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Alex here with a question?

Alex

Top Contributor
Hi everyone,

Think this forum is excellent !!! Very impressed - Also think many of the people posting here are just amazingly kind and awesome to be sharing so much information.

Very new to all of this, but also very interested to learn. Been reading reading reading, but have an initial question about getting started that I am hoping the community can help me with?

What is the best initial set up for someone interested in developing / domaining in Australia? Guessing this to include (account to purchase / hosting / parking domains / cms / affiliate / etc)?

Currently thinking Netfleet / VentraIP / WordPress are the best combo for a complete beginner, but would like to get others opinions.

Any info supplied would be most appreciated,
Alex
 
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DavidL

Top Contributor
Hi Alex - welcome to DNTrade.

The first thing you need to do is research and learn and this forum is a great place to do that. then, when you are ready you need to start aquiring domains. This can be done in 3 main ways:

Hand register. VentraIP & ZipHosting are probably the best bets here.
Expired Domains. Joining both Drop & Netfleet will give you access to these domains
Aftermarket. For .AU you can either browse through Netfleet listings or make direct approaches getting contact details from Whois.

Although hand registering domains may seem the less risky option because the domains are $20 as opposed to $XXX or $X,XXX etc, you'd be amazed how quickly you can burn through cash doing this. $1,000 spent on 50 worthless domains is $1,000 thrown away. $1,000 spent on the aftermarket/drops will give you something of value - even if you do overpay.

IMO hand registering these days is best for long term strategies. Eg register 100 domains with the hope that in 5 years, although most will still probably be close to worthless, enough of them are worth enough to give an overall return

However if you are looking to develop (seeing as you have mentioned Wordpress), then it probably makes sense to buy on the aftermarket or drops as spending a bit more will more likely give you a name that's 'good enough' to justify development.
 

soj

Founder
Hi Alex - a big welcome. :)

Can you tell us a little more about yourself by way of intro? Where are you based; do you have a day job; what got you interested in domains?

Cheers, Ned
 

Shane

Top Contributor
Welcome Alex. Here on DNT you should learn plenty about what to do and definitely what not to do!

I agree with David that buying in the aftermarket is a better option if you are planning on developing. You can make money developing hand reg names, but personally I've made more from developing names in the $100 - $1,000 range bought on the expiry auctions.

And perhaps my best tip, try to focus on lead generation rather than adsense income. With the right type of lead gen you can make decent money without needing massive search volume or traffic. You just need to find a niche that suits your skills and interests.

Have fun. :)
 

Alex

Top Contributor
Thank you for the replies... :)

As for me - Just turned 30 with a background in graphics, digital media, and journalism. Currently living / working at an NGO in the Southern Highlands helping elderly members of the community, educating youth on environmental sustainability, along with managing the kitchen.

Really beautiful place + lots of time of my hands so thought developing a few websites would be a good way to gain a few new web based skills + hopefully make some extra income, and if lucky a few new friends.

Wishing for the best,
Alex
 

DavidL

Top Contributor
Shane, do you currently successfully sell leads? I have always struggled tbh and found adsense to be the easy way out. No changing of minds, whinging about duds etc.

I accept that google will take a slice of the pie but at least it's easy
 

Shane

Top Contributor
Shane, do you currently successfully sell leads? I have always struggled tbh and found adsense to be the easy way out. No changing of minds, whinging about duds etc.

I accept that google will take a slice of the pie but at least it's easy

For sure David, selling leads makes up the majority of my income. Perhaps where I differ to others is that I'm heavily into my industry (insurance) and have a lot of good contacts that I've built up over many years.

Most of my lead gen income comes from revenue split rather than a fixed price per lead. You need to have a lot of trust in your partners for this to work, but I catch up with my referral partners for coffee at least once a fortnight and talk on the phone a few times a week, so we're pretty tight.

For sure adsense is way less hassle, and I love getting the direct deposit from Google each month without having to do any work, but for me the revenue potential from lead gen is easily worth the extra effort.
 

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