. ca domain news
Interview with .ca Portfolio Owner - Rick Silver
Interview with Successful .ca Company - Emall.ca
September, 2009 - The domain blog DomainBits.com recently featured an interview with Canadian domain entrepreneur Peter Maxymych. Peter is the founder and president of Emall.ca, one of the most successful dot ca domain companies. Emall.ca owns more than 11,000 domains including premium properties such as Loans.ca, Perfume.ca and CheapTickets.ca Click here to read interview..
Launch of Canadian Domain Owners Assoc.
CIRA Annual Meeting
Domain Convergence Conference 2009
July, 2009 - Registration Now Open for Domain Convergence – Canada’s Only Domain Name Conference
Registration is open for Domain Convergence, a two-day domain conference scheduled for August 13 and 14, 2009 at the Radisson Admiral Habourfront Hotel in Toronto, Ontario. By registering before July 20, 2009, conference attendees can save up to $100!
Domain Convergence is the only event in Canada of its kind, giving domainers the opportunity to learn from the best and brightest minds in the industry, build new relationships through networking, and get the tools they need to stay on top of the ever-changing domain landscape.
There will be live training sessions on domain development and monetization as well as a special session about Canadian domains, which will be done in association with the Domain Owners Association of Canada (DOAC). The association will also hold their annual meeting at the event. Furthermore, attendees will be able to participate in an online auction which will accompany the conference.
“Domain Convergence is a must-attend event for everyone who is interested in domaining,” explained Frank Michlick, the Chairman at Domain Convergence. “Not only do attendees get the opportunity to learn from world-renowned industry experts, but they also have the chance to network with other domainers and pursue profitable relationships that would otherwise be impossible to develop.”
Registrations are now taking place at the early-bird special of only $649. This price will increase to $749 on July 20, 2009 and on-site registration will be available for $799.
Register today by calling (800) 614-3780 or by going online to http://www.DomainConvergence.com.
Where Does .ca Rank?
New .ca Auctions at MYID
May 5,
No Reserve Auction
May 12,
Geo Domains Auction
May 19,
General Auction
May 26,
$100-reserve Auction
June 2,
Adult-Only Auction
June 9,
General Auction
June 16,
$250 reserve Auction
June 23, General Auction
Recent .ca Domain Sales
February, 2009 - Listed below are a sampling of recent .ca domain sales. This list does not include the many private sales which go unreported. This unconfirmed list draws on a number of sources including DNjournal.com's weekly sales report, sales noted from Sedo.com, Afternic.com, MYid.ca, DomainAssets.ca and DNforum.com
Vacation.ca - mid $xx,xxx
Lesbian.ca - $20,400
Reno.ca - mid $x,xxx
Pawn.ca - mid $x,xxx
Deep.ca - $3,750
Bio-rad.ca - $3,000
SecretRecipes.ca - $1250
GraduationGifts.ca - $2500
CatsOnline.ca - $1850
Words.ca - $1800
SocialJobs.ca - $1600
Clasificados.ca - 1500 eu
TranslationJobs -$1250
PublicRelationsJobs.ca - $1700
Compared.ca - $800
MoneyRates.ca - $750
PrepaidCards.ca - $300
OkanaganRealty.ca - $400
Oho.ca - $465
Natalie.ca - $701
CommunicationJobs.ca - $650
For more domain sales go to our .ca Sales page
Are .ca Domains Under Valued?
February 2009 - Let me throw something out there. In my opinion, resale Canadian .ca domain names are seriously under-priced. When comparing Canadian .ca domain names against other country code domains such as the UK (co.uk), Germany (.de), France (.fr), Australia (.com.au) and others, you can see how comparable names in Canada are seriously undervalued.
As noted in Canada's Marketing Magazine, internet usage is still growing and is quickly becoming the top media in Canada. Advertising Week just wrapped up in Canada with some noteworthy events & speakers - A study of media usage in 2008 reported that growing internet usage in Canada means it is now the top medium of record for 18-35 (youth and highly educated, high-income earners). Growing usage among older Canadians means that the internet will soon be tops for 18-55 year age group. (Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada).
This growth of internet usage in Canada is also reflected in the rapid rise in number of .ca domains registered. Over 10,000 new .ca domains are being registered every month! (CIRA site reports over 1,150,574 total domain registrations). Anecdotal evidence suggests that .ca domains are increasingly being used by Canadian marketers, and that’s a good thing. After all, .ca does say "I am Canadian!".
