Continued domain renewals mean reoccurring annual income

• Pursue high-level branding and marketing ventures using the extension.

• Highlight and exploit emerging Internet technologies including IPv6 and RFID chips.

• Gain access to new international markets and users whose local languages use non-Latin characters.

gTLD RISKS

• As mentioned earlier it’s pricey: $185,000 plus additional ongoing operating costs and stringent application requirements specified by ICANN

• Due to intense competition, you may not win your application for a particular string. This means risking your capital investment. Future revenues may not cover the initial investment.

• You will be faced with a lot of red tape or regulatory requirements attached to running the gTLD.

• There may be similar applications for strings from international competitors who try to siphon off customers from your projected target market

• You will need to keep pace with technological change and new advancements in business models. This could be stressful and costly.

If you read our recent blog post highlighting the top 10 domain sales, you will note that selling domains can be a lucrative endeavor if you are persistent and carefully research the market.

Here are just 7 reasons to consider becoming a Resell.biz domain reseller:

• Resell.biz domains are cheap!  Some sell for less than $7 per year!

• Activate complete white labeling.  Resell.biz does not sell directly to customers. This means your brand is protected and seamless on your website or business card.

• You can set up an online domain reselling shop in less than five minutes.

• You can build an army of sub-resellers who go out and do the work for you. Just like Amazon’s affiliate program you get the benefits of scalability and Internet ‘reach’ by signing up for a domain reseller account.

• An online dashboard allows you to control your destiny, giving you accurate reporting and monitoring. This is available to your resellers and customers, too.

• If you are tech savvy, you can also leverage powerful APIs and WHMCS to integrate additional services and features with your website.

• Instant Domain Reseller Account Activation! No waiting

The Resell.biz model distinguishes itself by offering end-to-end management and automation of your business including a Reseller Storefront, which is an out the box solution and requires no coding experience to set up. It also includes payment processing and plug-in integration with all the major payment providers.

The Resell.biz platform also includes the popular Softaculous interface for installing programs like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Zen Cart.

Plus, the more domain names you buy, the cheaper the prices become. This is referred to as Bulk Domain Name purchasing and there are no membership fees or a minimum-spending requirement.   For instance, domain resellers who deposit $500 or more over the lifetime of their account, are entitled to domains such as .co for as little as $25 per year over 1-10 year term.   This is an example of Tier 2 pricing and it’s worth considering if you are planning a long-term domain reseller strategy.

As a domain reseller you need to keep your eye on what sells. While there is a bewildering array of information on the web, it’s sometimes difficult to get handle on which ‘names’ are dominating the field

DN Journal, a domain industry news publication, offers a partial insight into the above with a weekly update on the top selling domains sorted by price.

They reported that during a seven day period the top 10 domains sold totaled together $502,899. If you thought you would see a .com, .net or a .co at the top of the list you would be mistaken. That honor feel to our Bavarian cousins, Germany, with their .de extension.

However, .coms did fill out positions 2-9 with a .me domain name making a surprise appearance at position 10.

Check out the top 10 list below, representing data collected between February 27 and March 4, 2012.

Source: DN Journal

Is it any surprise that a vice like gambling tops the list with OnlineCasinos.de? Whenever one examines a list such as this, it’s worth highlighting where this data came from or how it should be used.

DN Journal takes great pains to stress that the data collected above should be used as an educational tool and may not be a definitive list since many sales are kept private at the behest of buyers, sellers, or both parties.

They also warn new buyers to practice caution when basing future purchases on lists such as the above.

“For the many newcomers entering the domain industry we also want to point out that the reasons why a domain name sells for a certain price can be varied and are not always clear to those who are unfamiliar with the domain market,” said DN Journal.

Buy now you are probably curious as to which domain tops the list year-to-date in 2012 http://dnjournal.com/ytd-sales-charts.htm. That honor falls to PersonalLoans.com, which sold for $1 million towards the end of February. BowlingBalls.com and Saturn.pl came in second and third at $225,000 and $189,000 respectively.

So there you have it, a quick and dirty list that shows the potential earnings for sought-after domains.

A little over a year ago, Matt Cutts at Google lightly suggested that having a branded domain like Twitter, Reddit, TechCrunch or Yahoo may be slightly better than purchasing a domain which was keyword-orientated.

The dichotomy between the two approaches above of course relates to an important area for small businesses called Search Engine Optimization.

Historically, there has been a strong argument for making a domain keyword-centric. For instance, if you sold Android phones you may wish to create a number of microsites with domains that contain the keyword “Android”.

Thus, if somebody linked to your site and the anchor text contained the keyword ‘Android’ there may be a higher chance of ranking higher for that keyword.

However, Matt Cutts warned that Google was considering tweaking its algorithm, to offer branded domains an equal opportunity to rank well when coming up against keyword-centric domains.

The value of this approach is obvious: A branded domain like Twitter, is instantly recognizable. It rises above the noise of SEO-orientated sites that use domains to boost their rankings. Also remember that Twitter and other branded-sites rank well despite not having keywords in their domain.

A keyword-orientated domain is in many respects built for a machine to a read. By that we mean Google’s famous ranking algorithm. This is not to say it does not have value. It just means you should choose a domain based on your business model and not necessarily to place well on a Search Engine, although this is of course important.

Matt Cutts is part of the Search Quality Team at Google, and is listed as one of the co-inventors on a Google Patent related to search engines and spam.

If you’re a domain reseller, keeping these points in mind is a great way to educate your small business customers who are becoming quite knowledgeable about SEO, but often put too much weight on a keyword-orientated domain.

What’s the biggest threat facing the Internet these days? SOPA? Nope. Bandwidth? Nope.  The answer is the shortage of Internet addresses or aka “phone numbers” attached to each computer connected to the Internet.

The official protocol governing Internet addresses is known as IPv4 , essentially representing a free pool  of  IPs  that ran dry in 2011.

IPv4 has approximately four billion IP addresses (the sequence of numbers assigned to each Internet-connected device).

There is a solution or “upgrade” available for the Internet known as IPv6 that works across networks, software and applications.

Through IPv6, the next-generation Internet protocol that provides more than 340 trillion, trillion, trillion addresses, will connect the billions of people not connected today and will help ensure the Internet can continue its current growth rate indefinitely.

The problem is that the only a minutia of servers and hosting providers have switched over to the new protocol, which threatens to impact uptime and performance of the web over the next couple of years.

“IPv4 provides around 4 billion IP addresses. IPv4 addresses are increasingly scarce as more and more devices connect to the Internet. IPv6 expands the address space on the Internet from 32 bits to 128 bits,” said Microsoft’s networking and access technology department.

But, it goes further than this also solving technical issues relating to items such as mobile data reception and transmission.

Microsoft and a few other companies like Cisco saw the problem early on and started preparing their software and servers for this upgrade, including IPv6 support built into Microsoft Windows (Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2).

There are still companies that have a cache of IPv4’s available but you can expect to see a rapid shift in the next year or two over to IPv6.