Remember when you bought a set of domains to protect your brand as it grows? You were so proud of yourself – planned for your most important digital asset. Years have passed, and you haven’t used them, so you think they have no value.
Think again! Your unused domains have value.
Sometimes, our need for a domain or set of domains is no longer relevant; some customers leave them to expire, and others try to resell them via third parties. But here’s the thing: If you think that your domain or domains have no value 90% of the time, it is because there was no consideration given to the value of those domains when you acquired them.
You know what happens? It becomes a bargain for the buyer, but you just give money away. In some cases, we’ve even seen domain holders try to buy back their old domains later because they altered their business model or expanded faster than expected. We see this mistake frequently repeated despite our hand-waving.
Our best advice is to think twice about letting a good domain expire. It may be better to hang on to it, so think long-term rather than short-term. And if the financials are an issue, have a chat with us about possible domain parking solutions.
If you want to let them go after or see their value or lack of value, Okens Domains can help you assess their value. And here’s the really good part for you — it doesn’t matter which domain registration company those domains are with; we will help you sell them and reduce your time worrying about whether you did the right thing.
Stay tuned for the next story in March for our Mistake of the Month series. In the meantime visit www.okens.domains to learn how we can help.
The Rolling Stones said you can’t always get what you want, but Okens Domains thinks you can. Introducing our new Okens Brokerage services that help you acquire that coveted domain you want to grow your business, even if that domain is already registered.
Traditionally, a brokerage service is a business or service that specializes in buying and selling domain names on behalf of clients. Sometimes, individuals or companies may own domain names they no longer need or want. In contrast, others may be interested in acquiring specific domain names for their projects, businesses, or investment purposes.
Okens Brokerage will handle everything from valuation to negotiation and domain transfer. We facilitate buying and selling domain names using different tools, platforms, and our extensive global contact database.
Another benefit of Okens Brokerage is the service of helping you value your unused domains to see if you want to keep them as an investment or value them for sale. The services will also negotiate on your behalf to ensure you get the best price for the domain.
Here is the entire process for brokering domains with Okens Brokerage services:
The Buyer: The person or parties who want to purchase the domain. The buyer can ask for a particular domain or the range of markets they are interested in, and we help them find domains in that industry. It could also be related to specific countries, TLD’s, etc.
The Seller: This is the person or party looking to sell the domain but may need more time or resources to research the domain’s value to the industry.
The Valuation: There are many variables to consider when it comes to the valuation of a specific domain. Okens investigates to see if we can help with the request and look at domain requirements and pricing to create a market value of the domain. Once we do this, we communicate to the customer so they can decide on selling or retaining the domain for a future sale.
Listing: We proceed to the listing phase once the customer agrees to sell. In the case of the seller, Okens will create a domain listing in our platform and then update any interested buyers.
Negotiation: Okens Domains team has extensive expertise in domain business and valuation experience. We understand the domain’s value and have an educated sales team that helps negotiate and guarantees our customers the best price.
Managing The Selling Process: The full scope of the process from valuation to negotiation and transfer of ownership is done by Okens Brokerage Services. Buying and selling a domain involves investigation, communication, source of information or channels, communication, payment, and transfers, for starters.
Transaction: Once an agreement is reached, Okens Brokerage brokers and facilitates the transaction process which includes handling the transfer of ownership and ensuring a smooth and secure exchange of funds.
Escrow Services: Okens Brokerage Services use escrow services to protect both the buyer and the seller. Escrow services hold the funds securely until all aspects of the transaction are completed, reducing the risk of fraud.
Transfer of Ownership: The Okens Brokerage team oversees the technical aspects of transferring the domain name from the seller’s registrar to the buyer’s registrar and updating the domain’s registration details.
Post-Sale Support: The Okens Brokerage team supports the entire post-sale process with a smooth transition and addresses any issues. We are with you from start to finish and beyond.
Visit Okens.domains for more information about our services.
As Willie Nelson sang, ‘I just can’t wait to get on the road again’ – and that is where we are – on the road to iGB Affiliate London and ICE. We have a lot to share with you before the show. Including why a domain gap analysis can help you save your brand now and down the road, the threat of increased reverse domain name registration, and what you can do about it to our new offering, Okens Brokerage Services.