Given all this good news, and with .ca domains comparatively under-priced, why do Canadian marketers cheap out on using a poor domain for a $100,000 ad campaign?
I do think marketers need to make better decisions in the names they use to build the base of their campaigns on. BrewSomeGood.ca for Maxwell House coffee, or BearBeGone.ca for Trade Freedom or HugTheTaxman.ca for ING bank…while these domains may be memorable, an opportunity was lost to build a solid base on a generic domain name relevant to the service/product offering, something that would be a storefront to customers looking for good coffee and free stock trades and tax free savings accounts, a domain/storefront that would receive a steady flow of new customers and returning customers. When the $100,000 ad spend is over and the expensive campaign to build a fancy website on BearBeGone.ca is finished, is the client left with anything? Are repeat customers going to go back to BearBeGone.ca? No, and the opportunity was lost to invest in building on a quality generic domain that would bring repeat customers through keyword and type-in traffic, a great name like "TradingStocks.ca" (NOTE: I do not own this domain nor do I know the owner). Marketers spending $10,000 on a one-time magazine or newspaper ad or using poor domains they hand-registered for $10 as the base of their campaigns should benefit instead by investing in a quality domain name that could be a storefront for new and repeat customers for years to come. Their clients and bosses will thank them! Most quality domains used in business sell for only $1500 - $3500.
Watching the undercurrent of .ca domain sales, I see that some companies “get it” and are investing in quality, generic domain name real estate in their market niche; names that resonate, have keyword value and type-in traffic. For example CanWest gets it (driving.ca, househunting.ca, celebrating.ca, Canada.com, Working.com) and Yellow Pages gets it. Congratulations to them, because I think they are getting fantastic deals on their domains – but those deals won’t last forever - sooner or later the Canadian domain marketplace will catch up to the rest of the world.
"Internet traffic & domains are the prime real estate of the 21st century. This market has matured, & individuals, brands, investors, & organizations who do not grasp their importance or value are missing out on numerous levels"
- Steve Forbes, Forbes Magazine
Google Launches Adsense for Domains
December, 2008 - In a surprise move, Google announced they were launching an Adsense for Domains produce that would allow domain owners to serve up Google ads on their domain listings. The initial launch includes North American publishers, to be followed by other locales.
This move allows domain owners to sign up directly with Google to have Google ads fed on their parking pages. The big question for all domain owners will be how this shakes up the industry. Will Google payouts be better than currently offered by parking companies? Will the value-added services and better templates offered by parking companies ensure their survival? How will this affect the value of domain names?
These questions will be answered in the coming months, but overall, the announcement has been viewed as a positive endorsement of the value of the domain industry, domain names and traffic from direct navigation. This move may encourage Microsoft, Yahoo or other players to make a move in the domain industry.
Digital Marketing on Rise in Canada
October 2008 - Interesting study results this week from the Canadian Marketing Assoc about the rising interest in digital marketing.
The good news is that more senior marketers are interested in using digital media for their clients. This means more advertising dollars will flow to online marketing and values of solid generic domain names will continue to increase.
However, the study also pointed out that despite rising interest, the budget dollars allocated to digital marketing is lagging. It seems many marketers lack knowledge of the digital arena and are unsure about using it. This highlights the need for more education to help senior marketers understand digital media, as well as education for their clients! It is important to the success of their business (and their client's business). The marketers who don't adapt to changing media usage will be left behind by those that do.
To do our part in the education process, in future newsletters we will include more information about the importance of domains and their value to the new digital world.
.ca Domain Auctions - October 2-9th
September 2008 - MYID.ca has launched their next domain auction exclusively for already registered .ca names. You must be authenticated in order to bid on or sell domains in the auction. (submissions must be made before Sept. 27th.
Click here to view domains and bid in the domain auction.
New Domain Conference for Canadians
Domain Convergence Domain-Industry Conference Coming to Niagara Falls, October 6-8
Conference Focusing on Domain Monetization and Portfolio Management
NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (September 4, 2008) – Domain Convergence, a domain-industry conference and educational meeting, will be held in Niagara Falls, Ontario from October 6-8, 2008. The conference will focus on domain name development and monetization as well as domain portfolio management.
