Lack or organization can result in reduced profits and lost opportunities.
I’m frazzled. So much going on. Just completed a big domain sale. Is the escrow wire in the bank? Just got an offer on another one. How should I respond? I know I have a bunch of domains coming up for renewal, but they’re all at different registrars. Consolidate with all of those EPP codes or just renew? I’m getting about 10 renewal notices a day from GoDaddy, Dotster, Moniker, etc. I have some software I purchased that came with a 21 day guarantee that expires soon, but I haven’t even had a chance to try out the software. I’ll probably let the guarantee pass and then figure out if the software is worthwhile later. I’ve got parked domain names that just slipped in earnings, and I haven’t had a chance to figure out why. I paid several people for domains via PayPal recently and need to make sure the domains were pushed into my account.
Sound familiar? I know I’m not the only one with a million things going on. Maintaining a domain name portfolio and web sites takes a lot of time and organization. The “get rich quick” guys didn’t tell you about that, did they?
Over the years I’ve developed ways to maintain my domain portfolio without going crazy. Clearly, it hasn’t worked 100%. But it has helped me stay on the sane side of the line. Here are some tips I try to practice:
1. Know all of your domains — all in one place. I use Watch My Domains Pro. It let’s me sort all of my domains by registrar, expiration date, host name, etc. It also imports whois data.
2. Renew in advance. I don’t wait until a domain is about to expire to renew it, especially if it is a good one. Why not pay a few years in advance for an asset worth $10,000? It’s a smart insurance policy.
3. Consolidate registrars. This is especially important if you have domains you won from expired domain auctions. These domains could be managed by any number of registrars. It’s easy to forget about them or get stuck paying exorbitant renewal prices. Find a couple registrars you trust and transfer your domains there. It’s always good if you have a personal connection at the registrar. Some registrars will even let you pay off your transfers over time (e.g. Moniker). Better yet, consider founding your own personal registrar if you have thousands of domains.
4. Create a disaster plan. What happens if you get hit by a bus tomorrow? Will all of your domains end up expiring? Picture all of the people you despise in this business bidding on your prized domains at SnapNames. Ouch. Write down all of your registrars, passwords, and a plan for your spouse or someone you trust. Place it in a safe deposit box. I did this a couple years ago and it gives me peace of mind. Thinking about death or disability isn’t fun, but neither is losing all of your domains. You have life insurance, right?
5. Don’t take it too seriously. The moment you start taking the domain business too seriously it will no longer be fun. The moment you freak out about a 5% drop in earnings on one domain is the moment your domains will start to control you. What good is the money if you always worry about it?
Feel free to comment with additional ideas. I can use a few more to keep my head on straight.
rob sequin says
Great post. I have over 3000 domains and know the feeling. Really no way to avoid following all those things.
I use a simple spreadsheet. Columns for domain names, registrar, expiration date, parked/pointing, category, asking price and notes.
Then, I have different tabs/pages. One for names I don’t care much about, one for good rev domains, one for names to be developed then other pages for specialty categories.
I always transfer away from drop registrars. That adds a year and gets the domain in my complete control.
Use a registrar that lets you bulk modify nameservers, contact info, forwarding, renewals etc. I have a wild west/godaddy reseller account that works great for me.
Regarding unregistered names that I like but haven’t registered yet, I have separate word documents by category/industry that I get current so if there is a news story (sign up for google news alerts) that interests me, I can jump into the appropriate word doc and run through the list and reg some.
Basicity says
Great tips. Never thought about a disaster plan before, but will now. Thanks for sharing.
Ramiro says
Thanks for the tips. After more than a year, I have finally been able to comfortably manage almost 4,000 domains. A couple have slipped, but I’ve managed to retrieve them before being deleted.
Having a designated account executive at a registrar really helps.
Tommy says
you must have been reading my mind today
Martin says
Great article, useful tips. Thanks!
Bill says
I have a little over 200 domain names. They are so easy to buy, and fun too. I have big dreams of the sites they would make, and what I could do with them. I have 6 sites now and have just got a dedicated server that I can easily employ 100. I am probably a beginner compared to some, but the time I need is site building time, great ideas needed starting now with rss feeds and adsense, looking at new software, is it all really worth it without that million dollar name you happen to have stumbled on to? Not my luck, don’t even get offers. All is new. Know the time thing for sure. Keeping my day business. Figures, internet based, yet pretty successful. It keeps me dreaming, what if I just hit that right name, that right site. My myspace creation. It is so fun buying names. The work each should take, now that is again another story. President of a mole hill. Just want a bigger mole hill. Is the big money going to trickle down? Someday???