We will discuss the points at iGB Affiliate London, stand #E51.
Brand Protection
Let’s talk about domains and online brand protection because they are ground zero for everything that matters to your business. Domain names are critical to building your business brand protection. We’ve said it before and will repeat it, but you can’t protect it if you don’t know where the gaps are in your domain strategy as you build or grow your brand. This is everything from a failsafe strategy for future growth to setting up your domain with automatic renewals.
Registering your domain seems obvious, but registering your name with alternate extensions like .net, .biz, or .org, along with their alternative spellings, can go a long way toward protecting your brand. Spelling alternatives mean you give your visitors a better chance to access your website if they make a mistake entering your domain name. It also prevents others from capitalizing on your brand name in all its forms.
We will offer a complimentary domain gap analysisat iGB Affiliate London. If you are serious about seeing where you are vulnerable with your new brand or your established business, come by stand #E51and talk to us.
Cyber Criminals
Now, onto those cyber criminals who make things more challenging than they should be. In 2023, reverse domain name hijacking and cybersquatting were at an all-time high. Not good. Domain Name Wire reported that nearly one in five denied complaints was reverse domain name hijacking.
Since we’ve just started 2024, it is the perfect time to look at what you can do to prevent this costly crime from happening to you and your business. It all starts with knowing where your domain is or could be vulnerable. Maybe you don’t have time to check all the ways your domain name could be hijacked, but guess what? We do! And we will work with you to identify where it could all go wrong and prevent that from happening. It is easier to do it before you get started than to fix it later.
Brokerage Services
The fantastic news is that Okens Domains is pleased to announce a new offering – Okens Brokerage. This domain brokerage service will help you acquire that coveted domain you have always wanted.
It sounds fancy, but it is about being practical and sticking to what we do best — personal, customized 1:1 services for our customers that can help them value their domains and unused domains. We research for you and bring you the best options to unload or invest in domains. It’s that easy.
Talk to Alexander Kucherenko at iGB stand #51 about our new Okens Brokerageservices and how they can help you get the value back on your domain investments.
Recently, a customer came to us to acquire the most strategic domain for their new brand only to find that it had already been taken by another company with the country Top Level Domain (TLD) of their primary country of business. They had put considerable thought, resources and money into the brand design and positioning.
Ouch.
We see this happening a lot more than it should, but don’t worry; we have three tips to prevent this kind of mistake. And remember, we are here for you so get in touch– a real human will answer the phone.
Think domains from the beginning – even when you start your brand brainstorms. Think about the countries you need to operate in and the countries you want to expand into. There might be specific TLDs that make more sense and then you can see if they are available. It’s better to invest time at the start of the new brand than to waste money and resources developing a brand and a name.
Look at associated domains via a simple domain gap analysis to safeguard your brand going forward. (we can do that for you!)
In the case of the customer, they chose to use Okens Brokerage capabilities to negotiate and purchase the domain. We acquired the domain for them at a reasonable rate, safeguarding the marketing investment they made.
Stay tuned for the next story in February for our Mistake of the Month – Don’t Waste Unused Domains. But in the meantime, read more about how to protect your domain on our OI Blog.
Kirk Miller, Head of Casino at PureROI and Okens Domains client sat down with Okens to talk about the role performance marketing plays in the success of igaming companies.
PureROI was born out of the success of their sister company, Purecontent, which delivers content in large volumes in multiple languages with targeted outreach. Pure ROI evolved from this, producing the same high-quality content for its websites that Purecontent has delivered to its clients for the last two decades.
Miller says the company is honing in on niches to be impactful, which adds tremendous value to their core affiliate partners. With in-country writers and editors working in more than 100 languages, they can easily launch new websites, allowing them to test a specific topic in weeks versus months.
Miller says that laser targeting specific geographies and products is a byproduct of carving out strong relationships with, as he says, industry titans that can deliver traffic that adds tangible value.
PERFORMANCE MARKETING
Regarding performance marketing, Miller says that change happens so fast that you must stay current.
