Increase Traffic to your domain...

If you want to increase traffic to your website and better your search engine positioning, here is an easy 6 step process that will enable you to do so.

1. Get a free blog.
Go to blogger.com and sign up for a free account.

2. Link your website to your blog.
In your blog template, add a link to your website. Also, set up your blog so there is a link field in every post. Set this field to link to your website. Thus, every post will contain a link at the bottom of the post to your main website.

3. Write 3 articles each week.
Even better would be one article each day (5/week), but 3 each week is a great start. Each article only needs to be 300 words, so you don't need a major essay. Just write an opening sentence, expound on that sentence in three short paragraphs, and conclude your post with a restatement of your opening sentence, reworded just slightly. Then, post your article to your blog.

4. Submit your article to EzineArticles.com.
Doing this will enable your article to be indexed by Google. This is very good for you, because once your article is indexed at Google, a backlink to your website will be generated for you. This will result in better search engine positioning and more traffic for you.

5. Submit your article to GoArticles.com.
There is software available that searches Go Articles for articles in specific niches and genres. These articles are then pulled by the software and put on websites. This generates more backlinks and exposure for you, and builds traffic to your main website.

6. Keep this process going.
Make a commitment to write one article each day, post it to your blog, and submit it to EzineArticles.com and GoArticles.com.

Following these 6 simple steps will increase both your traffic and search engine positioning.

Jeremy M. Hoover is an online freelance writer who writes promotional and content articles for website owners. Each article is $15, or you can buy 5 articles for $50. If you need articles, contact Jeremy at his website, http://www.jhooverwebcopy.com

Read more marketing articles by Jeremy at his blog, http://www.jhooverwebcopy.blogspot.com

Domain Names Sales Jump over the last year

Website domain names have jumped in value over the last year, according to figures, which suggest the internet is flourishing while other areas of the economy struggle.

According to Sedo, an auction company that sells internet domain names, the average price has increased from £1,282 a year ago to £1,757.

Some domain names sold far this year have fetched eye-watering sums, as companies and individuals pour money back into the internet, in an echo of the frenzy that led to the dot.com boom of 1999.

Toys.com was sold for $5.1 million (£3.11 million) in March to the retailer Toys R Us, while Fly.com went for $1.76 million.

Toys.com has become the fourth most expensive domain name in history, according to the Domain Name Journal, a trade magazine.

Domain names are the addresses that every website needs to have a presence on the internet. It costs about £10 to register a new domain name and the owner of the address has to pay an annual registration fee to keep ownership of that name.

However, many companies and investors like to get their hands on addresses that have already been registered. And for that they have to turn to an auction house.

Nora Nanayakkara, director of Business Development at Sedo, said the internet was becoming increasingly valuable because of the recession.

"With the credit crunch many customers are looking to save money and are turning to the internet and price comparison sites. Buy buying up domain names – especially catchy names – companies are trying to garner the audience online that they have lost on the high street," she said.

Many of the buyers of domain names are investors, with no intention of using the name to set up a website. They purely own the names in the hope of selling them on later for a profit.

"Domain names have fared very well, compared with asset classes, especially property. They are a good investment for some people," Ms Nanayakkara added.

The most expensive domain name in history was Sex.com, which was sold for between $11 and $14 million, according to different and conflicting reports, in 2006.

The address was subject to a long-running legal dispute and is now owned by a company called Escom.

Original Article Here

Erotica.com sells for $850,000: Sexy Internet domain names still big business

Recession or no, the market for sexy Internet domain names still means that some enterprising entrepreneurs with the rights to URLs like Erotica.com can cash in: business.avn.com, the news arm of the Adult Video Network, is reporting that the Erotica.com domain name went for $850,000 in a pre-auction deal at the Internext domain name auction in Las Vegas.

Internet Domain Names Grow to 177 Million in 2008, Latest VeriSign Industry Brief Shows

The Internet added 24 million new domain names in 2008, according to the fourth quarter 2008 Domain Name Industry Brief published by VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world.
The year 2008 ended with a total base of 177 million domain name registrations across all of the Top Level Domains (TLDs). This represents 16 percent growth over the previous year. In the fourth quarter of 2008, more than 10.1 million new domain names were registered across all TLDs. The composition of the domain name industry and rank order in terms of base size remained consistent in the fourth quarter. The five largest TLDs in terms of base size were .com, .cn (China), .de (Germany), .net, and .org.

See Full article here

Hells Angels Sue Alleged Cybersquatter for $2 Million

There are two types of cybersquatters: big, systematic cybersquatters and small, just-don’t-know-any-better cybersquatters.

Sometimes it’s the big guys that get hit with lawsuits, but a recent case shows even the small time cybersquatter can be hit hard.

That’s the case of Fawn and Terry Myers, who are named in a lawsuit alleging they registered about 20 domain names related to Hells Angels. Either Fawn or Terry subsequently listed the domain names on eBay with titles such as:

“Hells Angels Domain Name HA-MC.COM USA Europe RARE Dot”“Hells Angels Domain Name ALL 81 LLLL.com 4L USA EUROPE”

Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation sued the Myers this month on 20 counts of cybersquatting at $100,000 each.

