.bz Domains – Information and Value

.bz domains were launched in 1991 as a country-code top-level domain for the English-speaking country Belize. However, it has become popular all over the world owing to several reasons. For example, businesses targeting youths and new products use it as a way of generating “buzz” around their enterprises. In addition many business owners owning .BIZ websites have found that many of their customers type .BZ instead, landing in a different website. As a result, it is common for anyone registering a .BIZ domain to also buy the .BZ one. Some domainers have recognized the profit opportunity of this – they register .BZ domains of websites registered on .BIZ domains, and then sell it to them for a considerable mark-up.

Another reason why people are investing in .BZ domains is that the profit potential of this country code has been recognized only recently, and as of August 2011, a number of premium .BZ domains are still available at registration fee. New business owners can benefit hugely from owning a keyword .BZ domain (e.g. gyms.bz, which is available at a much cheaper price than the .com is).

Sales of good .bz domains are usually around $1,000. For example black-jack.bz has sold for $3,120 on SEDO [23/07/2008] while home.bz has sold for $1,500, also on SEDO [29/10/2007]. For more past .bz sales, check out the .BZ sales history page.

Everyone can register a .bz domain – you do not need to be a resident of Belize. You can register a .bz domain from a number of registrars; personally I stick to GoDaddy. They are a very renowned registrar in the domaining community, are ICANN accredited and their customer service is excellent. Registering a .bz domain at GoDaddy costs $24.99 for one year. They also provide website hosting for as low as $3.99 per month.

Tip:

Search online for discount codes! Most registrars, including GoDaddy, publish coupon codes which can save you from paying the full price. Domain forums are a good place to look for coupon codes; some registrars will also publish these codes on podcasts.

There are many ways to make money off your .bz domain. The simplest involves reselling your domain ‘as is’. While this can be very lucrative, it involves finding a suitable buyer and it can take time. If you have even a basic understand of how to create a webpage, you should develop your domain into a minisite and put up adsense and affiliate links. This approach can generate a nice steady passive income. A simpler, but less profitable, method is to “park” your page with a company such as SEDO and NameDrive. These companies will automatically put ads on your page and you will get paid every time someone clicks on them.