“It feels like performance marketing operates on an entirely different level to where it was even just a few years ago,” said Miller. “The global pandemic certainly had an impact on this paradigm shift, and all of a sudden, as people around the globe were stuck at home, bored and with fewer of the usual outlets for their disposable income, the iGaming industry was sought out by a whole new audience.”
Miller says that new marketing channels that previously may have delivered a poor conversion rate were bringing in noticeable revenue. “Things have calmed down slightly since we’ve all returned to our offices, but it has still been an illuminating period for marketing iGaming entertainment to hitherto ignored demographics,” he adds.
CHALLENGES
When it comes to challenges, Miller says it’s competition. “With everyone and their aunt bidding on the same keywords after enrolling in an online course about how to make $10K a month in affiliate marketing from a beach, cutting through the noise is harder than ever.”
Millers says that’s why he believes PureROI’s focus on specialisation is the right solution to this new world order.
“I always say we don’t want to be bidding for ad space on poker in the US, where there is so much competition. I’d rather be hitting a Chilean audience excited about the next time Colo-Colo plays Universidad de Chile in the Chilean Primera Divisió,” says Miler.
Miller believes that if they apply the same care and attention to reaching that much more niche market, they will have a drastically more significant impact with considerably lower investment.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
Miller says Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change things, but he’s not sure those changes will be what everyone expects.
“Does it mean everyone can now create award-winning ad creatives with the push of a single button? Nope. Not yet, anyway – we’re not even close, but it will undoubtedly increase the sheer noise the consumer is bombarded with.”
Miller says that with AI, you probably won’t need to have a huge marketing budget to create 10,000-word articles for SEO or produce a million variations of CTA’s to split test, that it’s all there for anyone with access to ChatGPT. But he thinks AI will enhance the people putting proper thought into their marketing rather than drowning them out.
“The good guys will benefit from the bad guys doing more and more bad stuff, making their good stuff seem even more impressive,” said Miller.
Miller also says that lead generation will be affected by Web3 technology, and that is great for volume. “The easier we make it for people to detail their needs, the more leads we as businesses will have,” said Miller. “But also, the quality will take an almost opposite nosedive as the quantity explodes.”
We saw it when restaurants all opened up their booking platforms online. As soon as nobody had to ring up, speak to the restaurant themselves, and have an actual human interaction to make their reservations, costly no-shows skyrocketed,” added Miller. “The Same thing will happen with Web 3.0 lead-gen – the easier and more digital the process to create the lead is, the easier it is for that lead to disregard it and ignore any follow-ups.”
PERSONAL TOUCH WITH OKENS
Every domain PureROI owns is managed through Okens Domains. Miller says they were initially drawn to Okens’ service because of the ease and transparency of setting up watertight WhoIs protection.
“That’s a pretty dry, boring, technical factor, but a significant factor, for sure. It wasn’t something we excitedly discussed in meetings, but it needed to be done,” said Miller.
After working with Okens for the past 12 months, Miller says that Okens’ personal touch has the company coming back for more.
“Support tickets that are actually answered within minutes and usually resolved the very same day – you wouldn’t believe how rare this is in this field,” said Miller. “Okens has managed to make managing domains (usually a painful job we’d unload on a junior staff member!) completely hassle-free.
Miller says Okens is the best at making WhoIs protection clear and easy to set up.
“It’s usually very difficult to get a straight answer on this topic, even when working with the supposed experts,” adds Miller.
For example, Miller says that if they wanted to try out a domain in a strange TLD, Okens would tell him exactly what we needed to do to protect our privacy.
“Even some of the biggest operators out there have asked me to check with Okens on certain WhoIs setups,” said Miller
“The behind-the-scenes techy stuff, anyone can pretty much do, but what Okens does is layer over the top of that basic stuff, a genuine, family-run business feeling where you feel valued as a customer,” said Miller. “It’s much more of an ongoing conversation working with you than just the transactional, faceless queue system we’ve had before.”
Kickstarting 2024, our first Three Minutes features Kirk Miller, Head of Casino at PureROI. Kirk spoke with Jennifer Kite-Powell, Head of Content at Okens Domains, about the future of performance marketing, why Okens gives PureROI peace of mind and future technologies that will change marketing.
