A domain functions like an address for your website—the domain name is what people type into the address bar when they want to reach a specific site. These sites live on servers, which are usually owned and managed by web hosting services. Your domain connects to that server via DNS so browsers know where to load your pages.
A parked domain is a domain that’s been registered but isn’t actively hosting a website. When you buy a new domain, most registrars automatically park it on a basic landing page until you point it to a site or set up DNS. Likewise, if you take your website down, your domain can remain parked until you relaunch or redirect it.
So why exactly would you want to park a domain?
There are several practical reasons—brand protection, simple redirects for misspellings, future projects, or even modest monetization. We’ll break down the most common use cases and what to expect.
Why Park a Domain?
Some people buy multiple domains with similar names and park them all. Think of variants like plural/singular names, hyphenated versions, common misspellings, and popular extensions (.com, .net, .co, relevant country codes). Parking these prevents competitors or impersonators from grabbing look-alikes.
Why exactly would a business do this?
Parking adjacent domains is a simple way to protect your brand and keep name-confusion domains out of competitors’ hands. It also reduces the risk of customers landing on misleading sites that mimic your brand.
Similarly, some businesses park domains to redirect traffic to their main website. If you notice visitors typing your name wrong, you can acquire the misspelled domain and 301-redirect it to your primary site. This keeps users on the right path and consolidates authority on your main domain.
Some parked domains are held for future business ideas. If you’re building a business but aren’t ready to go live, you might buy the domain now and leave it parked. Many owners add a simple “coming soon” or “for sale” page, or even collect emails for launch updates.
There are plenty of reasons to buy a domain and park it, but no matter your reason, make sure there’s some return on investment—brand safety, traffic capture, or resale potential—even if it isn’t direct revenue.
Domains range from inexpensive to very costly depending on their length, extension, and market demand. If you’re not using a domain and don’t have a strong strategic reason to keep it, the renewal fees add up over time.
If you find your parked domain isn’t valuable anymore, you can let it expire (mind registrar timelines) or list it for sale—sometimes for more than you originally paid if it has strong keywords or brand appeal.
How Do Parked Domains Make Money?
There are two primary ways to make money with parked domains: reselling them or using domain parking services that display ads on a landing page. A third, related approach is using a “for sale” lander to attract inbound offers while the name is parked.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these options:
Domain Reselling
Like real estate, a domain can decrease or increase in value over time based on demand, memorability, extension (.com usually leads), search interest, and how brandable it is. Short, generic, and industry-defining words tend to command higher prices.
If you want to make money by reselling domains, acquire high-potential names and list them with a reputable domain broker or marketplace. Brokers typically take a commission—often in the 10%–20% range—when a sale closes. You can set a “Buy It Now” price, accept offers, or run auctions.
Another path is nurturing the domain’s perceived value. Genuine type-in interest, a strong brand match, or clean history can help. Simply “parking to generate traffic” doesn’t automatically raise value in search engines, but real demand for the word or brand can.
So how much can you make from a parked domain?
Top-tier domains can sell for eye-popping sums, but most legitimate sales land in the three- to five-figure range. Your outcomes depend on quality, negotiation, and timing more than anything else.
To get started buying domains, we recommend registering through one of the best domain registrars, like GoDaddy, Bluehost, or Porkbun, and then listing promising names on a marketplace with escrow for safe payments.
Domain Parking Services
A domain parking service places ads on your parked domain’s landing page. When a visitor clicks an ad, you earn a small share of the advertiser’s spend. Earnings depend on the quality of type-in traffic, the domain’s topic, and the network’s advertisers.
While this can be a low-effort revenue stream, it’s typically modest. Think of it as offsetting a portion of renewal costs rather than a primary business model—unless you own a portfolio of high-quality, type-in names.
It’s not free, either. Factor in your annual domain renewal fees and any costs tied to premium registrations. If you ever host your own landing page, include hosting or builder costs in your math.
