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What is a Parked Domain and Why you need it?

The first and toughest step of the website building process is securing a domain name for your website. A domain name is your online identity that should align with your branding. As you probably know, the number of websites is growing yearly, and good domains are now tough to come by. Currently, over a billion websites are on the internet; out of those, 83% are inactive and called parked domains.

Once a domain is bought, it’s gone unless you are willing to pay an inflated price or negotiate for a domain already purchased.

Suppose you are lucky enough to get the domain name you want first for your upcoming website. Now you have the domain but no website to connect it to? Congratulations, you are now a proud owner of a parked domain.

Now we all know that domain names sell like tea. And the domain name you want for your website is unavailable; there’s a chance it’s parked. Parked domains are always useful for new and experienced website admins. So in this guide, we will explain what a parked domain is and will uncover the value of a parked domain.

What Is a Parked Domain?

A parked domain is referred to a domain that is registered but not directly linked to any hosted platform (i.e., website or email). In other words, it’s a domain bought but not used. In fact, it is parked for future use.

Most websites have a domain name that points to the main website. For example, the domain name AEserver.com implies the primary website of AEserver. Parked domains usually lead to the basic “parked domain” page, “ads page,” or no web page at all. When there is no web page, you will see an error in the browser like “this site can’t be reached.”

A parked domain name is an “alias” or an additional domain name that sends visitors to the primary domain or same web page as another.

Why Park Your Domain Name?

What’s the point of having a domain name if it’s not being used? As it turns out, there are several reasons for keeping one or more parked domains. This section will explore some good reasons you should park a domain.

When Your Website Is Not Ready

Securing a good domain name is hard. The best time to purchase a domain is at the start of your online journey. Unfortunately, when business owners come up with their top choice, they are often disappointed that the domain name is already purchased by someone else. Their only hope to get that domain is to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars. If your first choice domain is available, park it first until the website is live.

You can put up a notice that your website is under construction. So that when visitors visit your website, they will see a message “website coming soon” or “work in progress.”

Many people buy domain names before launching their websites. Given the importance of a good domain, getting a parked domain for your new website is worth the cost.

To Send Users to the Primary Domain

As mentioned earlier, a parked domain can be used as a secondary domain for a primary domain. This parked domain directs to the same IP address and serves the same website as the primary domain.

It’s common for business owners to acquire multiple similar domains that point to their primary domain. For example: if you have a website with a .com extension, you might also register the relevant domain extensions such as .com, .org, .net, and a specific ccTLD. These domains are set as aliases for the primary domain.

You can also register similar spelling alternatives as possible. For example, google also secured google.com and google.com. In this way, when a visitor searches your website with a misspelling, he will still be redirected to the correct website.

Protection Against Cybersquatting

Reserving similar domains protects against cybersquatting. Cybersquatting is an illegal practice of registering domain names that incorporate another company’s trademark. Cybersquatters purchase these domains intending to resell them to the actual owner. This may damage the brand’s credibility as cybersquatters can do whatever they want until you buy the domain back.

You can protect your brand from cybersquatting by acquiring your trademark domain name and several related domains at once and parking it.

To Sell the Domain in the Future

In today’s tech world, domain names are the most valuable digital assets. They provide significant value to a business.

That is why many individuals and organizations make money from domains by purchasing them for a low price and selling them at a higher one. They create a landing page for that domain that informs visitors that the domain is for sale. They wait until someone shows interest in buying it. In the meantime, the domains remain parked.

To Keep a Domain Before It Expires

Suppose you changed your company’s name or no longer wish to keep the website active. That’s a good reason to park a domain. You can disconnect the domain from your site’s IP address and park it until it expires. This prevents other websites from taking your domain until your ownership period ends.

Your registrar can also use it to display ads and generate income, some of which will come your way. So why not make some money while you wait for the expiry?

The Downside of Domain Parking

There are several problems with the choices you have in handling parked domains. But you can avoid these problems by choosing the right approach for your specific situation.

If you display a “work in progress” message in your parked domain for too long, your visitors might lose interest in your business. If your website development is taking longer than expected, you might engage your visitors by displaying a branded page with engaging messages such as the site’s status.

Obtain dozens of close variants of your primary domain to display a generic ad page managed by the registrar. You can be sure at least some of your visitors will accidentally visit those domains. You can make money with ads, but it can also turn away your visitors and give them a bad impression of your business. In this situation, it’s wise to put the most visited parked domain to display the content associated with your primary domain.

Subdomain vs. Parked Domain

Before wrapping up, there’s a final distinction worth making: subdomain vs. parked domains. Both options are available in your cPanel account. While similar, they each serve a unique purpose.

A parked domain is a secondary domain that points to your primary domain. Visitors who access a parked domain will redirect to the main website and see all the content.

On the other hand, a subdomain is a domain with its own unique content but with no new domain name. It is used to categorize the different types of content on your website.

AEserver Domain Name Parking Plan

To park a domain with AEserver, you will need to buy a domain first by following steps:

Log into your AEserver.com account (Domain > Register New Domain > Pay)

Once domain registration is done, it will be parked automatically using our Parking Name Servers.

dns-parking

AEserver domain name parking plan is a lite version of a web hosting plan where you can manage the DNS of your domain name and also upload 1 page of your website. This can be a landing page or a coming soon page. You might need this plan as a temporary solution for your domain name. If you already have a UAE-based hosting plan from AEserver or another provider, you do not need this plan.

Park Your Extra Domain!

Nothing is fascinating about parked domains. They are only registered domains that are not being used. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not useful. You can secure domains before you actually need them or send traffic from a parked domain to your main website to catch some extra traffic.

Whatever your reason, when you come up with a unique domain name, reserve it quick as a flash. Then, decide how you are going to use your new domain.