Firstly I would like to say that I have used other hosting but now rely solely on HostGator. The reasons will be know to you right now…

Reason 1: The cost of HostGator isn’t much different to other hosts but for that cost HostGator do offer a quality service.

Reason 2: They use Cpanel, some hosts don’t use Cpanel, and for most Cpanel is the only option they like. Also for beginners Cpanel rules.

Reason 3: The support HostGator provide is just super, once you’re a customer of theirs you get the benefit of Live Chat support, whom are very knowledgeable and usually fix any problems within moments of you speaking with them.

Those 3 reasons are enough for anyone to choose a host and are the basics of what you would look for in a host. You could go use a host that doesn’t have Live Chat Support and end up in all sorts of trouble especially if waiting hours for a response.

I chose them in the beginning without any prior research but since using them I am able to show you why they really are that good.

I suppose I’m lucky that I chose right the first time without research but for you this should help you understand what to look for in a host even if you don’t decide to sign up with them.

- Mark A R

P.S. – Sign up with Hostgator today!

1. The obvious best domain name extension for site flipping is .com. It’s the oldest, most popular extension and it will stay that way for a long time. It’s catchy and universally known. On the downside, many valuable .com domains have already been registered by domain investors waiting to sell them. New investors must really brainstorm to discover unregistered .com domains that will produce a worthy profit.

2. Although .com domains seem to be on a different level than other TLD’s, the .org extension is quickly catching up. Organizations are not the only groups of people looking for this extension anymore. Open-source product makers, sports teams, schools, churches, and communities are looking for .org domain names to host their sites. If the .com domain isn’t available, seek the .org extension instead.

3. Since most domain buyers are very picky, it’s important to have a popular extension. If you don’t, buyers will happily find another domain from another seller. This being said, the .net extension is the third best domain extension for domain flipping. When visitors see the .net extension, they almost immediately think of a “network.” This extension is highly favored by companies and online networking sites. But again, this extension should only be invested in if you have an absolutely perfect keyword domain and the .com and .org are taken.

Domain names have to be perfect. Since the options are unlimited, investors must make sure that even the extension is perfect for the buyer. Most buyers won’t even consider purchasing a domain with an ugly extension. It’s the difference between a sale and a failed site flip!

- Andrea Brown

The answer lies somewhere in the middle. It is the way you pick your URL names and knowing how to value them correctly that’ll get you money. Let’s check out the factors which might raise or lower the value of an expired name…

Extension Type
The extension attached will affect its value greatly..Com domain extensions are definitely worth the most, and have absolutely the best prospect of selling at a high price..Net and.Org are simply worth a good deal less. Unusual name extensions tend to be worth even less, unless they’re being sold to a particular niche market.

Domain Name Length
The shorter the name is, the better. You’ve got a lot better chance of selling a 1 or 2 word name than you do of selling a long or hard to read one. Which sites do you visit the most frequently? It is probably the ones that are easy and simple to remember. A shorter name creates the ability to bargain for a better price.

Readability
The quicker to read and comprehend the domain name is, the better off you’ll be. That means that short, concise words that are easy to recall are the most in demand. As an illustration, misspellings of words aren’t usually worth a lot.

Hyphenation
Strangely enough, hyphenation helps with understanding a website name, nevertheless it actually lowers the value. Any special character contained in the expired domain name you’ve got will lower its perceived market value.

Singular Vs. Plural
Singular terms increase your possibilities of obtaining a good price when you sell a domain name. The plural variation is worth comparatively less, and might not be much in demand at all. Prefixes and suffixes are also detrimental to the demand for a domain name. Once you have a set of domain names and identify their best and worst features, it’s time to explore marketing them. There’s several of ways to do this, from just sitting there and hoping someone comes along (not incredibly effective) to going out and promoting your expired domain names assertively. Even somewhat small investment campaigns comprise setting up a simple site to let people who stop by know it’s for sale.

Be Contactable Easily
Be sure to include your contact information along with the names of and links to some related website names.

Marketing
Don’t be surprised if you need to do more with a purpose to successfully market a domain name, however! Try setting up a totally functional site which has a related product – that’ll show what the name can do. Use good quality content that visitors will actually want to read, and optimise your website well. Offer marketable services and products, plus links to affiliates. This increases your probabilities of selling the domain; it permits you to sell the domain and the site as a package, and creates a way to generate income from the domain until it sells. You can additionally start marketing actively. Get in touch with expired name brokers and ask them to help you sell your domains on a commission basis. Send emails to those you think that might be interested in buying, such as businesses with a similar existing name, or auction off yours on a well known site. These methods take much more effort and therefore time, however heighten the chances of selling the domain name for a reasonably high price. You just need to decide if they’re worth the time you’ll spend. Analyse the site name and check out the prices that similar names have sold for to come to this conclusion.