“The focus of the Domain Convergence conference is to foster an open information exchange,” said Frank Michlick, Chairman of Domain Convergence. “Too often in our industry there is an air of secrecy and mystery. This conference is a forum for people of all portfolio sizes and earning levels to come together and share their insights.”
The multi-billion dollar domain name industry has often been compared to other ventures that award a pioneering spirit and entrepreneurial nature – most commonly, the real estate industry. Domaining offers nearly anyone the ability to speculatively purchase a domain name and develop it into a Web site property or offer it for sale or lease in order to turn a profit.
The conference will be especially helpful for portfolio owners who wish to better learn how to develop and monetize their domain names. Sessions will include discussion on parking versus development, development tools and techniques, domain name owners’ rights and more.
Domain Convergence will be held at the Marriott Fallsview & Spa in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Early bird registration is available through September 10. A limited number of rooms are available at a reduced rate of $179, and can be reserved through the conference information line. In addition, there are a few sponsorship opportunities still available.
For more information about Domain Convergence, visit www.DomainConvergence.com, or call (800) 614-3780.
ABOUT DOMAIN CONVERGENCE
The Domain Convergence conference gives domain name portfolio owners, developers and monetization experts the opportunity to meet and share ideas in an open information exchange atmosphere. For more information, visit www.DomainConvergence.com
DomainAssets.ca in Domain Name News
August, 2008 - DomainAssets.ca was featured in Domain Name News August 18th as one of the "domain newsletters you can not afford to miss!"
.ca Domain Sales Chart
August, 2008 - A new web site www.domainworld.ca is reporting unofficial sales results for .ca domain names above $1,000. The site notes that the .ca sales chart includes only sales made public and the accuracy of the information relies on 3rd party resources.
New "whois" Privacy Tool for .ca Domain Names
July, 2008 - In June CIRA (Can. Internet Registration Authority) announced changes to the privacy policy and WHOIS search tool for .ca names. Personal information of Registrants (name, address, phone #) is now automatically protected as "private". If the Registrant is a corporation, the info will still automatically be visible. Private registrants can also choose an option to make their info visible if they wish. More
Godaddy now Registering .ca Domains
July, 2008 - Godaddy, the world's largest registrar, has opened a Canadian office and is now registering Canadian .ca domain names. The price listed on their site is $12.99 for one year of registration. It will be interesting to see if they offer any aftermarket sales services in addition to their new registrations.
New .ca Domain Newsletter
July, 2008 - New Service Just for Thriving .ca Market
www.DomainAssets.ca is launching Canada's Domain Newsletter to serve the growing .ca domain name aftermarket. The newsletter will bring together buyers and sellers of .ca domain names in a marketplace that specifically serves Canadians.
Canada's internet domain extension - the ".ca" - has reached the 1 millionth registration, and continues to be grow. Canadian businesses online are getting onboard the .ca bandwagon using Canadian domain names for their marketing on television, in newspapers, billboards and direct marketing.
"Businesses recognize that ".ca" means "Canadian" and it's important to use the .ca brand domain name in their marketing to reach Canadians. Businesses who understand the value of good domain names and need .ca's in their target niche can meet sellers at www.domainassets.ca We want the Canadian Domain Newsletter to help buyers and sellers of .ca domains in a marketplace just for our extension - the .ca"
Each week the FREE newsletter will reach a targeted audience in the Canadian domain name industry of domain buyers and sellers, industry leaders, and online businesses. Each emailed issue features a limited number of quality .ca names for sale, along with industry news and information. The newsletter is a first in Canada and reflects the growing use of Canada's own domain extension - .ca
For more information visit http://domainassets.ca or email jim @ domainassets.ca
MYID.ca Launches .ca Domain Auctions
June 2008 - MYID.ca has launched a domain auction exclusively for .ca names. Starting in June, they have now run three successful auctions, each listing over 100 .ca names available to the highest bidder. We have placed 5 of our domain properties in the upcoming domain auction in July. All 5 are on sale now with a low reserve price and will be sold to the highest bidder.
Click here to view domains and bid in the domain auction.
CIRA Promotes 1 Million .ca's
March, 2008 - Almost one million .ca Canadian domain names have been registered and CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Authority) has launched a new web site to promote the one millionth registration. www.onemilliondomains.ca