I’ve had a number of new domainers ask me about the process of flipping a domain. While making a website is one thing, flipping a domain is a much more involved task. There are three main steps I take each time I flip a domain.
The first part of a domain flip is research. Websites like NameBio and DNJournal should always be in your arsenal for determining what kinds of names are selling now. Remember, just like the stock market, the domain market also has trends. You stand to benefit if you flip a domain that might be in a category that is particularly hot at this point in time. Right now the housing market and credit market are in focus, so these domains are more relevant and thus a strong flip candidate.
Next you have to build the website for your domain. This should involve thorough keyword research using a tool such as WordTracker to ensure the content on your site will ranks well with search engines. You need to build a nice-looking website, with high-quality content either written by you, or maybe purchased through an independent writer.
Quality content is key and absolutely essential to the success of any flip. Don’t worry about being an expert in everything, you can use domain forums like DNForum and NamePros to find content writers for your flips. If lack of time is what’s keeping you from flipping domains then this could be your saving grace.
The website you build should be interactive or give the users a reason to come back. Fresh content is the key to ranking well on search engines as well as getting visitors to come back to your site. Repeat monthly visitors means your domain name has gone from being a portal, to a destination. Use a tool like Google Analytics to understand the traffic you are getting. Over time you should notice search traffic taking-up more and more of the pie.
The third step in a domain flip requires you to switch gears and become an SEO expert. Type some of your main keywords into Google and see what sites appear in the top five listings. Is there a way to get a link on their site? Is there something about their website that is causing it to rank so well? By asking questions like these you can build a solid strategy for optimizing your site. This is the last and most important step in your flip. As traffic builds to your domain through referring sites and search engine traffic, revenue will grow. Revenue is the key to a good flip. Rather than selling just a website or a domain name itself, you are selling a business, something that makes money without doing anything.
That’s it! At a high-level these are the three main steps to flipping a domain. If you’d like to learn the whole process and much more don’t forget to read my book. Have a great weekend and happy flipping!