Jennifer Kite-Powell (JKP): PureROI has seen incredible success over the last 18 months; what has been the company’s secret?
Kirk Miller (KM): PureROI was born out of the success of their sister company, Purecontent, which delivers content in large volumes in multiple languages with targeted outreach. Pure ROI evolved to do the same, giving value to our core affiliate partners. We have in-country writers and editors working in more than 100 languages, which means they can effortlessly launch new websites and gives us the power to test specific topics in weeks versus months.
I think that our laser targeting of specific geographies and products is a byproduct of carving out strong relationships with industry titans that can deliver traffic that adds tangible value.
And even with our success, we have challenges. In a nutshell, that’s competition. With everyone and their aunt bidding on the same keywords after enrolling in an online course about how to make $10K a month in affiliate marketing from a beach, cutting through the noise is harder than ever, but I believe that our focus on specialisation is the right solution to this new world order.
For example, I always say we don’t want to be bidding for ad space on poker in the US, where there is so much competition. I’d rather be hitting a Chilean audience excited about the next time Colo-Colo plays Universidad de Chile in the Chilean Primera Divisió.
JKP: Okay, I can hear the excitement in your voice; clearly, you love your role.
KM: Yes! I love learning about different cultures and how a piece of keyword research can open up an enormous rabbit hole on a topic you never knew existed before. Strange facts like how millions of people in India regularly bet on the price of cotton at the close of the NYSE each day. I always hope that one day, some of this will come up in a pub quiz!
JKP: What trends do you see heading straight towards us in 2024 that will affect performance marketing?
KM: Everyone says this, but I think eSports betting will be huge. Very few people have yet to match the messaging to this new and unique audience, but when they do, it will be its own market, not just a sideshow tacked onto traditional sports betting as it is now.
JKP: Speaking of performance marketing, what’s happening in that industry that has changed for you?
KM: First, change happens so fast. Performance marketing operates on an entirely different level than it did just a few years ago. The global pandemic certainly impacted this paradigm shift, and all of a sudden, as people around the globe were stuck at home, bored and with fewer of the usual outlets for their disposable income, the iGaming industry was sought out by a whole new audience.
New marketing channels that previously may have delivered a poor conversion rate were bringing in noticeable revenue. Even though things have calmed down slightly since we’ve all returned to our offices, it has still been an illuminating period for marketing iGaming entertainment to hitherto ignored demographics.
JKP: What technology do you think will shape performance marketing over the next several years? Is it going to change dramatically?
Kirk Miller, Head of Casino at PureROI, talks about how performance marketing has changed and how AI will change the game, but maybe not how people anticipate.
KM: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to change things, for sure. However, I’m not so sure those changes are going to be what everyone necessarily expects. Does it mean everyone can now create award-winning ad creatives with the push of a single button? Nope. Not yet, anyway – we’re not even close, in my experience. But, what it’s going to do, undoubtedly, is increase the sheer noise the consumer is bombarded with.
For example, now you don’t have to have a huge marketing budget to create 10,000-word articles for SEO or produce a million variations of CTA’s to split test – it’s all there for anyone with access to ChatGPT. I think the technology will enhance the people putting proper thought into their marketing rather than drowning them out. I have said this before and will say it again, but the good guys will benefit from the bad guys doing more and more bad stuff, making their good stuff seem even more impressive.
JKP: The igaming ecosystem has changed over the past decade from regulation to privacy concerns to shifts in SEO and tools for performance marketing; where do you see the industry headed in the next several years?
KM: Good question – it’s basically my job to try and predict this, so I can’t just shrug my shoulders! I think the colossal changes in how people search on the internet will change *all* digital industries, not just iGaming.
The younger generation doesn’t simply drop keywords into a box on a search engine and then scrawl through the SERPs looking for an answer anymore. They’re asking their “digital assistants” natural, conversational questions. Millennials aren’t typing “omelet recipes” into Google, for example – they’re asking Alexa, “What should I cook for dinner tonight? There are eggs, ham and cheese in the fridge”. So, how they receive the resulting information will be wildly different from the business model we are all used to.
