Exclusive Interview with Wild West Domains

Wild West Domains, Inc., is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar and reseller provider with a keen focus on high quality, 24/7 customer service and competitive buy rates. Nima Kelly, vice president and general manager of Wild West, talks with Reseller Connection about the Company’s reseller program, its array of competitively priced products and services and its growth as one of the top reseller opportunities in the market today.

Nima, how do you think the reseller market has evolved since Wild West was started in December 2001?

I think the market has broadened to include resellers’ who were not previously in the industry. In the past, our resellers were mostly web developers or hosting providers who were looking to provide services to augment their business. Today, we find people from all walks of life, who are seeking new business opportunities. While they may not have been in the field, the Wild West Reseller program provides them with a turnkey business opportunity and they can serve niche markets with a comprehensive product and service offering. I also think people are looking for more from a reseller program. Our resellers rarely just sell domain names. Through Wild West, resellers can offer a complete package to consumers which includes Web site development tools, hosting, email and eMarketing solutions. In addition, Wild West makes sure our products meet the expanding needs of the market. For instance, security has become a big issue, and through Wild West, resellers now have the ability to provide their customers with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates.

It’s true that the Wild West Domains Reseller program does offer a lot more than just domains. Aren’t you afraid this will dilute your focus from your core business of selling domains?

Not at all. Having a full catalog of services only enhances the program. It enables our resellers to better serve their customers while increasing their revenue potential. Resellers have the option to pick and choose which products they would like to sell, depending on the needs of their distinct market. By offering a myriad of products and services, we are giving our resellers the opportunity to be more than a domain registrar. All our products are built to the highest standards and are supported by 24/7 live customer service. This commitment to customer service helps our resellers increase their bottom line.

Will you be adding more products to the growing suite? Any more additions this year?

We recently updated our search engine optimization tool, Traffic Blazer™ and added an email marketing product suite, EmailCounts™, that teaches both our resellers and their customers how to create vivid, dynamic eMarketing campaigns, while remaining compliant with current spam regulations. Our biggest news this year, so far, has been the addition of SSL certificates, which I mentioned before. SSL certificates provide piece of mind to Internet users that the site they are visiting is secure. Not only can our resellers now sell SSL certificates for hundreds less than the competition, they can also use them for their own web projects. If you aren’t familiar, SSL certificates provide validation that the site you are visiting is a legitimate, proven business. An application process that involves automated and personal verification, Wild West’s SSL certificates provide even the most jaded Internet shopper a sense of security when divulging their personal or financial information online. We have added StealthRay™ as part of our Wild West reseller product catalog. Also an Internet privacy tool, StealthRay clears all Internet tracks after surfing and eliminates pop-ups as you read. This tool protects your PC as it is protecting you by erasing all evidence that you were even on the web. We also have improved our internal systems and upgraded our Reseller Control Center so they can control their entire program more efficiently. Our Reseller Control Center allows resellers to customize their store front with a design wizard enabling them to create a unique brand and identity for their company and add or change product offerings quickly and easily. No need for them to know HTML to develop a professional reseller Web site.

Do you have plans to go further into the web hosting business?

We recently enhanced our current hosting plans, making them even more robust and affordable, plus we have added two new business-level offerings that are among the most competitive and feature-rich on the market today!

In the domain name business, what extensions are showing the largest growth potential?

Of course, .COM is still the best seller out there with 45% market share. It is the most desired and most requested top-level domain on the market. Some of the biggest growth opportunities are in country codes, such as .jp and .de, which Wild West also offers.

What is your marketing strategy for promoting your Reseller program?

Although Wild West Domains is a solution for any entrepreneur looking to start their own business or expand their current one, we do most of our marketing online at the present time. Most of our promotion, honestly, comes from word of mouth, blogs, online forums and testimonials from current Wild West resellers. They have used our product and services first hand and give glowing testimonials of our strong 24/7 customer support advantage, as well as our varied product offering.

With the rebounding economy many companies are seeing larger growth than expected. How has this economy impacted your growth?

I’m pleased to say that Wild West was unaffected by the recent economic downturn and has seen steady growth since our debut in 2002. However, we will never rest on our laurels. We believe that we need always to be on our toes and continue to deliver innovative product solutions and identify new and better ways to serve our customers needs. That said, Wild West has found its niche in the domain registration and web development industries. Wild West Domains is already among the top registrars in the world, thanks to our dedicated resellers. Their success is our success.

What sets your Reseller program apart from the competition?

I think one of the main reasons we have done so well is our flexibility. Our resellers can offer an array of our products or can offer just one or two products to augment their own online business. We keep ahead of the game by constantly updating and adding to our product line as well—such as the updates to our Traffic Blazer search engine optimization tool that came out this spring and the addition of SSL Certificates to our product listings. In this competitive industry however, it is our commitment to customer service that truly sets us apart. We continue to add new products and new top-level domains to our domain registration. We have improved our hosting offerings and offer one of the best web-based email products that includes server side spam filtering. Add in SSL certs and our other software applications and you will find there is really nothing you can’t do with Wild West as your reseller partner.

As the new General Manager, do you intend on making any large changes to Wild West’s current philosophy in order to broaden its appeal/public interest?

Our philosophy will remain the same—innovative products at the most competitive prices, coupled with 24/7 customer support. We truly listen to our reseller’s needs and continually upgrade and enhance current products and deliver new and exciting products. We are completely focused on building the best program possible on the market today to foster our reseller partners’ success.