Think domain tasting is only a problem for .com domains? Think again.
Domain tasting, a.k.a domain testing a.k.a. domain kiting, is the practice of registering a domain only to delete it within the 5 day registry grace period. This allows the person registering the domain to get its money back. A common practice is to register tens of thousands of .com domains, see which ones get enough PPC revenue during the first few days to justify the annual registration fee, and then return the rest. Although estimates vary, many people think over 95% of registrations are cancelled within the first five days.
But type-in traffic isn’t just limited to .com domains. Now .uk registry Nominet is seeing the practice hit its business. (Participants in this activity aren’t limited to PPC marketers; many also set up phishing sites). Unlike Verisign, which has sat blindly, Nominet is taking action. It is limiting its members to 5% of domains being returned.
Read more here.
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