Do you want to make money flipping domains? This guide will show you how to get started.
If you are hearing of domain flipping for the first time, you are not alone. Flipping domains is a very lucrative side hustle that can earn you thousands of dollars every month by acquiring the right domains and selling them for profits.
In this article, I will shed light on how you can make money by flipping domains. We will consider the factors that you need to consider so that you can get the desired results. Read the guide till the end to discover how you can start making money through domain flipping.
What is Domain Flipping?
Domain flipping refers to the process of buying a domain name with the intention of re-selling it for a higher price. It is an industry on its own. There are purchase logistics and methodologies involved in the domain flipping process.
The idea behind domain flipping is to find a cheap domain, buy it and sell it for a much higher price without doing anything with the domain.
The process may sound easy (buy cheap, sell high) but the process is not that easy. A newbie that is flipping domains is more likely to make mistakes and lose money. That doesn’t mean you should be discouraged or give up. You just need to be careful, have a plan, design a strategy, and be willing to learn from your mistakes.
Why Do People Flip Domains?
First, you need to understand that domain flipping is legal and ethical. Although some consider it as being controversial, it is a great business opportunity that you can delve into to make lots of money.
It is a legitimate business and the main source of income for most people that are involved in it. Also, many reputable brands, such as Namecheap and GoDaddy, are involved in the domain flipping industry.
People flip domains for the money and huge profit the business gives. Buying a cheap domain and selling it to an interested buyer for a higher amount than what you bought is what entices many people.
However, I suggest that you are humble if you are just starting; earn slowly by flipping domains and don’t expect to be rich right from the outset.
5 Steps For Flipping Domains
So you want to make money flipping domains. What steps do you need to take to achieve this goal? Here are 5 steps that will guide you on how to flip domains:
1. Search For A Domain
The first thing you need to do is to find a good domain that you can buy. If you want to make the most money, you need to optimize your strategy by searching for and finding a domain that is cheap to buy and has the potential of being lucrative to sell.
You can use different tools to search for domains. For example, you can make use of a domain name search to find domains that are related to a particular product, service, or subject.
You can also go to a domain auction where you will come across a list of different domains that are being sold. Ensure that you check the expiring domain auctions for more options.
2. Assess The Domain
When you find a domain that you like (one that suits your budget), spend some time assessing it. These are some factors that you need to pay attention to when evaluating a domain. They tell you if the domain is valuable:
- Length
- Brandability
- Relevance, and
- Search friendliness
More on these later.
Carry out some independent research to know if you can sell the domain for profit. Also, pay attention to the historical sales price for domains that are similar to it.
3. Register The Domain Name
If after assessing the domain everything looks good, you can proceed with purchasing the domain and then register it to your name. This process is simple and it does not take much time.
4. Find A Buyer
This is the most challenging step of domain flipping. To flip your domain for profit, you need to find someone that will pay more for the domain than you bought it.
You can take different approaches here; for instance, you can use a buy-and-hold strategy. This minimizes your effort and involves waiting for people’s interest in the domain to grow.
If the registry is public, prospective buyers will find your contact details and they will contact you with an offer or bid if they are interested in the domain.
Another more aggressive approach involves building a landing page for the domain. You can use the landing page to engage with and appeal to those that might want to buy it.
A faster and direct approach involves listing your domain at an auction.
5. Sell The Domain
The final step involves selling the domain. In this step, the buyer will pay for the domain and they will become the new owner of the domain upon the new registry. This process is also simple and doesn’t require much time.
Since the transaction will be happening on the internet between you and someone that you likely don’t know, it is advisable to use an Escrow service to protect the domain and ensure that the transaction goes smoothly.
This service works just like what is experienced in the real estate industry. The service is a third party that holds the payment until both parties fulfill all obligations. This ensures that you are not scammed by releasing your domain name without being paid.
How To Choose A Great Domain Name
As stated earlier, there are some factors that you need to consider when you’re trying to find a valuable domain name. These factors will reduce the hurdles many people encounter while trying to find a proper domain name.
Here are the factors that you need to pay attention to when looking for a great domain name:
Length
The shorter the domain name, the better. Also, you will be able to sell short domain names for a higher price.
Long domain names are less valuable and this makes them more difficult to sell for the price that you prefer. Stay away from a string of words.
