Quick answer: Domain parking means keeping a registered domain without using it for an active website. It may show a holding page, point elsewhere or have no visible website at all. Parking a domain does not necessarily mean that its email services are inactive.
Before pointing a parked domain to new hosting, check its nameservers, MX records and any verification records; some parked domains still receive mail or support another service. See our DNS migration checklist.
Domain parking refers to registering a domain name and then setting it aside without actively using it for a website. Instead, the domain displays placeholder content, often including advertisements.
Why Park a Domain?
1. Reserve the Domain
- Domain parking allows you to hold onto a domain name for future use, preventing others from registering it.
2. Monetize Unused Domains
- Some registrars provide ad-based revenue for parked domains, allowing you to earn money from traffic visiting the placeholder page.
3. Prevent Domain Squatting
- Parking helps keep domains under your control while you decide on future projects or develop a website.
How Domain Parking Works
1. Register the Domain
- First, you need to purchase a domain from a registrar.
2. Set Up a Parking Page
- Many registrars offer parking services where you can choose a default page with ads or other content.
3. Earn Revenue (Optional)
- Some parking services enable ads that generate income based on traffic or clicks on the parked domain.
Considerations for Domain Parking
- Inactive Use: Parked domains do not contribute to SEO or have an active website.
- Revenue Generation: The amount of money earned from parked domains is typically minimal unless there’s significant traffic.
- Domain Management: You must keep the domain registered and renew it periodically.
When to Park a Domain
- When you’re planning a website but are not ready to develop it yet.
- If you’re holding onto a domain for future branding or business purposes.
- To prevent others from using a valuable domain name you own.
For help selecting a provider, read about choosing domain registration services.
Before you use a parked domain
Check whether the registrar displays advertisements or a generic holding page, and whether the domain is due to renew. A parked domain may still have working email, verification records or redirects, so do not remove DNS records without checking what depends on them.
If you plan to launch a website later, keep access to your registrar account secure and enable renewal reminders. When ready to publish, connect the domain using the domain-to-hosting guide.