“Domains: Buying Domains, Where to Find Expired Names, and How to Manage it All”

In Part 1, we discussed how to come up with your new domain name. In this article, we will look at inexpensive places to register your newfound beauties. You'll find, as with Lay's potato chips, "no one can eat just one." Once you make your first purchase, you'll most likely find yourself registering other names as well; maybe to use as redirects to your existing site, or possible new business ideas for allthose new sites you'd like to launch.

Due to the temptation to "load up," you'll want to finda cheap but reliable domain registrar to park them with. If you don't, you'll find your new "habit" leaving a big hole in your wallet.

As with most things in life, prices vary --from as little as $8.00 up to $35.00 per year. My suggestion to you is to never spend more than about $10.00 per domain annually. My favorite place to register names charges less than that. When researching a registrar, do make note of what services they offer and their support policies.

Let's cover your options:

1) NameBargain.com: My favorite, where I register or transfer domains for only $9.48 per year. Sign up for .com,.net, .org, .biz, .Info, and .Us. You can handle all of your domains from one easy interface and see all of your listings at a glance.

2) GoDaddy.com: At $10.69 a year, GoDaddy is #1 with many Web entrepreneurs. From what I've seen and read online, they're very reliable and have great prices. Includes free domain forwarding and free parked page with every domain registered.

3) DotEasy.com: If you want to register a domain name and get free hosting to boot, you can't beat this package deal. For only $25.00, a year you can buy and host your new found name. This is a nice service if you want to put up some mini-sites inexpensively.

There's also a big market for expired and deleted domains. You would not believe how many people forget to renew their domains and let some really super ones fall through the cracks. Many of them already have a high ranking in the search engines and increased link popularity.

The trick to expired domains is knowing where to find them so you can cash in on them before someone else does. Many sites will charge for this privilege, but there are some freebies (if you know where to look):

http://www.DeletedDomains.com: I love this site and it’s reasonably priced. Different membership levels are available with a basic package of 14.99 per month. Just type one or two keywords into the search box and it will come back with all kinds of little gems for you. You will find so many good names to register that if you're a "Domain Junkie" (like me), you could find yourself in real financial danger here. Remember, I warned you.

http://www.Recycled-Traffic.com: Pick up on "recycled traffic" by snapping up domain names that have expired and benefiting from their already established traffic. Search through this index according to keyword and search engine ranking. Free demo is available.

So now that you know where to purchase domains you need to know how to manage them. It's not unusual for one person to own 20 or more names, and  keeping track of them and knowing when to renew them can quickly become a full time job. I should know; I own over 60 myself. My recommendation to you is to register all of them at the same place. Preferably, a registrar that will allow you to modify your own DNS and make any other changes at will. In the beginning I had many sites registered atmany different places and it was tough trying to remember which domain was where. Don't make the same mistake I did. Find a registrar you feel comfortable with and stick with it.

There are also some excellent tools that can help make managing your domains a breeze:

1) Easy DNS: http://EasyDns.com/dnsmanager.php3
Manage all of your domains from one easy web interface. An assortment of tools and pricing options are available.

2) Domain Manager Pro: http://DomainMgrPro.com
Software that will help you track multiple domains and register data and also the websites (if any) connected with them. 50.00 to download.

The longer you're active online, the more you'll be struck with great ideas; resulting in domain names you'll want to register. Remember, don't pay more then you have to, keep your eyes peeled for expired bargains, and make sure you have some form of management tool in place.

If you’d like to earn some money with your extra domains take a look at running Google’s Adsense for Domains on them, see http://www.google.com/domainpark/

Domains are indeed like chips; you really can't register just one. In Part 3 of this article we'll look at some fun and useful things you can do with  your new-found gems.