Domain Owners' FAQs

Is my domain name secure?
Why do I have to submit my name for approval? / Why was my name not approved for Root Orange?
Does Root Orange guarantee domain owner revenues?
How is my domain priced for leasing?
How is the domain owner revenue share determined?
How often are domain owners paid?
Can I sell my domain name?
Will Root Orange buy my domain name?
What do domain owners need to do to begin using the system?
How do I change my name servers?
How can I monitor my domain name and the revenue it generates?
Can a competing business lease my domain name?
How do I choose the geography where I want to keep using my domain name?
Can I add to or change my Reserved Territory?
Why am I receiving a request to extend my contract many months before it expires?
Does Root Orange guarantee my domain name will be the first Google result?
How will my search engine ranking improve?
Is there anything I can do to help improve the search engine ranking of my leased domain name?


Q: Is my domain name secure?
A: You still own your domain name and have its registration with a registrar of your choosing.  Neither Root Orange nor any of our lessees can steal or hijack your domain name through the Root Orange system.

Q: Why do I have to submit my name for approval? / Why was my name not approved for Root Orange?
A: Not all domain names are suitable for Root Orange’s service.  We focus on high-quality, generic domain names that describe local products or services.  If we do not think we can deliver the maximum value to you as an owner through our system relative to the alternatives, we do not want to bring your domain into our inventory and fail to deliver.

We encourage you to submit your name(s) regardless of your perception of their quality.  We may inform you that we are unsure of how your name will perform in our system but are willing to bring it into our inventory anyway.  If you have received requests to purchase your name from multiple businesses in different areas, Root Orange may enable you to best monetize that interest.

As our business expands and evolves, we may be interested in a broader group of domain names.  If we are in a position to deliver a highly competitive return to you for your domain, we will contact you using the information you submit with your domain.

Q: Does Root Orange guarantee domain owner revenues?
A: Root Orange does not guarantee any minimum level of revenue for domain owners.  The revenue generated for the domain owner can vary widely depending on the quality of the domain name and how well it is suited to localized leasing.  Revenues can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars per year to in excess of $50,000.  You may contact Root Orange to get a more detailed estimate of where your names are likely to fall in that range.

Q: How is my domain priced for leasing?
A: Root Orange uses a proprietary formula to determine the lease price for each domain in each market.  Several factors that affect those prices include the amount of traffic a domain name receives, the industry it describes, the quality of the name, the size of the geographic market, and whether the domain has any particular relevance within that geographic market.

Q: How is the domain owner revenue share determined?

A: The domain owner receives their portion of all revenues as they are actually earned by Root Orange.  For example, if a customer leases a domain name for two years, the domain owner will receive their portion spread out evenly over the course of those two years.

Root Orange invests heavily in marketing your domains and continuing to improve the technology that drives our service.  These costs are unique in the domain monetization industry, and they allow us to generate much higher revenues.  There is no up-front cost to domain owners to use our monetization solution, as there is with many other value-add monetization services.

As our business grows and matures and we are able to spread our costs, we hope to increase the amount we pay to domain owners, both on an absolute and percentage basis.  Our goal is always to ensure we maximize the value of domains for domain owners.

Q: How often are domain owners paid?
A: The domain owner’s revenue share is remitted at the end of each calendar quarter, either by bank transfer or check.

Q: Can I sell my domain name?
A: You may sell your domain name, but the new owner is required to honor your existing contract with Root Orange so that existing lessees do not lose the ability to use a domain name they have leased for a defined period of time.  A new owner may submit a request to change the Reserved Territory if the desired geographies are not yet leased.

Root Orange has domain brokerage partners that can assist in such a sale.  If you are interested, please contact us at domains@rootorange.com.

Q: Will Root Orange buy my domain name?
A: Root Orange is interested in acquiring domain names suitable for our service.  If you would like to find out more, please e-mail us at domains@rootorange.com.

Q: What do domain owners need to do to begin using the system?
A: If you are currently re-directing your domain name to content located at another domain name or if you are parking your domain, you will only need to edit your nameservers to point to ns1.aimdom.com and ns2.aimdom.com.

