SAN FRANCISCO, CA - It was revealed this week that “chat.com” was purchased by San Francisco, California-based artificial intelligence (AI) research organization OpenAI for over $15 million, marking the third time the domain has changed hands in just two years. HubSpot founder Dharmesh Shah originally purchased Chat.com last year for $15.5 million; he then flipped it for an unspecified amount reported to be “well over $15 million” – with the entrepreneur writing at the … [Read more...]
Google Announces Parked Domains Will Automatically Be Opted Out of Ad Serving
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - On Thursday, September 5, Google informed advertisers and users that they will be changing their Content Suitability policy, with new accounts being automatically opted out of serving ads on parked domains, beginning in October 2024. A parked domain is a domain name has been registered, but is not currently connected to an online service such as a website or email hosting. Simply put, it is a domain that has been bought but is currently unused; instead, … [Read more...]
Lawsuit Alleges GoDaddy “Stole” Domain Name Two Months After Purchase
TEMPE, AZ - A lawsuit filed by Sweden-based Crisby Studio AB alleges that the biggest Internet registrar in the world, GoDaddy, “wrongfully took possession of” a domain name, two months after it had been successfully purchased by the company earlier this year. Crisby Studio AB, a Swedish limited liability company, and Niklas Thorin, a Swedish resident Plaintiffs, v. GoDaddy, Inc., a Delaware corporation, GoDaddy.com, LLC, a Delaware corporation, … [Read more...]
Brooklyn, NY Based Domainer Sells “HarrisWalz.com” Domain for $15,000
BROOKLYN, NY - With the news that current Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 election, you might decide to pull up a web browser and head on over to “HarrisWalz.com” to find out a little more about this duo and their platform. However, if you do, you’ll simply be greeted with a green background with the word “Walz” spelled out in black, low-resolution letters. No campaign material, no policies, no biographies, … [Read more...]
FIASCO: Multiple Squarespace Domains Hijacked After Security Loophole Exploited
NEW YORK, NY - Last week, multiple organizations with domains registered with Squarespace had their websites hijacked by hackers, with most of the instances primarily targeting cryptocurrency-based businesses, such as Celer Network, Compound Finance, Pendle Finance, and Unstoppable Domains. The hijacks took place between July 9 and July 12, and involved Google Domains assets; Squarespace had purchased the Google Domains service in June 2023 – along with approximately 10 … [Read more...]
Domain Investor Shares Three Investing Tools He Uses Every Single Morning
PALM BEACH, FL - Elliot Silver, an expert in the specialized business of domain name investing, recently penned an article where he shared the three investing tools he uses every single morning and how they play a pivotal role in his success. No matter where I am or what I have planned for the day, I spend some time looking at upcoming domain name auctions,” he said. “The time I spend varies depending on my schedule, but on a regular workday where I am at home, I will … [Read more...]
Omni Hotels & Resorts Suffers Breach, Potentially Impacting Millions
DALLAS, TX - Last month, Omni Hotels & Resorts, a prominent hotel chain, experienced a cybersecurity breach that resulted in the theft of customer information. In an update on their website, Omni confirmed that the stolen data includes customer names, email addresses, postal addresses, and guest loyalty program information. However, financial information and Social Security numbers were not compromised. The breach was detected on March 29, prompting Omni to shut down … [Read more...]
Expired Domains: New Tool to Search for Recently Expired Names You Can Register
PALM BEACH, FL - A new free-to-use website features an interesting tool that allows domain investors to search for expired, inexpensive domains that can be registered. https://justexpired.net allows users to search through a plethora of domains that have recently expired in order to discover ones that may be worth picking up for their possible intrinsic value. Typically, the most desirable expired domains are not picked up in searches such as these because they are … [Read more...]
How Google’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Sees Keywords In Your Photos and Videos
PALM BEACH, FL - Imagine if your images could speak to Google, revealing their hidden keywords and boosting your search engine rankings. Well, it's not just a fantasy anymore. Google's advanced artificial intelligence (AI) has the ability to see and interpret the content of your images, opening up new SEO opportunities. While it's common knowledge that having keywords in the text sections of your website is important, many overlook the power of incorporating relevant … [Read more...]
Mastering Search Engine Marketing: Expert Insights for Small Business Owners
This sponsored content first appeared on Inside South Florida. All opinions and views are of the advertiser and does not reflect the same of WSFL-TV.1 MIAMI, FL - In today's fast-paced digital world, standing out and gaining visibility online can be a daunting task for small businesses. Thankfully, search engine marketing (SEM) offers a powerful solution to enhance online presence and drive targeted traffic to your website. Join us as we delve into the world of SEM with … [Read more...]
JM Bullion Now Owns Two Most Valuable Domains In Industry; Gold.com & Silver.com
DALLAS, TX - JM Bullion, a Dallas, Texas-based online bullion dealer founded in 2011 that extensively deals in precious metals such as gold and silver, announced this week they have acquired the “ultra-premium” Gold.com domain name, adding it to an extensive array of high-profile domains that also includes Silver.com. A subsidiary of publicly traded A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc., JM Bullion’s purchase of Gold.com – brokered by Andrew Miller of ATM Holdings, Inc. in … [Read more...]
Popular Question: “If I Build My Website on Shopify Who Owns My Website?”
FLORIDA: I get this question quite often and it's pretty important to know the difference. I've discussed a bunch of similar issues with domain and site ownership in my book Mastering Your Website. If I build my website on Shopify who owns my website? Technically, you will own the website you build on Shopify, even though Shopify provides the platform and tools to create and run it. The keyword here is platform. Here's a breakdown: It's important to distinguish … [Read more...]
Thousands of Domain Names Owned by Legitimate Brands Hijacked to Send Spam
TEL AVIV - As part of a sophisticated scheme involving spam proliferation and click monetization, over 8,000 domains and 13,000 sub-domains once owned by major, legitimate brands and institutions have been hijacked to allow millions of spam emails to bypass standard security blocks for nefarious gain. This coordinated malicious activity – dubbed “SubdoMailing” – has been going on since at least September 2022, according to Guardio Labs, the Israeli security … [Read more...]
Explainer: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Verses Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, two acronyms reign supreme: SEO and SEM. While they share the common goal of enhancing online visibility and driving traffic to websites, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) represent distinct approaches with unique strategies, techniques, and outcomes. In this article, we'll dissect the differences between SEO and SEM, shedding light on their respective roles in the realm of digital … [Read more...]
Ethereum Name Service, GoDaddy Partner for Free Pairing of Domains, Crypto Wallets
ARIZONA - The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) – a decentralized, blockchain-based naming system that facilitates user-friendly names for wallet addresses – and domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy have partnered up to allow customers to pair Domain Name System (DNS) website domains (such as .com or .net) to an ENS (.eth) name for free which will promote use with crypto apps and wallets. While ENS domains can be assigned to an Ethereum wallet to streamline the … [Read more...]