Domain Name Dictionary
A comprehensive glossary of domain investing terms and definitions. Learn the language of domain names from A to Z.
A
Acronym
Acronym Names refer to domain names that are made up of the initial letters of multiple words. These types of domains are typically short, usually 2-4 characters long, and are highly valued due to ...
Aftermarket
Secondary domain sales market
Alpha Domain
Alpha Names, in the context of domain investing, refer to domain names that are composed entirely of letters, without any numbers or hyphens. These can be single-word domains (like 'Software.com'),...
ARIN
ARIN, or the American Registry for Internet Numbers, is a nonprofit organization that manages the distribution of Internet number resources, including IPv4 and IPv6 address space, and Autonomous Sy...
Auction
Domain Name Auctions are a common method for buying and selling domain names. These auctions happen in several ways: Expiry Auctions: When a domain name's registration is not renewed, it even...
B
Backorder
Attempt to register an expiring domain
Brandable
In terms of domain names, \"brandable\" refers to a name that is unique, catchy, and easy to remember. Brandable domain names are typically non-specific and don't necessarily contain keywords that ...
Buy It Now
\"Buy It Now\" (BIN) is a term often used in online auctions and marketplaces, including domain name platforms. It refers to a fixed price set by the seller that allows a buyer to purchase the item...
C
ccTLD
Country Code Top-Level Domain
Closeout Domain
A closeout domain is a domain that has gone through an auction process but did not receive any bids. These domains are then available for immediate purchase at a fixed price for a limited period, t...
CO
\".co\" is a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to the Republic of Colombia. However, it's widely used as an alternative to \".com\" for commercial purposes by businesses all around the...
COM
\".com\" is a top-level domain (TLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from the word \"commercial,\" indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by ...
Cybersquatting
Cybersquatting, also known as domain squatting, is the act of registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someo...
D
DDNS
\nDDNS, or Dynamic Domain Name System, is a service that maps internet domain names to IP addresses as those IP addresses change. Traditional DNS servers provide a fixed IP address for a domain nam...
Deleted Domain
A deleted domain is a domain name that was previously registered but has been released back into the pool of available domain names because the owner did not renew it before the expiry date. Her...
DHCP
DHCP, or Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, is a network protocol used on IP networks where a DHCP server dynamically assigns an IP address and other network configuration parameters to each devi...
Dictionary Domain Name
A dictionary domain name is a domain name that uses a word or words that are found in the dictionary. These words can be in any language, but most commonly they are in English. For example, \"apple...
DNS
Domain Name System
Domain
A domain, also known as a domain name, is more than just the address of a website. It's a digital asset with potential value that can rise or fall based on numerous factors. A domain is a unique...
Domain Flipping
Domain flipping is a key strategy in our industry. It's the practice of buying domain names at a low cost and then selling them for a profit. The process involves identifying domain names that h...
Domain Hack
A domain hack is a creative and clever strategy used in the selection of domain names. A domain hack is not about hacking or any illicit activities; instead, it refers to a domain name that combine...
Domain Investing
Domain investing refers to the practice of purchasing and holding domain names as a financial investment.The goal of domain investing is to buy domain names at a low cost and then sell them for a h...
Domain King
The term \"Domain King\" is closely associated with Rick Schwartz, a pioneering figure in the domain investing world. He earned this nickname due to his impressive track record of buying and sellin...
Domain Name
A domain name can be defined as the unique, human-readable Internet address of a website. It is used to identify and locate web pages on the Internet in an easily understandable way, rather than us...
Domaining
\"Domaining\" is the business practice of buying, selling, and monetizing domain names for profit. It's essentially the real estate of the internet, where domains are the virtual properties. Dom...
Drop
\"Drop\" refers to the process when a domain name registration expires and is not renewed by the original owner, thus becoming available for registration by others. Here's a breakdown of the pro...
Drop Catch
See Drop Return to Domain Name Dictionary
Drop Catching
Registering recently deleted domains
E
Edu
\".edu\" is a top-level domain (TLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from 'education', indicating that it's primarily used by educational institutions, specifically a...
EIGRP
\nEnhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) is an advanced distance-vector routing protocol that is used on a computer network for automating routing decisions and configuration. Developed...
Emoji
\"emoji\" refers to the small digital images or icons that are used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication. However, in the context of domain investing, emoji can also refer to a...
End User
Final buyer for domain use
Escrow
Escrow is a term that describes a financial arrangement where a third party holds and regulates payment of the funds required for two parties involved in a given transaction. It helps make transact...
