Domain Name Help

suarve · 3 Jun 2009 at 17:26

Hi,

Have never had to do really do the following

The .com version of my employers .co.uk domain is currently registered, but for the last couple of months there has been no site on the domain, just a registrar advertising page.

Say I wanted to contact the domain owner would I simply email the admin email address for the domain? What stuff should and shouldn't I be asking?

I domain lapses in about a month too, but wanted to get in there early.

Any help appreciated

Thanks

EDIT: also slightly off topic I have another question. I recently acquired a domain name that is similar to the main site but has some better keywords in the name. For SEO, is it best to simply redirect traffic going to this domain to the main site, or host a copy of the site on that domain too.

suarve · 5 Jun 2009 at 09:07

Anyone?

Daegan · 5 Jun 2009 at 10:02

If your employer has their name trademarked they may be able to instigate proceedings to take ownership of the domain.

http://www.internic.net/problem_reports/p6.html

If not then I read something recently that may be of interest.

http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/06/04/022220/Buying-a-Domain-From-a-Cybersquatter

daz · 5 Jun 2009 at 10:03

It's difficult to judge to be honest. Chances are, if he doesn't renew it, some domain warehousing company will. They may well charge more for the domain than he might, or it might go to an auction.

It might be worth testing the water so to speak and sending an email asking if he had a price in mind for selling the domain.

I did this when I was setting up my company, and ended up buying the .com of the domain for around £150, which was a good price in my mind (I already had the .co.uk and .net).

waso_dude · 5 Jun 2009 at 10:38

Have you done a WHOis search on it? Might give you information about the domain and the registar so you talk to them about purchasing it.

waso_dude · 5 Jun 2009 at 10:39

suarve said:
Hi,
EDIT: also slightly off topic I have another question. I recently acquired a domain name that is similar to the main site but has some better keywords in the name. For SEO, is it best to simply redirect traffic going to this domain to the main site, or host a copy of the site on that domain too.

You can assign multiple domains to a site.

suarve · 5 Jun 2009 at 12:27

waso_dude said:
Have you done a WHOis search on it? Might give you information about the domain and the registar so you talk to them about purchasing it.

Yer, I already did a whois. Just wondered exactly what to say in the email

waso_dude said:
You can assign multiple domains to a site.

Didn't know that, will ahve a look.