Do you remember reading about the Oklahoma Land Rush when you were a kid? Settlers rushed into the territory that is now Oklahoma to claim free land. In some cases, these settlers claimed land that would be worth millions centuries later because of oil. I think buying domain names offers the same opportunities.

   Domain names are the names you type between www. and .com (or .net, .org and etc). While many companies are working hard on search engine strategies, we believe that "guessing domain names" will be an important way people search in the future.

   Let me explain. Have you ever wanted to find a web site but were too busy to look it up in a search engine? If you are like most people, you entered a variety of common terms until you found the site. We think that as people become more comfortable with typing in web addresses, they will "guess" first before going to a search engine. Moreover, everyday 67,000 web sites come on line. The more clutter, the more ineffective the search engine strategy becomes.

   By owning "common" domain names, you bypass the clutter. Only one company can own a specific domain name. Anyone putting in your domain name will get your site only. It doesn't matter if there are a billion web sites in cyberspace, your web site always comes up first. Can the search engines make that claim?

   For example, we sell Booklet Labels. We have purchased the domain names "bookletlabels.com, bookletlabel.com, booklet-labels.com, labelbookets.com and etc. The easiest thing for somebody to do is type in www.bookletlabels.com first before going to a search engine. But you say, "what if they don't know the term Booklet Label?" It is up to you to pick the "best" domain names. You must put yourself in your customer's mind. We asked our customers. We researched trade journals. We even asked our friendly competitors. If you pick your domain names well, more people will guess them.

   This is why we have purchased 186 names. We aren't the only ones who believe that buying common domain names makes sense. Proctor and Gamble, the acknowledged leader in marketing consumer products, owns over 1,800 domain names. The famous upstart internet company buy.com who sells everything below cost has purchased over 4,000 names. We have listed all our domain names at the end of this article.

   Almost every marketing professional we've told about this idea gets very excited. Sometimes so excited that they get started buying domain names after our meeting. You must act quickly because many good names are already taken. If you're interested, visit Network Solutions to register your domain name for $70 for 2 years. The web address is www.networksolutions.com You can check to see if your domain names are available simply by typing in the names. The computer won't let you register if the domain name is already taken.

   If you want your domain names to be active (recommended), then go to the website www.namesecure.com. There you can register your name and pay a yearly fee ($24.95) and a one time setup charge ($25) per domain name. The Name Secure charge is in addition to the Network Solutions invoice of $70.00 for 2 years of ownership. Name Secure makes your name "active" on the Internet. "Active" means that when somebody types in your domain name, your site comes up. If you just register though Network Solutions, you own the domain name, but it isn't active until you pay a company like Name Secure or your local ISP (your website host) to make it active. Name Secure will be cheaper than your ISP because that's all they do is redirect. Your ISP may charge as much as $50 a year and a $75 setup per domain name. Just buying the domain name isn't enough. You must redirect it to complete the strategy.

   Just think, when you buy a domain name, you own the worldwide rights. Worldwide! Can you think of a more simple and exciting marketing opportunity? Buying domain names strengthens, protects and promotes your brands. It stakes out your territory in cyberspace. It makes your company more unique. It adds to your intellectual capital. It gives you a worldwide presence. You get all this for $35 a year per name (a little more for redirects).

   Many will look back in history and wish they had purchased more domain names. Just like the Oklahoma settler's land, domain names are going to be worth a lot in the future. Don't waste another minute. Buy those names today!

Jeff Bertrand

email me with your questions or comments at jhbertrand@aol.com

All of J H Bertrand's 186 domain names. If you put any of these names in the www address, JH Bertrand's web site pops up.

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