- Sadie-Michaela Harris

One of the benefits of site flipping, is you can control weather it is a hobby, or a full time source of income. You are able to decide your work load and how much effort you want to put into flipping. You are your own boss, and you are in control. You are not being forced to take orders from someone else and your flips are a product of your own hard word and methods.

From the hard work comes the learning that happens as you become more and more familiar with the process and steps involved in taking a site and flipping it. You will learn the ways that make it most comfortable for you without having any of the downfalls of having to pay for advice or end up getting scammed falling for some get rich quick scheme.

Well information and research is a huge and important key to site flipping, you definitely have to beware of your sources. You have to ensure that the information being provided to you is from credible sources, and not just someone either trying to manipulate you into purchasing something you do not need, or trying to take advantage of you by promising huge returns for just a little bit of cash up front.

The problem with paying for advice from sites or other sources is that they claim to be credible and have the inside track, is that it can give legitimate advice and sites a very bad name and damage their image.

While exercising caution when purchasing sites, seeking advice, and dealing with any other aspects of site flipping, you want to ensure you do not over analyze and discount legitimate sources.

While you have chosen to flip sites and work on making yourself a profit from the comfort of your own home, you have to exercise caution and protect yourself. Unlike the real world where you meet face to face with people and have the ability to gauge a situation yourself, you just have to rely on the information in front of you and your own instincts!

- Edward A. Callaway

Here are a few tips that you can use to find domains for flipping purposes:

• Market Research: how can you make sure that you have a domain that has some demand? The first step is to be in the right industry. You can use Google Trends, eBay Pulse, and other trend tracking services to find hot nichs fast.
• Domain Extension: you can always sell .net domain names as long as they are catchy, but .com domain names have more demand for them.
• Domain length: short domain names are highly in demand. No surprise here as these domains are easier to remember for prospects.
• Domain name: you should try to get a catchy domain name. Think about it. Creditcard.com is short and catchy.
• Trademarks: you should stay away trademarked terms in your domain. Some companies are more tolerant in this regard, but you can always be asked to hand over your domain name if you are infringing someone else’s trademark.
• Buy domains: you can always buy catchy domain names. It all comes down to the quality of the domain, the quality of incoming links, and its existing traffic. You can expect to pay anything from $60 to thousands of dollars depending on the quality of the domain you are going after.

Flipping domains is one of the best ways to make money online. But you should do your due diligence to choose domains that people want to buy. The shorter, catchier your domains, and the more traffic you drive to them, the more money you can make from them.

- Panah C Rad

1. Avoid These Domains at All Costs!

While good domain names can be hard to come buy, do not make the mistake of buying a domain name that contains a lot of dashes. For example, [http://www.dog-training-tips.com]. While this might be a reasonable site you use if you are developing it yourself, the resale value of the domain itself is going to be minimal. Google recognizes domains with lots of dashes as lacking the authority of domains without dashes. This greatly effects the search engine optimization capabilities of this domain. It is best to avoid domain names with even one dash, as it is likely to drastically cut into resale value.

2. Find Domain Names With Less Than 20 Characters

I use 20 characters as a rule of thumb, though this number is not set in stone. Generally speaking, domain names that have high value are going to be short and sweet. A few examples: loans.com recently sold for $3 million, cinemas.com sold for $700,000, and asseenontv.com sold for $5 million. These domains are simple and to the point. Granted, there are not a lot of domain names like these left, but you can imagine the resale value of cinemas.com as compared to thebestamericancinemas.com. The longer and more convoluted the domain name, the lower the resale value.

3. Misspelled Domain Names

Buying domain names that are common typos is a dangerous path to take. This is often called “cyber squatting” or “typo squatting.” There is now legislation to protect trademark and service mark owners from this practice. In order for a domain name to fall under this category, it must be “identical or confusingly similar” to some other trademark or copyrighted service.

A recent court case found a man guilty of “typo squatting” on over 5500 domain names that were variations of copyrighted terms. To make matters worse, when unsuspecting surfers arrived at his web pages, they were re-directed to pornographic web sites. This gentleman was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and forced to pay huge fines. The moral of the story: Do not be a “typo squatter!”

These are three of the most common mistakes people make when buying and selling domain names. Fortunately, there is an exact formula for domain flipping that has made a lot of people rich. The best part is, you do not need to be an internet professional or have any experience in running a business to make money from buying and selling domain names. Follow the blueprint and you will be well on your way to becoming a “domain profiteer.”

- Chris Prato