If you are an operating business and currently have content hosted on the domain name you want to use in the Root Orange system, you may either:

  • Move your content to another domain name you own or
  • Update your site to serve content from a sub-domain of the domain you want to use in the Root Orange system – i.e. sub.domain.com.  We recommend you choose a sub-domain that relates to your geographic market, such as dc.domain.com for the Washington, D.C. area.

In either case, you will then edit your name servers to point to ns1.aimdom.com and ns2.aimdom.com.  You may then choose to have all traffic from your geographic market(s) directed to the other domain name or the sub-domain where your content is located.

Q: How do I change my name servers?
A: To edit your name servers, visit the registrar where your domain is registered (e.g. GoDaddy, eNom, Register.com, etc.) and edit the name servers to:

ns1.aimdom.com
and
ns2.aimdom.com

If your registrar requires IP addresses for name servers, use the following:

174.143.244.86 (ns1.aimdom.com)
and
174.143.244.97 (ns2.aimdom.com)

Here are links to instructions for editing your name servers with some of the largest registrars (if you have difficulty, please contact Root Orange or your registrar for assistance):

eNom

GoDaddy (follow instructions for “I host my domains with another provider”)

Network Solutions

Register.com

Q: How can I monitor my domain name and the revenue it generates?
A: We are in the process of improving our Domain Owner Dashboard, which gives you full visibility into how the leasing of your domain is progressing and the ability to edit your account.  This functionality will launch in 2010.

Q: Can a competing business lease my domain name?
A: No business can lease your domain name in the Reserved Territory you specify.  If you have a competitor that services the same area as you but also services other markets that you do not, it is possible they could lease a market you did not reserve.

Q: How do I choose the geography where I want to keep using my domain name?
A: When you submit your domain to Root Orange, you will have the option to define a “Reserved Territory” that includes one or more metropolitan areas that do not have to be contiguous. 

Q: Can I add to or change my Reserved Territory?
A: At any time, you may submit a request to add or remove metropolitan areas from your defined Reserved Territory.  Your request will be granted as long as that area has not already been leased to a customer in that area.  When you remove an area from your “Reserved Territory,” it immediately becomes available for lease.

Q: Why am I receiving a request to extend my contract many months before it expires?
A: Root Orange is always aiming to maximize your return, and domain lessees often wish to lease a domain for many months or years.  When they choose a long-term contract, it ensures a steady revenue stream for you and increases the likelihood they will renew when their lease expires.

When we see your name is performing well but we are beginning to get requests for leases that extend beyond the expiration of your contract with Root Orange, we will ask you to extend the contract so we may capitalize on that interest and continue generating strong returns for you.

We will never make a lease to a customer that would extend longer than your contract with us.

Q: Does Root Orange guarantee my domain name will be the first Google result?
A: Root Orange makes every effort to ensure a high ranking for relevant keywords on every domain name in our system.  However, we do not guarantee a high search engine ranking for any keyword or group of keywords that Internet users may search for, including the keywords in the domain name.

Q: How will my search engine ranking improve?
A: Root Orange’s system is structured and optimized to support a high search-engine ranking, especially when Internet users search for the keywords in the domain name.  Several factors that support a high ranking include the keywords in the domain name, the descriptions and addresses our lessees provide for their businesses, and links to the domain name from our lessee’s partners.  The traffic and links to the domain name from numerous lessees mean that domains in Root Orange’s system have a fundamental advantage over competing domains that draw traffic from a more limited area.

Q: Is there anything I can do to help improve the search engine ranking of my leased domain name?
A: When you set up the description of your website, we encourage you to write original content to describe your business, instead of copying and pasting from your website.  You should use terms in your description that include the keywords in the domain name and your location (not your address but neighborhood names or nearby landmarks).

If you have partners in your area that link to your site or articles written about you in local publications, we encourage you to have them link to your leased domain name.  The generic domain name will give you increased credibility, be easily remembered by those reading it, and support a higher search-engine ranking.