There is evidence to suggest that the search engines give greater credence to older, well-established domain names. Search results from these older domains are more likely to appear high in the search engine results pages than more recently registered domains.
There is evidence to suggest that the search engines give greater credence to older, well-established domain names. Search results from these older domains are more likely to appear high in the search engine results pages than more recently registered domains.
Why? Well, Google and Co. believe that newer domains are more likely to be used for nefarious purposes - and of course that's true. So, if you are starting out with a new domain, it will take quite a lot of time to gain the credibility that Google requires before you will be challenging for the top listings. It can take 3-4 years...
A way around this is to purchase an existing domain, with a good reputation, good search engine optimisation potential, and perhaps even established traffic.
Recent rule changes for .com.au domains means that holders of these domains may buy and sell them on the open market, just like the other global domain names. This is good news for .com.au domain holders because it means that the value of their domain holdings will increase.
So, how do you go about buying a domain name? Well, first you need to find out who owns the domain that you have your eyes on - you can do this by using a Whois search. The next step is to determine whether the owner is willing to sell and for what price! An email enquiry is usually enough to elicit a response. In some cases, domains are openly available for sale - some have holding pages advertising this fact.
Please note that some single word domain names have been sold for many hundreds of thousands of dollars, so don't be alarmed if the price quoted is way above your expectations. Be aware also that there is an ever-growing contingent of 'domainers' out there who make their living from re-selling domain names and they are determined to make as much money as possible from their sales. Buyer beware.
Recently we purchased a domain name for $1500, but I have had other people ask for sums greater than $20,000 for a domain name (and that's far too expensive for us). Buying a domain name is not for the faint-hearted...
If you are lucky enough to negotiate a sale, I recommend using an escrow service or part-payment arrangement with the seller. Full payment should only be provided once the domain has been safely transferred into your registrar's account.
ACTION LIST
Consider buying an established domain, rather than registering a new name