Expiring Domain
An \"expiring domain\" refers to a domain name whose registration period is about to end. When a domain name is registered, it's typically done so for a specific period of time, often one to ten ye...
F
G
GDPR
GDPR is an acronym that stands for General Data Protection Regulation. This is a law enforced by the European Union since May 2018, aimed at giving EU citizens control over their personal data and ...
Generic Domain
A \"generic domain\" (also known as a generic top-level domain - gTLD) refers to a domain name that uses a common, general term as its second-level domain. They're called \"generic\" because they d...
Geo-Domain
A \"geo-domain\" refers to a domain name that includes geographical identifiers, such as the name of a city, state, country, or region. These domains are usually highly valuable due to their local ...
Google Trends
Google Trends is a valuable tool provided by Google that shows how often a particular search term is entered into the search engine relative to its total search volume over a given period of time. ...
Gov
.gov is a top-level domain (TLD) that is specifically reserved for the use of governmental entities in the United States at the federal, state, and local levels.The .gov TLD is managed by the Gener...
gTLD
Generic Top-Level Domain
H
Hack
See Domain Hack Return to Domain Name Dictionary
Hand Registered
Hand Registered (or hand reg) refers to the process of registering a new domain name that hasn't been owned or registered by anyone else before. This is done directly through a domain registrar ...
Hijacking
Domain hijacking refers to an illicit activity where an individual or entity illegitimately takes control of a domain name without the consent of its rightful owner. This is usually done by exploit...
HTTP(S)
HTTP(S)\" refers to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure). This is the protocol over which data is sent between a user's browser and the website they are connected to. The 'S' at the end of H...
Hyphenated Domain
As a professional domain name investor, a \"hyphenated domain\" refers to a domain name that includes one or more hyphens (-) between words. For example, www.example-domain.com is a hyphenated doma...
I
ICANN
ICANN is an acronym that stands for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated...
ICANN 60-Day Rule
\nThe rule, in place for the protection of the domain owner, states that a registrar may deny a request for a transfer of a newly registered domain to another registrar if within 60 days of initial...
IDNA
Internationalized Domain Names in Applications
Inbound Sale
Inbound sale refers to a transaction where a potential buyer approaches you, the domain owner, expressing interest in purchasing a domain you own. Inbound sales are often the result of someone d...
Info
.info is one of the many top-level domains (TLDs) available for registration. It was one of the first TLDs introduced to alleviate the demand for .com domains and it's intended for informational we...
Io
.io is a top-level domain (TLD) that originally served as the country code for the British Indian Ocean Territory. However, in recent years, it has gained popularity in the tech and startup communi...
IP Address
IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a fundamental concept that you need to understand, even though it's not directly related to the business of buying and selling domain names. An IP addre...
IPSec
IPSec, short for Internet Protocol Security, is a suite of protocols used to secure internet protocol (IP) communications by encrypting and authenticating all IP packets of a communication session....
IPv4
As a professional domain name investor, \"IPv4\" is a term you should be familiar with, even though it's not directly involved in the buying and selling of domain names. IPv4 stands for Internet...
IPv6
As a professional domain name investor, \"IPv6\" is a term that's important to understand to fully comprehend the internet infrastructure. IPv6 stands for Internet Protocol Version 6. It is the ...
ISP
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. It's a company that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the internet. ISPs can be commercial, non-profit, privately owned, or commu...
K
L
M
Make an Offer
Make an Offer refers to the process where a potential buyer proposes a price they are willing to pay for a specific domain name. This is typically done when the domain name is listed for sale but w...
Me
\".me\" is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Montenegro. However, due to its potential for wide-ranging personal branding—since \"me\" is used in English as a reference to ones...
Mil
The .mil domain is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) that is used exclusively by the U.S. Department of Defense and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations. Its name is derived from the first ...
Mobi
.mobi is a TLD dedicated to delivering the internet to mobile devices. It was designed to help users find web content that will work on their mobile phones. The \".mobi\" TLD is sponsored by a cons...
N
Net
.net is one of the original top-level domains (TLDs) introduced in the internet's early days, along with others like .com, .org, and .edu. The .net extension was initially intended for network tech...
Numeric Domain
A numeric domain refers to a domain name that consists entirely of numbers. These can range from single-digit domains to ones with several numbers. The value of numeric domains can vary greatly....
