What is Drop Catching? An Introduction to the Automated Domain Snapping Service
You're tracking a valuable expiring domain. You know the exact day it's set to "drop," becoming available for public registration. You prepare to register it manually, clicking refresh on your registrar's site. But in the fraction of a second between it becoming available and you clicking "register," it's already gone. You were beaten by a machine.
That machine was performing a process called drop catching. It's the high-speed, automated engine that powers the competitive end of the expired domain market. For anyone serious about acquiring valuable domains, understanding what drop catching is, how it works, and who the major players are is essential knowledge.
What is Drop Catching?
Drop catching is the process of using sophisticated, high-speed, automated software to register a domain name the instant it is deleted from the central registry and becomes available again. These services, known as drop catching services, have built incredibly efficient systems designed to win the race for valuable names.
They don't just have a fast internet connection; they have multiple, direct connections to the domain registries themselves. When a domain is scheduled to drop, their software sends a massive stream of registration requestsâsometimes thousands per secondâto the registry. The goal is to have their request be the very first one the registry processes the millisecond the domain becomes available.
How is This Different from a Backorder?
This is a common point of confusion. The two concepts are directly related:
- Drop Catching is the underlying technology and process the services use to snap up domains.
- A Domain Backorder is the product that these services sell to the public.
When you place a backorder for a domain on a site like NameJet, you are essentially hiring their powerful drop catching system to try and catch that domain for you. You, the customer, interact with the backorder service; the service itself performs the drop catch.
The Major Players in the Drop Catching World
The drop catching industry is dominated by a few major players who have perfected the technology over many years. When you place a backorder, you are typically using one of these underlying services:
- NameJet: A partnership between several major registrars, NameJet is a top-tier service known for catching high-quality `.com` and `.net` domains.
- SnapNames: Another industry veteran, SnapNames has a large inventory and is a major force in the drop catching market.
- DropCatch: As its name implies, this is their specialty. DropCatch is known for being very aggressive and successful at catching a wide variety of TLDs.
- GoDaddy Auctions: GoDaddy uses its own powerful, in-house drop catching system for its expired domain auction service.
Why Can't You Just Hand Register Everything?
For a domain with any significant valueâwhether due to its short length, keywords, or SEO metricsâthere will almost certainly be multiple backorders placed on it across these services. This means several high-speed, automated systems will be competing for it.
A manual human attempt, even with a fast connection, simply cannot compete with software that can send thousands of requests in the time it takes you to click your mouse once. While you can certainly get lucky and hand-register less competitive domains, for any premium name, the drop catchers will almost always win.
How This Affects Your Strategy
Understanding drop catching helps you form a more realistic and effective acquisition strategy.
- 1. Assess the Competition: When you find a domain, ask yourself how valuable it is. If it's a premium name, assume there will be drop catching competition and that a backorder is necessary.
- 2. Choose Your Battles: Know that if you try to hand-register a great domain, your chances are slim. Focus your hand-registration efforts on "under the radar" domains that the big investors might overlook.
- 3. Use the System to Your Advantage: Instead of fighting the system, use it. Placing a backorder is the most effective way to leverage the power of drop catching for your own benefit.
Conclusion: The Unseen Engine of the Market
Drop catching is the unseen engine that drives the aftermarket for expired domains. It's a high-speed, high-stakes technological race that determines who gets the best digital real estate the moment it becomes available. While you may never build your own drop catching system, understanding that it exists, who the major players are, and how it powers the backorder services you use is crucial. It allows you to make smarter, more strategic decisions, ensuring you have the right tools for the fight when you find a domain worth capturing.