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Domain name 

registration

The process of reserving 

a unique web address 

that can be used to refer 

to the company website.

● 

The port is 80, which is the default port for web servers (not usually used in URLs 

when it is the default, although all web servers broadcast on ports).

● 

The path is /videoplay. Path typically refers to a file or location on the web server, e.g. 

/directory/file.html.

●

 

The URL parameter is docid and its value is -7246927612831078230. These are 

often called the ‘name, value’ pair. URLs often have lots of parameters. Parameters 

start with a question mark (?) and are separated with an ampersand (&).

● 

The anchor or fragment is ‘#00h02m30s’.

Mini Case Study 3.3

One of the highest values attached to a domain in Europe was paid in 2008 when the website cruise.co.uk 

paid the German travel company NeesReisen £560,000 for the rival name cruises.co.uk. Guardian (2008) 

reported the new owner of cruises.co.uk as saying that he hopes to use the new domain differently – by turn-

ing the site into an online intermediary or community for cruising enthusiasts while its existing cruise.co.uk 

will concentrate on offering the best deals for voyages. Explaining the valuation,cruise.co.uk’s managing 

director, Seamus Conlon, said:

‘Cruises’ is consistently ranked first on Google, with ‘cruise’ just behind. We wanted the top positions so 

that when Internet users are searching for cruise deals, reviews or news we are the first port of call.

In the US, the record domain values are higher than when they were exchanged in the late 1990s, 

including

● 

Sex.com for $12m

● 

Business.com for $7.5m

● 

Beer.com for $7m in 1999. 

How much is a domain worth?