So, how do we serve ads into that conversation? How does SEO change when people start demanding short, immediate answers in real-time rather than reading a whole webpage to find the info? I think we’re on the precipice now where our generation still relies on old-fashioned methods, but very soon, these will be redundant.
JKP: How has Okens Domains helped PureROI over the past 18 months as the company has grown?
KM: Every domain PureROI owns is managed through Okens Domains. Initially, we were drawn to Okens’ service because of the ease and transparency of setting up watertight WhoIs protection. Okay, I know that is a pretty dry, boring, technical factor, but it is definitely a significant factor. But after working with Okens for the past 12 months, I’ve found that their personal touch keeps us coming back for more.
Things like support tickets are answered within minutes and usually resolved the very same day; you wouldn’t believe how rare this is in this field. Okens has managed to make managing domains, which is usually a painful job we’d unload on a junior staff member, completely hassle-free.
Okens is the best at making WhoIs protection clear and easy to set up, and it’s usually very difficult to get a straight answer on this topic, even when working with the supposed experts.
JKP: So, more like advisors for the best domain privacy strategies, then?
KM: Yes. For example, when we want to try out a domain in a strange TLD, Okens tells us exactly what we need to do to protect our privacy.
Even some of the biggest operators out there have asked me to check with Okens on certain WhoIs setups.
JKP: This is sort of beyond-the-scenes techy stuff that anyone can do, so what’s the difference?
KM: Yes, but Okens adds a layer over the top of all that basic stuff – a genuine, family-run business feeling where you feel valued as a customer. So you get ongoing conversations with them versus the transactional, faceless queue system we’ve experienced before.
Welcome to Three Minutes With – from igaming to affiliate publishing, we talk to movers and shakers, breaking boundaries and blazing new trails. In this series, DomainCrawler’s Chief Commerical Officer, Alona Borzhemska, took three minutes to speak with Oken’s content director, Jennifer Kite-Powell, on why data is hard to sell, how to use data to add value to your company and the potential rise of Web3.
Everyone loves a trip down memory lane, and we are no different. Get ready to discover a few meaningful moments from SiGMA Europe 2023, as we take a closer look through the eyes of the one and only Greta Norkute-Simanauskiene from Okens Domains. We’ve got you covered from groundbreaking tech innovations to mind-blowing keynote speeches. So sit back, relax, and let’s dive into Greta’s highlights together.
_____________________________________
SiGMA Europe 2023 Flashback by Greta Simanauskiene
SiGMA Europe was once again a fascinating event. The conference sessions (located just next to the Okens stand) addressed many challenges and opportunities the iGaming sector faces. One session focused on the Sigma host nation, Malta (Malta’s European Odyssey: Navigating Rough Seas). While it covered local challenges to a fair extent, it represented the challenges faced in many markets. Through this session and others, we saw the following themes appear.
Keeping in step with regulations and adapting to them, especially when these fluctuate heavily from one year to another or one market to another.
There is a need to build agility into the core of every product and operation to keep pace with market changes but also to leverage technology changes fully.That agility is key to keeping pace with regulatory changes and elements such as the advent of AI or changes in the way Google operates.
And the requirement to keep pace with changes in user behavior. One session looked especially at the increase in women gamers and how the industry needs to adapt- just one variable amongst many to take into account.
Greta Norkute-Simanauskiene takes a look at some of the highlights from SiGMA Europe 2023.
At Okens, we may not be able to assist you with everything, but we can certainly help you safeguard your online presence and protect your valuable brand while also ensuring your privacy.
At SiGMA Europe last week, one of the most compelling sessions was centered around the challenges Maltese operators face in Europe. The session Malta’s European Odyssey: Navigating Rough Seas talked about reporting requirements and the technology expertise needed to make that happen.
The panel featured Olga Finkel (Co-Founder & Partner, WH Partners), Carl Brincat (CEO, MGA), Joseph Attard (Director of International Compliance, Entain Group), David Yatom Hay (General Counsel, Soft2Bet) and Abby Rachel Cosgrave (Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, LeoVegas) and George Westin (founder, Hero Gaming).
The takeaway from the session is there will be challenges for B2B providers from the technical requirements necessary to comply, quick transition from one regulation to another, rapid adjustment to the regulations and maintaining competitiveness in the market.
