Internet domain names are red-hot investments again.
The market has rebounded from a "depression" after the dot-com bubble burst in 2000.
Sales volume doubled in 2005 over the previous year and the pace is getting faster.
A domain name identifies and locates computers and resources connected to the Internet worldwide.
No two organisations can have the same domain name.
The right domain name is a vital element for positioning your brand or company on the Internet, the front door to your e-commerce system.
It has to be short, memorable and descriptive.
Domain names are 21st century real estate in an economy that is being increasingly driven by the Internet sector,
as more people and advertisers move online.
Internet ad revenue is expected to reach around $13 billion in the USA alone in 2006, up 14% from last year.
Especially hot are domains that have anything to do with
the property market, travel destinations, hotels and leisure.
Some Internet addresses have resold for at least six figures to companies and individuals hoping to tap into big audiences.
On.com got $635,000. Macau.com fetched $550,000.
Sex.com sold for a record $12 million in cash and stock to adult-entertainment company Escom.
Even frequently misspelled names sell: Mortage.com went for $242,400 recently.
A patient speculator can buy a name for $30,000 now and, a few years later, sell it for a significant profit.
However, new laws have made speculating for domains containing celebrity and company names extremely hard,
so don't go for such domain names.