Many small time cybersquatters think a UDRP is the worst that can happen to them. This case shows that’s not true. I asked Hells Angels’ attorney Fritz Clapp today why the company chose to file a lawsuit rather than UDRP. He cited the delay in UDRPs as well as the attention this case will draw to other people that might cybersquat on Hells Angels’ brand.

Clapp first contacted Terry Myers through the eBay contact system. Myers allegedly wrote a terse response to Clapp before listing another related domain name on eBay. Clapp contacted eBay, which removed the auctions.

You’ll find the eBay listings somewhat humorous, so I’ve uploaded a copy here (pdf).
Among Myers claims in the eBay listings:

I b.s. you not, once this name is sold, it will NEVER be up for sale EVER again. Buy it now, it will go FAST. First off, I would like to say I have no HA affiliation and the purchase of multiple 4 letter (LLLL.com) and 5 letter (LLLLL.com) domain [sic] was quit [sic] by accident. I did not correlate the 81 with the Hells Angels identification at time of purchase. I have purchased 100’s of four letter .com domains prior to them running out before November 2007, and some after that went up after expiration. I was contacted by a person outside the United States interested in purchasing 81EU.com for a European web site. A brandable four or five letter dot com domain name now days goes for $3800 all the way to $1,000,000 +.

Huh, at $8,181.81, I’m shocked this domain name didn’t sell within minutes
GoDaddy was named as a defendant in the original lawsuit, but was dropped after cooperating. In at least one of the eBay auctions, Myers wrote “If auction is canceled on ebay, please go to domainsite host (godaddy). It will be placed for auction there.”

The City plans to raise cash selling .nyc domains

As officials search for cash to help plug the city's widening budget deficit, City Council members say they’ve found a relatively painless way to generate millions of dollars for the city. It will come from the Internet.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced during her state-of-the-city address Thursday that the “.nyc” domain will start generating a fresh stream of revenue for the city next summer.

dotNYC, a private group, has asked the city to let it sell Web addresses such as www.GrimaldisPizza.nyc or www.EmpireStateBuilding.nyc for about $10 a pop to people, corporations and small businesses. In return, the company would give the city one-third of the domain's profits.

However, a city spokesman says officials have not yet chosen a partner for the project. The city may decide to send out a request for proposals.

“A local business won't have to outbid a guy in Kansas to get TonysPizza.com,” Ms. Quinn said. “They'll be able to get TonysPizza.NYC, a name associated with the greatest city—and home of the greatest pizza—in the world.”

She said the city will generate millions of dollars per year through the system just by giving its permission to allow .nyc to be created.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is responsible for approving requested domain names. ICANN, which was founded 10 years ago, is expected to begin approving new domains named for cities and states this summer, although the sites may not go live until mid-2010. Until now, only 21 domains, such as .com, .org and .edu, have been accessible. Country and continent codes have also been in use, including .us in the United States and .fr in France.

During a Thursday address, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said the ".nyc" domain will start generating a fresh stream of revenue for the city next summer.

Webfusion to Offer Customers .us Domain at $0.99

PHILADELPHIA, Feb 11, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Earlier this week, Webfusion launched a promotion that gives their customers the opportunity to register a .us domain name at $0.99. With over 9 million .us sites in Google's index, this promotion offers customers the opportunity to show their patriotism and express their individuality in an arena that is becoming increasingly difficult to enter due to limited domain name availability.

As President Obama ushers in a new era of change, Webfusion offers Americans and companies doing business in the United States an opportunity to distinguish themselves in an increasingly .com world while showing their patriotism to the United States.

Webfusion is celebrating this new era by offering its customers the opportunity to register the .us domain for a year at $0.99 with three months of free Web hosting included on the

"Techie" hosting package. This special promotion on .us domains will be good on purchases made by May 31, 2009.

"The .us domain offers the opportunity for our customers to distinguish themselves online while celebrating this new era of 'change' in America," said Thomas Vollrath, CEO of Webfusion. "We are pleased to join the nation in celebrating this new era with a special rate on this patriotic domain."

Webfusion's hosting plans appeal to beginners, businesses and techies alike by offering up to 400GB Web space, 5,000GB monthly traffic and 100 MySQL databases. All our packages include first-class technical support and are backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so customers can try the service at no risk.

About the .us domain
The .us top-level domain (usTLD) was established in 1985 as the official country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States. It is administered by NeuStar. The expanded second-level .us domain launched on April 24, 2002, enabling companies, nonprofits, government entities and individuals to establish unique, memorable American addresses online.
About Webfusion

Webfusion was founded in 1997 and entered into the American market in December 2008. It offers domain name registration and easy-to-understand Web hosting packages. Hosting starts from just $2.99 a month and domain names are only $0.99 with any hosting package. More information can be found at www.webfusion.com.