One of my domains consistently pulls in over $2,700 a month.  That isn't one of the biggies on the web, but it is a good living for some of us.  Multiply $2,700 by twelve, times three and that domain is worth $97,200  Since I am honest and pay my full share of income tax, I can prove that value, and at many lending institutions will even loan money using my domain as collateral.  That's called having your cake and eating it too.

How much can a good domain name be worth?

Other domain names are far more valuable than mine:

Business.com -- sold for $7.5 million
Loans.com -- sold for $3 million
Drugs.com -- sold for $823,456
Yahoo.com would sell for billions of dollars.

A domain name is worth as much as you make it worth. Just pick out a name, and then sell it at afternic.com  Any work you put into it will make the name even more valuable.  One friend of mine earns a living making domain names worth something.  

Think about that career for a moment.  It is perfect for us nonfiction writers.  Pick out a subject you are good at, like growing green grass.  You grab yourself a domain name like MakeGrassGrowGreen.Com and start producing a web site that helps people grow green grass.  The more helpful you make your web site the more traffic you get and the more valuable your domain becomes.

One friend of mine wanted to go into business making grave markers for pets.  Fine, except that I made the mistake of showing him how much competition he would have.  The poor guy melted right before my eyes.  He oozed away, never to return.  Where did he go?  Back to making markers for pets in a brick and mortar store he had.  All his competition on the web is still there, but he no longer looks at it so he no longer worries about it.

Okay, but the same personality that makes him a good living from brick and stone could be making him a great living from a domain.  NEVER WORRY about the competition already on the web.  It is already there; you are already competing against it.  If you deserve the success, you can shoot right to the top.  Your personality, your choices, your organizational skills are what will make your domain valuable. 

If you agree that getting your own domain name is worth the investment, then the sooner you get it going, the better off you will be down the line.    

Go Daddy will let you sign up for a domain name of your own for less than $10 per year.  (I've paid $35 per year for the same service, and had to buy 2 years at a time)  It will make sure the name you choose is available, and walk you through signing up for the service, then offer to park the domain for free until you get ready to use it.  

Now, let's get into CHOOSING your domain name.  

Generic names bring generic results.  TaleWins.com is a generic name -- what did it mean?  Not a blasted thing to anybody but me.  Like the owners of fandango.com did, I've made talewins.com worth something, but it was an uphill battle all the way.  

If I had only named it FreeNovelsWithFamilyValues.com or something along those lines, my stats would have risen far faster.  That name SAYS something. 

It SELLS because it TELLS the surfer what will be found at my site.

Go Daddy offers the best domain name generator I've ever found until today.  When I was ready to launch the cookie shopper I went name-by-name through dozens of names, trying to crack the com-barrier.  What did I end up with?  COOKIEPLATE.  Does that mean anything?  No.  Not really.  It doesn't tell anything; it doesn't sell anything.

Then I tried out the domain name generator at Go Daddy.  I put in cookies and hundreds of permutations came out.  It told me which ones were already taken, which ones I could take.  I can assure you the best names are already taken on just about anything you can think of.  Nevertheless, I persevered and came up with the name of SHOPFORCOOKIES.COM   This name was perfect for the business I was starting.  It can be perceived as either a VERB, or a NOUN.  It can be perceived as a thing to do when you're hunting for cookies, or as a place to go to for cookies.  Consequently, I snapped it up, and began selling.

Now the next thing you want is a place to host your domain.  

I set up Tale Wins,  insurance roundup and Shop For Cookies where I wanted them to be to start with.  If you don't already have your domain name and have it set up somewhere, then I would suggest either Host4Profit.com -- because the thing WORKS even for beginners, 

and if you are feeling a little more confident of your web mastering skills, Click HERE to get hosted for about half that price.  

Setting up a domain is scary the first time.  It is frustrating the second time.  It is an inconvenience the third time.  The fourth time, making the change, moving, or getting a new domain name is a piece of cake.  If you use this Host4Profit.com link to locate your domain, I'll make the change for you, free of charge, and show you what I did so you can take a stab at doing it by yourself the next time.

At Host4Profit.com you will get 300 megs of room, and five or six other products to sell and keep ALL the money on.  It's easier to use too, and if something ever does go wrong, customer service will get on your case in a matter of minutes, not days.

I love that!

Anyway you go, anywhere you get hosted -- Get your own domain, the sooner, the better.  That's the best advice I can give you.  And here is a service I just found today.  It looks great.