Scanning Domain Lists [ Watch Video ]

Scanning domain names using Domain Search Tool is a snap, as long as the proper settings are set.

If you are scanning a list with more than 100 domains it is strongly recommend that you use proxy servers. Using proxies not only ensures that you do not get banned from certain search engines, but it also allows for much quicker scan speeds. More information on proxy servers is available here.

If you are scanning small lists, proxies may not be necessary, though it never hurts to use them.

Before scanning a list, you should determine what type of information you're looking for. For example, are you interested in finding pagerank, link popularity, Overture score or availability? You can scan anyone of the previously listed engines, or you can scan them all.

While D.R.T. Includes support for all major search engines and directories, for practical, every day scans no more than 1-2 search engines should be used. In most situations, scanning link saturation is not required. The link saturation feature is ideal for SEOs looking to find patterns in ranking positions over different search engines or to find domains with heavy search engine listings. Keep in mind however that some search engines (ex: Google) remove link saturation when the domain is dropped.

If you are looking for typein domains, the following search engines should be used (check marked in Scan Settings). Proxy is recommended if scanning more than 100 domains:

• Overture Domain.TLD

Advanced users may scan various international TLDs in different Overture servers. All known Overture servers are supported by D.R.T.

If you are looking for previously developed domains with existing search engine rankings and backlinks you should use the following search engines (proxy is recommended if scanning more than 100 domains):

• MSN (Link Popularity)
• Alexa
• Yahoo (optional, slow and tend to ban fast unless hundreds of proxies are utilized)

MSN is extremely fast, and fairly reliable. MSN also doesn't ban bulk queries and that's why it's ideal for large link popularity scans. Alexa returns traffic rank information which can be helpful in identifying domains with existing traffic which may not necessarily have typein traffic.

Generally, link popularity scans will be about four times faster than typein (Overture) checks because the Overture server is constantly bombed with queries by tens of thousands of users and servers alike.

An example scan settings screen is shown below.

Next, if you have not already done so, you should configure your thread settings. Thread refers to the amount of processes, or connections D.R.T. opens at once to perform queries. For example, setting "Maximum Connections" to 5 will force D.R.T. To query 5 search engines for 5 domains at a time. The more threads you allow, the faster the scan will go, however, setting the threads higher than your bandwidth allows will result in many "*" time-out responses and the scan will be extremely slow.

We recommend using the automatic configuration drop down box to select your connection speed, which will automatically adjust all other properties.

Keep in mind that it is possible to run D.R.T. on a dedicated server, such as those available at many hosting providers. Any Windows 2000 server (with .NET framework) will work with D.R.T. and the scan speeds can be blazing fast. Assuming that you wish to scan Overture.TLD (typein) domains, and have around 400 quality proxy servers, you will be able to attain speeds of up to 150 domains per second (250 threads) on a server connected to an 10 MBit connection.

Once you are done making changes to the scan settings click "OK" to save your changes, load the desired domain list and press the Play button. If you are attempting to scan search engines for which there are no columns in the Scan List, D.R.T. will automatically create the columns but require that you clear any previous scan results first.

You may pause/stop the scan at any time and resume in it a few minutes or a few days by clicking the Stop/Play buttons. Please note that in order to make changes to the scan settings the scan must be stopped first.

Minimizing D.R.T. Will hide the primary window and allow you to view the scan status by moving your mouse over the D.R.T. icon in the tray area. To restore the window simply double click on the D.R.T. Icon in the system tray.

Analyzing and Marking Results

It's always a good idea to double check all results before registering, backordering or submitting an offer for a domain. D.R.T. Allows for quick and easy verification of its results by right clicking on any domain and selecting "Confirm Results".

When you have found a domain you are interested in you may add it to your Watch list by right clicking on it and selecting "Add to Watch List" or highlight it so it is more visible in the scan list.

To highlight a domain right click on it and select the "Highlight" menu.

Registering / Backordering and checking Whois

To register, backorder or check the whois of any domain simply select it by clicking on it, right click and select the appropriate option.

Adding Domains to Watch List

There are three ways to add a domain to a watch list. The simplest and best option is to scan it in the Scan List and use the "Add to Watch List" option by right clicking on desired domain(s). This is the best option because it will import all information including the link popularity, Overture score and much more.

The second option is to copy paste domains directly into the Watch List by moving your mouse over the Watch List and selecting CTRL+V (paste shortcut).

The third option is to use the "Add Domains" window accessible by clicking CTRL+D or selecting "Option->Add Domains".