O
Org
.org is one of the original top-level domains (TLDs), alongside others like .com, .net, and .edu. The .org extension was initially intended for organizations, particularly those in the non-profit s...
Organic Search
Organic search, from a domain name investor's perspective, refers to the unpaid search results that are generated by search engines like Google or Bing. These results are ranked based on their rele...
Outbound Sale
Outbound sales refer to the proactive effort to sell your domain names. This involves identifying potential buyers, reaching out to them directly, and trying to convince them of the value of the do...
P
Parking
Parking refers to the practice of registering a domain name and placing it on a temporary webpage, often filled with advertisements. The goal of domain parking is to generate revenue from clicks on...
Parking Page
Monetized placeholder page
Portfolio
A portfolio refers to the collection of domain names that an investor currently owns. The size and quality of a domain name portfolio can vary greatly depending on the investor's strategy. Some ...
PPC
Pay-Per-Click advertising
Premium Domain
High-value domain name
Punycode
ASCII representation of Unicode domain names
Push
Push refers to the process of transferring a domain name from one account to another within the same domain registrar. This is different from a traditional domain transfer, which involves moving a ...
R
Registrant
A \"Registrant\" refers to the individual, company, or organization that has registered and holds the rights to a specific domain name. Essentially, the registrant is the legal owner of the domain....
Registrar
Domain name registration company
Registration Fee
Registration Fee refers to the cost associated with registering a new domain name with a domain registrar. This fee is paid by the person or entity who wants to obtain the right to use that domain ...
Registry
TLD operator
Renewal Costs
\nRenewal Costs or Renewal Fees refer to the annual payment required to retain the registration of a domain name. When you register a domain name, you essentially lease it for a specific period, co...
Reverse Auctions
A \"Reverse Auction\" is a type of auction where the roles of buyer and seller are reversed. In a traditional auction, multiple buyers bid for a single item which is owned by a seller. The price ty...
Reverse Hijacking
Reverse Hijacking (also known as reverse domain name hijacking or RDNH) refers to an unethical and unjust action where a trademark owner attempts to secure a domain name by making false cybersquatt...
S
SEO
Search Engine Optimization
SERP
Search Engine Results Page
SLD
As a professional domain name investor, \"SLD\" stands for Second Level Domain. In the structure of a domain name, it is the component that directly precedes the top-level domain (TLD). For exam...
Spam
Spam refers to unsolicited, irrelevant, or inappropriate messages sent on the internet, typically to a large number of users, for purposes such as advertising, phishing, spreading malware, etc. ...
SSL
SSL\" stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It's a standard security protocol used for establishing encrypted links between a web server and a browser in online communication. The use of SSL ensures tha...
Sunrise Period
A Sunrise Period refers to a specific time frame during which trademark holders have the opportunity to register domain names that match their trademarks before they're available to the general pub...
T
TLD
The term \"TLD\" or \"Top-Level Domain\" is fundamental to your line of work. It refers to the last segment of a domain name, or the part that follows immediately after the \"dot\" symbol. There...
TLS
TLS is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide secure communications over a computer network. It's the successor to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). When a domain uses TLS, it means that data se...
Trademark
A \"Trademark\" is a crucial term to understand. It refers to a legally registered symbol, word, phrase, or combination of these, used to represent a company or product. It distinguishes the goods ...
Transfer
Transfer is a term you'll encounter frequently. It refers to the process of changing the registrant or registrar of a specific domain name. There are two main types of transfers in the domain na...
Tv
.tv is a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) that you might encounter. Despite being the ccTLD for the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu, it has gained global popularity due to its association with...
Type-In Traffic
Type-in traffic is a term you'll encounter often. It refers to the visitors a website receives directly from users typing the URL into their browser's address bar, rather than arriving through a se...
Typo Domain
Typo Domains refers to domains that are intentionally registered with misspellings, typos, or common typing errors related to popular domain names or brands. The purpose of typo domains is often...
U
UDRP
Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy
URL:
The term \"URL\" or Uniform Resource Locator is fundamental to your business. A URL is essentially the address of a specific webpage or file on the internet. It is made up of several components ...
URS
Uniform Rapid Suspension system
V
W
W3C
It stands for the World Wide Web Consortium. The W3C is an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web. It's led by Web inventor and Director T...
Web Browser
A web browser is a software application used to locate, retrieve, and display content on the World Wide Web, including webpages, images, video, and other files. As a user navigates from one webp...
Whois
Domain ownership lookup system
WIPO
World Intellectual Property Organization