Domain Name Registration Search Declines - Google

I've been spending a lot of time on Google Trends since discovering how useful it is to track interest levels over time on any particular keyword phrase search. As a Search Engine Optimization Specialist, I pay a lot of attention to Google Hot Trends to see what people are searching for by the hour.

I made note about that in a post a couple of days ago and pointed out that there are usually about a half-dozen specific domain name searches in the top 100 most frequently searched terms at any one time.

But today it occurred to me that interest levels are much lower in establishing new businesses online. Now it's not about internet riches that entrepreneurs dream - but business riches based on solid business models and real services with actual utility behind a web site.

Just four years ago, the internet bubble had burst and was re-inflating. Buying domain names for cybersquatting was bigger - or just finding the last of the remaining generic domain names.

Perhaps it is because people now go directly to their favorite registrar, rather than searching for domain sellers, but that would suggest that everyone now has a registrar bookmarked and doesn't do those navigational searches I've discussed here recently. I doubt that. But one thing is clear - searches about domain name registration are far less common than they were four years ago.

Digital Brand Management: Domains Intellectual Property

An Australian domain name registrar called Melbourne IT has acquired Verisign's business assets for their Digital Brand Management Services (DBMS) for just over US $50 million. Melbourne IT began their stake in the internet domain registrar business with a near lock on registration of dot com dot au domains in the 90's and have been publicly traded on the Australian stock exchange since 1999. This puts 4500 "Premium" accounts and nearly a half million domain names under an Aussie company... that has offices worldwide, including US.