Practically anyone can register their own internet domain today, for a few euros a year. Besides new domains, there is also an interesting market in expired domains. Let us explain where and how domains are registered, what expired domains are and how money can be made on them.

Where to register a domain

Domains are registered through domain registrars. These are companies that register and manage the domain for you. Among international ones, GoDaddy, Namecheap or Cloudflare are well known, and on the Slovak market for example WebSupport, Wedos or Forpsi. The procedure is simple: you choose a name, check its availability and pay an annual fee.

Domain endings

A domain has an ending, a so-called TLD. .sk is Slovak, .com international, and .eu, .net or newer endings are also popular. The price differs by ending, and for a company in Slovakia .sk together with .com tends to be a good choice.

What an expired domain is

An expired domain is one whose registration has lapsed and the original owner did not renew it. After a certain time it is released and someone else can register it. Attractive domains, though, are often not obtained just like that, but through auctions or specialized services.

Where to buy an expired domain

There are auction and drop-catching services that auction expiring domains or try to catch them at the moment of release. These include for example GoDaddy Auctions, Sedo, Namecheap Market or overview sites like ExpiredDomains.net. For Slovak .sk domains the market is smaller than for international ones.

Advantages of an expired domain

  • History and sometimes backlinks that can have value for SEO.
  • A memorable name the new owner would not otherwise get.
  • Sometimes also residual traffic and indexing in the search engine.

Disadvantages and risks

  • A bad past. The domain may have been used for spam or penalized by Google, which needs to be checked.
  • False SEO value. The backlinks may be worthless or harmful.
  • A high price for attractive names, and a risk of dispute with trademarks.

How money can be made on a domain

  • Domain flipping: buy cheap and sell higher to whoever needs the name.
  • Launching a project or website on a domain with existing value.
  • Redirecting to an existing business for the traffic.

It has to be said plainly, though, that this is speculative and most people do not make money on domains. It is a market where those who understand it succeed.

What to watch out for before buying

Before buying an expired domain, check its history: how it looked in the past (via a web archive), whether it is on blacklists, what its standing in the search engine is and whether the name infringes on trademarks.

Dealing with a domain for a company or project? Get in touch, we will advise on the choice, registration and the connection to email with your own domain and hosting.