Domain Tasting Practice

Domain tasting involves a process where individuals or companies register a large number of domain names in bulk, often using automated tools and scripts, with the primary goal of determining which domains have the most potential for generating revenue. This practice takes advantage of the grace period provided by domain registrars, typically lasting a few days, during which the registrant can cancel the domain registration and receive a full refund.



Once a domain is registered, the registrant can quickly set up the domain to display pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, affiliate marketing links, or other monetization methods to gauge the level of traffic and revenue potential. By analyzing the click-through rates, conversion rates, and overall revenue generated during this evaluation period, the registrant can make an informed decision about whether to keep or drop the domain.

Domains that show promising revenue potential, based on the initial testing and monetization efforts, may be retained for further development or long-term monetization. On the other hand, domains that do not meet the expected revenue thresholds can be canceled within the grace period, allowing the registrant to receive a full refund for the registration fees.

It's important to note that domain tasting has been subject to criticism and regulatory scrutiny due to its association with abusive registration practices, infringing on trademarks, and domain warehousing. This has led to changes in domain registration policies and regulations aimed at preventing abusive domain tasting activities and promoting responsible domain ownership.

In addition to evaluating revenue potential, some domain tasters also engage in domain kiting, a related practice where domains are repeatedly registered and canceled within the grace period to avoid paying registration fees. This allows the domain taster to effectively keep domains in a perpetual evaluation state without incurring any costs, although the effectiveness of this practice has been diminished by policy changes.


Domain Tasting involves the following steps:

• A domain name is registered.
• The registrant uses the grace period to test the domain's ability to generate ad revenue.
• If the domain is profitable, the registrant keeps it.
• If not, the domain is dropped before the grace period ends to avoid fees.

This practice became controversial because it allowed for the exploitation of the Add Grace Period (AGP) without incurring costs. It also led to the registration of many low-quality domains and potential trademark abuses.

To mitigate this, ICANN introduced the AGP Limits Policy, which imposes a fee on registrars for excessive deletions. This policy has significantly reduced the prevalence of Domain Tasting.

This practice has been less common since the introduction of penalties for excessive domain name cancellations during the grace period.