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What to do?

by BrasiliaFlyer
16 replies
First time poster here...
So I have a domain that I have had for 10 years, planned on developing a business but that didn't happen. Now I am in need of some cash, and I don't know quite what I should do...

The domain is: hows.com

I don't know if I should try and sell it, as is (undeveloped) , or if the name has the potential to generate some cash by putting up a blog on it or something.

The name seems to me (an amateur) like a good one, it is pronounceable and only 4 letters long, although it isn't exactly a proper word.
I have made a few calls to domain brokerages, and they don't seem all that optimistic that the name itself would be worth as much as I'd like to get.

I'd love to get some ideas... Thanks in advance!
  • Profile picture of the author salegurus
    You would be surprised how much difference a letter or 2 makes.
    For example, how.com or howto.com would probably be worth far more than your domain.
    I would tend to agree with these brokers that hows.com is probably not worth much, you would probably have to develop it and generate some income before you could make and real money...
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    • Profile picture of the author dana67
      I agree. 3 letter domains are worth far more than 4 letter domains unfortunately. Spend some time developing content and driving traffic and that may increase the value of the domain.
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    • Profile picture of the author faithkonfyans17
      Originally Posted by salegurus View Post

      You would be surprised how much difference a letter or 2 makes.
      For example, how.com or howto.com would probably be worth far more than your domain.
      I would tend to agree with these brokers that hows.com is probably not worth much, you would probably have to develop it and generate some income before you could make and real money...
      Loud and clear for ya!
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  • Profile picture of the author wrcato2
    hows do you think that you can make money with hows.com?
    You can turn that domain into a your very own ATM machine.

    Just need to find niche for it that you are interested in and use the hows as a keyword and find a way to brand it.

    talk with your friends, spouse, other warriors here about options for your domain.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Hooper-Kelly
      Hi Brasiliaflyer,

      It's now far harder to find any short URL that makes even remote sense, these days. So you shouldn't give up without making an effort with this one.

      Maybe you could develop it under the sub-titles 'How's It Done', along the lines of ehow.com, where you could post all manner of 'how to' videos and articles - either by curation, your own creation or a mix of both.

      Because it will be pure informative content, you should have little difficulty in getting it quite visible on the search engines.

      Then link relevant subjects to affiliate products (or use advertsiing, such as AdSense) and you're finally making a little money.

      Then you have a choice: sellit it as a profitable site with bags of potential or continue to exploit the potential yourself.

      Good luck with hows!

      Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author affilorama-portal
    I like your domain name. You can actually set and build a good authority site on that one as well. Think of a good niche to start with. You can check out sites like buzz.com or mashable to get the idea of an authority site with high potential for viral content
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  • Profile picture of the author copymyideas
    If you are not using the domain then you could put it on a domain auction site like Sedo or Godaddy Auctions and see what interest you get
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  • Profile picture of the author Kenster
    Not sure I agree with the previous posters...4 letter domains are great. Obviously a letter can make a big difference in valuation but hows.com is still a strong domain...for the right buyer. Personally, I would keep it and seek out a broker once per year. It's a good cheap asset to hold onto until you find the right buyer in my opinion.
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  • Profile picture of the author CliffUK
    'hows' sounds like 'house' to me so maybe a property/real estate or related site could work well, with clever branding/marketing.

    Once you have the domain you can use sub domains, e.g. 's.hows.com' for entertainment events etc.

    I would hang on to it for sure.
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  • Profile picture of the author shahnawazsadique
    First of all I would like to say that domain is not getting open and diverting to bidvertiser ..Can you explain how ?
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    hows is not a real word and makes no sense. I see little development or profit potential with this domain.
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Walker
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      hows is not a real word and makes no sense. I see little development or profit potential with this domain.
      What if it becomes acronyms of say "How Old Women Sells" & the site somehow manage to sell for millions!
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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Chris Walker View Post

        What if it becomes acronyms of say "How Old Women Sells" & the site somehow manage to sell for millions!
        This post is a prime example of what is wrong with this domain. It's not
        "How Old Women Sells"
        It's "How Old Women Sell"

        It's not:
        hows
        It's
        how

        and the topic makes as little sense as the domain.
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        • Profile picture of the author Steve B
          Let's add a dose of reality here.

          You haven't done anything with your domain for ten years. You have no clue how it would best be developed or who you might sell it to.

          What indications are there that anything is going to change soon making you anxious to actually do something with the domain? I see nothing.

          Sell it now for whatever you can get after a month worth of trying if you really believe it is worth something extra. I don't.

          Hanging on to a domain, paying the annual registrations, and wishing for millions is a game for losers. I know. I've kept hundreds of domains in the past that I've eventually just dropped.

          Either step up and doing something with the domain (evidence shows you're not going to do this) or sell it for what you can get and move on.

          You're wasting time dreaming about easy money. Don't fall in love with your own domains. Instead, work your butt off to build a great business which will easily sit on any domain.

          Just my two cents . . .

          Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author bwh1
    The only way I see a profitable site here is to build a site around HOW's ABOUT with content in written and video. Little more like a blog.

    You could have a questions section where visitor can interact for How's About questions.

    How's about losing weight with the Atkins diet?
    How's about quit smoking fast?
    How's about getting your ex boyfriend back?
    How's about having a laugh? (weekly jokes, funny videos)
    etc...

    Monetize with Banners, in content link Ads and Adsense,

    Just my 2 cts

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  • Profile picture of the author BrasiliaFlyer
    Well thanks for all of the replies. You all have definitely given me good advice! As I feared, it is just up to me to decide what to do with it. Originally I had an idea for a driving monitoring website called hows my driving . com. I never was able to get that off the ground though... I sold the domain a few weeks ago to a company who contacted me about it. Hows.com was just a simplified version of that website. That is why I have it. I am not a domain name collector, in fact it is the only one I have. The annual $10 fee is manageable, but current or past value isn't any indicator of future value...
    Thanks again, I'll report back if something exciting happens!
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