As a rough rule of thumb, only a small percentage of visitors to a parked domain will click an ad. Even with steady type-in traffic, net proceeds may be minimal compared to the time and capital you invest.
If your goal is a sale, consider using a “this domain is for sale” lander instead of ads so potential buyers can contact you directly.
How Do Parked Domains Get Traffic?
Even if they’re not full websites, parked domains can attract visitors. Here are the main ways that happens:
Direct Navigation
Direct navigation happens when a domain used to host a live website or when people naturally type a word or brand into the address bar. If the site is offline but the name is memorable, users may still arrive at your parked page.
Typosquatting
Typos are common—and unfortunately, some actors exploit them by buying look-alike domains with misspellings. This is risky and can cross into trademark infringement or fraud. Legitimate owners, by contrast, defensively register common misspellings and redirect them to the real site to protect users.
For example, if there’s a well-known site called BrandingForYou.com, a bad actor might register BrandinForYou.com to trick visitors. Responsible brands register likely typos themselves and point them to the official domain with a 301 redirect.
Beware: using deceptive typo domains to phish for information or distribute malware is illegal and unethical. Stick to brand protection and transparent redirects only.
Domain Forwarding
Another way parked domains “get traffic” is by forwarding to your main site. Configure a 301 redirect so anyone who lands on the parked name is automatically sent to your store, app, or primary website without confusion.
Expired Domains
When a domain expires, registrars often place a temporary parked page on it during grace and auction periods. If the domain had prior visibility or type-in demand, it can continue to receive visits until it’s renewed, sold, or fully released.
How Much Can You Make with a Parked Domain?
There’s no universal answer. Earnings depend on the name’s quality, the niche’s commercial value, and whether traffic is genuine type-in versus random visits. Some parked domains make only a few dollars a year; strong, on-topic names with steady type-ins can earn more. Exceptional names sell for far higher one-time payouts when you find the right buyer.
Ad-based parking used to be more lucrative when type-in traffic was higher. Today, with users relying more on search and apps, typical parking revenue has trended down. It’s still viable for offsetting renewals, but rarely a substantial income stream on its own.
If you want meaningful returns, consider developing the domain into a simple, useful site to build real value, then flip it later. Marketplaces like Flippa connect buyers and sellers, and verifiable traffic, revenue, or strong branding can justify higher prices.
Downsides and Challenges of Parking Domains
The biggest challenge is that making real money takes work and quality inventory. A generic parked page with ads usually won’t generate significant revenue unless the name attracts meaningful type-in traffic.
If you rely only on ad clicks, you probably won’t make a fortune. Parking is best used as a temporary state—either to protect your brand, to capture typos, to advertise the name for sale, or as a placeholder while you plan development.
To make actual money with parked domains, research what gives a name value: brevity, clarity, strong commercial intent, and clean legal status. Buy the right domain, present it professionally (clear “for sale” lander and escrow), and sell it at a fair market price.
Remember, leaving a domain parked indefinitely can also create brand drawbacks. If customers repeatedly hit a dead-end page, it can reduce trust. And registering look-alikes of trademarked brands can trigger legal action—avoid anything that infringes on trademarks or misleads users.
Parked Domain vs Addon Domain
Many people mistake “parked domains” for “addon domains.”
A parked domain is registered but not hosting a full site—often pointing to a simple lander or redirect. An addon domain, by contrast, is a separate website you host under the same account as your main domain (common with cPanel-style hosting).
Addon domains let you host multiple sites without paying for a separate account with some providers. This can be useful if you own several names and want each to have its own site while sharing the same hosting plan.
Other reasons for buying an addon domain include:
- Launching focused microsites for individual products, services, or campaigns to target specific audiences
- Expanding into a new line of business while keeping it technically separate but still associated with your main brand
- Creating an independently branded site for a product or sub-brand without moving your primary domain
- Capturing similar domain names and assigning each a clear 301 redirect or its own site to properly route traffic