Obscurity
Don’t buy domain names that contain obscure words. Some obscure words might sound catchy, but they may not mean the same thing to your prospective buyers.
A domain name with a weird sound will not be appealing to a wide audience. Such a name may end up repelling your prospects.
In other words, find a domain name that offers value. People love associating with things they understand and choosing a domain is not left out.
Put yourself in your buyer’s shoes; would you buy a domain name that has no meaning? Don’t forget, you are trying to locate a domain name that will allow internet users to reach the website within seconds. You don’t want to confuse them with a domain with an obscure name.
Easy to remember
The domain name should be easy to remember. People love domain names that they can easily remember. So, domain names like realestate.com, cars.com, or fashion.com are very valuable (such domain names are 7 to 8 figure domain names; that is why such names are difficult to obtain because they are already owned).
Your priority when searching for a domain name is to find a domain with pronounceable words since domain names are the first connection people have with a website. You can conduct a Google search on some of the most memorable domain names.
Also, you can find some of the domains that people go after. This will give you an idea of what people like in the market and what you should do away with.
Ease of use
Is the domain easy to read? Do people have trouble spelling the domain name? Remove names that are difficult to spell and words having different British/ American spellings (for instance ‘favorite’ and ‘favorite’; ‘color’ and ‘color’).
It is also advisable to avoid homophones (such as ‘meet’ and ‘meat’; ‘kiss’ and ‘keys’; ‘piece’ and ‘peace’). You should also ignore odd-looking symbols and double letters.
Another thing to avoid is hyphens since they complicate things. Keep the domain name short, legible, and clean. The domain name should be understandable for those that are not in your niche. Don’t forget; your goal is to reach as many buyers as possible.
A name that will make it hard for about 50 percent of the people to understand what your business is all about will not help you achieve this goal.
Brandability
Another great option that you should consider when searching for a good domain name is the domain’s brand-ability, i.e. is the domain a branded domain name?
Why are branded domain names important?
First, let’s take a look at what branded domain names are; branded domain names are domains that were created and registered but have not been used as company websites. Such websites were created with the sole aim of selling them to buyers and to be used for a particular brand.
Branded domain names have all the requirements of a great domain but they have not been used yet.
Keywords
Domains that are keyword-rich attract more interest than those that do not. This simply means that a keyword-rich domain contains the keyword that relates to the business that is being offered.
For instance, if you are a car seller and you want to build car-related websites, you will be searching for domain names that contain the word ‘car’ in the domain names more than those that don’t. This means that it is important to go for SEO-friendly domain names.
This shows how important SEO is in internet marketing, and it’s even important when buying domain names. Tools like Google Keyword Planner will help you find effective keywords that you can use.
Extension
The .com extension is the most preferred extension for domain names. It is used more frequently than others (like .net, .org, and .info). Domain names that contain .com extension are usually regarded as the go-to choice for online businesses.
The market share of 72.90% that .com domains have also supported this claim.
FAQs
Is domain flipping profitable?
Yes, domain flipping is profitable. The business can be profitable as you make it. Whenever you flip a domain name, you can reinvest your proceeds and purchase another domain name to flip.
Can you make money selling domains?
Yes, selling domains is very profitable if you know what you are doing. You can hold a domain for 10 years and then sell it for a good profit.
While you are waiting to sell the domain, you can monetize it and implement some SEO. This will go a long way in justifying the cost that you intend to sell it for. Most domains pay for themselves so it will seem as if you didn’t spend anything out of pocket.
How much can you make flipping domains?
You can buy and keep a domain for 3 years at $12 per domain for $36. Let’s assume you eventually sell the domain for the average industry price of $1000, you will make a profit of $964 which is 2677.78% profit.
Read also: 500+ Great Business Ideas You Can Start Today
Conclusion
Domain flipping can make you rich, but you can also end up losing lots of money. The latter is more likely going to be the case. Just like any risky investment opportunity, don’t invest more than what you can afford to lose. Also, do your homework and know what you are doing.
Also, take time and read more guides about domain flipping, interviews, and general information about the domain flipping industry before you start.
In this article, I have only scratched the surface on how you can make money flipping domains. This side hustle is not something that one can summarize in a single post.
If you are ready to work and take risks, you will be able to make a good amount of money with this internet real estate.
Tosinajy educates you on how to make money online, the tools you need, and solutions to common issues you may encounter. Thanks for reading.