The panel felt it would be challenging regarding regulation uncertainty and managing business. If customers can’t be in a safe and sustainable area, regulation itself will fail.
According to Abby Rachel Cosgrave, Chief Legal Compliance Officer, a solution is to ensure that B2B providers have a strong and positive dialog with regulators versus guessing what is coming down the road.
Hey there! As part of our “How to” series, we want to take a closer look at something we all use daily but might take for granted: how domains actually work.
A domain name is like the address of your website that people type into their browser’s address bar. It’s much easier to remember for us humans than a numerical IP address. When you type in a domain name, it sends a request to a global network of servers called the Domain Name System (DNS). These servers work their magic and direct you to the right place where the domain is hosted.
Domains are divided into two main categories: generic top-level domains (gTLD) and new top-level domains (new gTLD). These categories help keep domains organized and make managing and finding them easier.
Generic top-level domains
The generic top-level domains (gTLDs) or new gTLDs are generic domain extensions listed at the highest level in the domain name system. Hundreds of gTLDs are available, but the most popular ones are .com, .org, .net, .biz, and .info. Others pertain to specific sectors such as .bet or .casino.
One of the primary differences between gTLDs and other TLDs (such as ccTLDs) is that they are the easiest to register and maintain. Anyone, anywhere, can register and manage a gTLD. This makes them a popular choice for businesses and individuals alike who want to establish a strong online presence quickly and easily.
Country Code Top Level Domain
Country code top-level domains, or ccTLDs, are domain names specific to a country. They end with country code extensions such as .uk for the United Kingdom, .de for Germany, and .au for Australia. Websites use them to target audiences in a particular country.
Most ccTLDs worldwide are governed by their respective local governments and have specific requirements for registration. For instance, TLDs like.NO, .CA, .AU requires a local presence. To register any of these TLDs, you must be Norwegian, Canadian, or Australian.
In some cases, such as.IT, .EU, .FR, ccTLDs have EU-presence requirements.
In extreme cases, such as.COM.BR, the registry may require a notarially certified document for registration or subsequent actions such as transfer to another registrar company.
Sponsored Top Level Domain – sTLD
Sponsored top-level domains (sTLDs) are a valuable category of TLDs, with a sponsor representing a specific community served by the domain extension. They are ideal for industries or communities that need a dedicated online presence and aim to differentiate themselves from the rest of the web.
One of the key benefits of an sTLD is that it is regulated by the sponsor, which enables them to maintain control over the domain extension and ensure that it serves the community’s needs. For instance, .apple is governed and managed by the Apple corporation, which ensures that the domain extension aligns with the company’s values and goals. Similarly, .ORG is sponsored by the Public Interest Registry (PIR), a non-profit organization that operates in the public interest.
Domain registries manage all top-level domains (except sponsored TLDs). There are numerous registries for global domains like .com managed by organizations such as ICANN and country-specific or community/vertical-specific registries.
These registries then enter agreements with registrars like Okens to sell domain names to users worldwide. A registrar like Okens will typically manage the domain on your behalf, dealing with records, renewals, transfers, etc., while providing guidance and expertise on confidentiality and privacy.
At Okens, we take pride in our global reach, working with registries worldwide and many community-led TLD registries. This allows us to assist you globally and provide the most vertical/community-specific TLDs.
Our focus on B2B means that we aim to provide you with the best possible service by offering advice and help from a human representative, ensuring that your needs are met with the best care and attention.
👹 👻 It’s Halloween, and no one should have to face a Texas Chain Saw Massacre in their brand’s domain. Cyber or typosquatting is a real threat that every company must be prepared to face. Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re safe from it. Horror stories can happen to anyone, even from something that happens closer to the beast – your own backyard.
Domain mistakes can damage your reputation and revenues. There might be 13 Halloween 🎃movies in the franchise, but here are six screams to watch out for when you register your domain. Give Okens.domains a call to avoid all these and survive another night.
1. Always proofread the domain name before you register or publicize it
2. Always research who else owns matching TLDs
3. Don’t publish your URL before you have registered a domain name
4. Don’t let your critical domain names expire
5. Be careful who you share your plans with
6. Always understand TLD restrictions
