Domain parking, also called Domain Name Parking or DNParking, points a domain to a placeholder page instead of a working website. That page typically has no real content beyond a notice, a for-sale message, or advertising. If ads are shown, clicks can generate a payment from the advertiser to the domain holder. A parked page does not offer the functions or content of a normal site.
Parking also has a second, more commercial meaning. When a domain is being prepared for sale, it can be pointed to an address provided by the registrar. The default parking page may then display information about the domain and its asking price, or details for reaching a domain broker.
Who takes part
Domain parking usually involves three parties.
The domain holder is the person or organization that owns the name. An unused domain can be parked on a temporary page, or the holder can use parking to show that the domain is for sale. If the name is listed for sale, a visitor who clicks to buy is sent to the registrar's page. After payment, the platform notifies the holder, who then completes the domain transfer.
The parking service provider is a company that specializes in this kind of hosting. It supplies the parked page, advertising placements, and traffic analysis. It also works with advertisers or ad networks and shares the resulting revenue with the domain holder.
The advertiser provides ad content for parked pages through an arrangement with the parking service. The advertiser pays the domain holder according to clicks or impressions.
Platforms that offer parking
Domestic examples include SilverClicks (SC) / 银点, RedDns (RD) / 亚洲注册, and DNParking (DN).
Outside that market, the list includes Parked, DomainSponsor, NameDrive, DomainHop, Fabulous, GoldKey, ParkingDots, ParkingSite, Sedo, TrafficParking, TrafficValet, TrafficZ, and others.
Parking can be a simple way to protect a domain and put up a temporary web presence. If there are no immediate plans for the name, or if the goal is to sell it, parking may be a sensible option. It gives the domain somewhere to point without pretending to be a finished site.