Domain Name Wire Podcast

New top level domains have been out for a decade now. One of the most interesting top level domain companies is XYZ. It's known for .xyz, but now operates a total of 35 domain extensions. On today's show, XYZ founder Daniel Negari reflects on the past ten years, discusses his marketing approach, and what's in store for the future.

Also: ICA dates, auctions, and more

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Imagine flipping a hand registration into an $85,000 sale in 8 days. My guest on today's show, Michael Santiago, did just that. It's not without controversy, though. What would you do if this opportunity presented itself to you? Michael tells the story, along with how upgrading a domain name helped his press release business soar, ultimately resulting in a seven figure exit for him.

Also: Spaceships and Rocketships, LSAT, new ICANN CEO

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

Sometimes, letting go of domain name is the hardest part. But not for my guest this week, domain investor and entrepreneur Yoni Belousov. Yoni is a long time domain name investor, and on today's show he talks about letting go of your loser domains and operating an efficient portfolio. (Yoni has about 80,000 domains.) We also talk about Yoni's acquisition of the .link top level domain name, the progress he's making with that domain, and more.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

Nick Huber knew his company's domain name was a problem, so he paid $400,000 to get a better domain name. On today's show he explained how the company searched for a new domain name and negotiated a payment plan to close the deal for somewhere.com. He also discusses his many other companies and how much he paid for domains for his companies Webrun, AdRhino, BoldSEO, ReviewBoss, Titan Risk, Bolt Storage, and SweatyStartup.

Also: Moniker relaunch, Domain Name Wholesale Exchange

Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

Paul Nicks has a new role at GoDaddy as VP, Domain Investor. The move is due to somewhat of a shift in how domains are registered and how the company views domains, so it's important for domain name investors to understand what's going on. On today's show, Paul talks about the changes, who is leading the various domain teams at GoDaddy, and what Paul's biggest initiatives are for domain name investors.

Also: Top 10 sale, RDNH

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

On today's show, domain investor and Efty co-founder Doron Vermaat returns to the show to talk about some of his latest domain sales. He compares his results in 2023 to 2022, and shares some sales (including a .io domain for $70k). If you need some inspiration, Doron discusses how domain investing has helped him buy his first house. We also talk about some of the features that are in the works for Efty.

Also: Squarespace sells, GoDaddy founder's new book

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

NamesCon 2024 is just weeks away, and it's not too late to register to attend.

On today's show I preview the event with two interviews. First, I speak with Soeren von Varchmin, Chairman of the Advisory Board at NamesCon. Soeren tells us what to expect at this year's show, including fantastic keynotes with Vint Cerf, Matt Mullenweg, and Paul Mockapetris.

Then, Monte Cahn and Scott Pruitt of Right of the Dot join me to talk about the live domain auction that takes place during NamesCon. There are some great names coming in this auction, and we discuss how to register for the auction to take part in pre-bidding, the live auction, and the extended auction.

Haven't registered for NamesCon yet? Listen to the show for a discount code.

Also: Good news for TRX.com owner, Squarespace Domains and more

Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

We often hear about domain name sales, but the public sales just scratch the surface. Many more sales are never made public.

Some of these sales happen on DomainAgents. On today's show, DomainAgents CEO

Ryan McKegney discloses that his company brokered a three letter domain name for $2 million earlier this year.

Ryan also discusses what he's seeing in the domain aftermarket right now. Spoiler alert: things are looking up.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

Darpan Munjal has been a guest on this podcast many times, but he gets a different introduction this time: CEO of Atom.

That's because his company Squadhelp recently rebranded as Atom and moved its site to atom.com.

On today's show, Darpan discusses why his company outgrew its old name and how it used its own platform to review potential names for the rebrand.

He also shares the work the company undertook to prepare for the transition.

Also: .Com doldrums, ID verification, and a weird rebrand

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Domain buyer broker Bill Sweetman of Name Ninja returns to this show this week with more wacky domain name tales.

Bill has run into some interesting people while acquiring domain names. On today's show, you'll hear the tales of Pedro the Paranoid, The Satisfied Senior, The Lucky Lady, and many more.

And if you want more, be sure to go back to episode #338 for more crazy stories.

Also: Atom, Nissan.com, and GoDaddy Auctions

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders