NamePros Blog

James Iles · Jun 6, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, our featured poll asks you to vote for the greatest domainer of all time. Elsewhere, we discuss the idea of experimenting with strategies as an investor, and which domain investing tool would you like to see created? There are also lessons learned from a $50,000 domain...

Bob Hawkes · Jun 3, 2021

Taking domain investing from a side-hustle to a full-time job is probably the dream of many domain investors. A few months ago investor Keith DeBoer announced that he was making domains his full-time job. Now that a bit of time has passed, I caught up with Keith to get his insights on the...

James Iles · May 30, 2021

In this week’s Top Topics, a domain investor shares their thirty-point registration checklist for hand registering a domain name. Elsewhere, a domainer sells a name within three minutes of listing it at a marketplace, and there are details on the recent sale of domain name database NameBio...

Bob Hawkes · May 27, 2021

Almost everyone agrees that .com is the extension of choice for a global business. But if the .com is not available, what is the order of other extensions that are not specialized to a specific sector or country? In this article I look at registrations, aftermarket sales volume...

James Iles · May 23, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, we look at a recent bidding war that pushed a one-word .COM to $105,156, and we discuss push notifications, could they lead to more domain sales? Elsewhere, an investor wants to know which domaining tools you're happy to pay for, and a reality TV star acquires a .TV...

Bob Hawkes · May 20, 2021

Almost everyone appreciates the beauty of flowers. Flower names can translate into great brand possibilities. In this article I start with a list of flower names proposed by NamePros members to see how used they are in corporate names, in recorded domain name sales and in listings at...

James Iles · May 16, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, a domain investor shares their journey from a $125 domain purchase to a $17,500 sale. Elsewhere, a domainer is looking for input on where and how to actively sell domains, and the $1,080,000 buyer of Bullish.com reveals its plans for the domain.

From $125 to a...

Bob Hawkes · May 13, 2021

While there are many domain name lander options, how are we to know which lander will work best? It is possible to set up a randomized A/B trial, and with enough domain names and time, it might provide statistically significant results. That does not give us an answer today, however. Also...

James Iles · May 9, 2021

In this week’s Top Topics, we learn that audio-based social network Clubhouse acquired Clubhouse.com, and are Handshake domain names the future? Elsewhere, we look at .IO’s recent bubble and there’s an interesting article from Protocol.

Clubhouse Acquires Clubhouse.com

Audio-based...

Bob Hawkes · May 6, 2021

Tree names find widespread use in successful brands. Trees are associated with strength, endurance, growth and beauty, so it is not surprising that so many brands are built on tree names.

The dividing line between trees and other plant forms is not always clear. Many tree names are also...

James Iles · May 2, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, domain investors discuss Afternic's new BIN landers in the week that the marketplace released the much-anticipated landing pages to the public. Elsewhere, a rebrand gets domainers talking and one investor reveals they have lost interest in domaining.

We also look at...

Bob Hawkes · Apr 29, 2021

First impressions are important. While there are many ways people might discover your domain names, probably the most important is the lander. An effective lander is attractive and professional, provides a clear route to purchase, and builds trust in the transaction. This week Afternic...

James Iles · Apr 25, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, we learn that a company has made a significant upgrade by moving from GoGetOlive.com to Olive.com. Elsewhere, Bob Hawkes wants to know which tree and plant names have brandable domain value, and an investor shares their experience after a five-figure experiment with...

Bob Hawkes · Apr 22, 2021

What domain name superpowers do you possess that can give you a competitive advantage? While much has been written on the best approaches for success in domain investing in general, I want to turn the focus here on tailoring the approach to take advantage of your particular skill set. Here are...

James Iles · Apr 18, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, a domain investor reveals that they sold 133 domain names at Clubhouse in March. Elsewhere, we discuss the fixed price domain marketplace strategy and Sedo's Dave Evanson announces the $2 million sale of Angel.com.

Also, a two-word .COM domain sale is announced and a...

Bob Hawkes · Apr 15, 2021

While the United States is probably the dominant power in domain names, its own country code extension, .us, has not achieved the same strength. For example, even though Canada has about one-tenth the population of the United States, its .ca extension has almost double the...

James Iles · Apr 11, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, an experienced domainer is back with more advice for new domain investors, this time based on reasons you might be losing money in the industry. Elsewhere, we discuss GoDaddy Registry's newest acquisitions, and do you know how much Coinbase acquired Coinbase.com for...

Bob Hawkes · Apr 6, 2021

When people see a domain extension in use, they are more apt to consider using that extension for their own business, organization or personal site. That is a huge advantage for .com domain names, along with country code extensions for some regions, and other major legacy extensions...

James Iles · Apr 4, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, we look at why the .IO domain extension is currently hot, and GoDaddy releases its latest domain sales data including the sale of Exclusive.com for $350,000. Elsewhere, we look at category-defining domain names. Who buys category-defining domains?

Why is .IO So...

Bob Hawkes · Mar 30, 2021

It is hard to read anything these days without some mention of NFTs, non-fungible tokens. Earlier this month, Christie’s auction house sold a Beeple NFT collage “The First 5000 Days” for $69 million. Mike Winkelmann, Beeple, who operates on the interesting domain name...

James Iles · Mar 28, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, George Kirikos uncovers the $904,000 sale of Recursion.com, acquired by Recursion Pharmaceuticals. Elsewhere, a domain owner needs advice on managing a portfolio of 1,500 domain names, and we share a cautionary tale of an accidental $3,488 domain name purchase...

Bob Hawkes · Mar 25, 2021

Last week @Soofi shared an article by @Ron Jackson announcing the brokered sale of Poker.net for $750,000. The sale was not listed on NameBio when I checked, but it would become the highest-value sale in the extension. The previous high was the $500,000 sale of...

James Iles · Mar 21, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, the owner of a four-letter .COM asks for advice after someone recently trademarked their domain name, and just how useful are marketplaces if you're not using that marketplace's landing pages? Elsewhere, domainers discuss the AngiesList rebrand, and is NFT a trend...

Bob Hawkes · Mar 18, 2021

Many great brand names have been built around animals, such as Puma, Jaguar, RedBull, FireFox, DuckDuckGo and many others. The animal provides a concrete image on which to build the logo and brand. Many times some aspect off the name hints at characteristics of the brand. Foxes are known to be...

James Iles · Mar 14, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, domain investors discuss the latest domain sales data released by GoDaddy, which is headed by the $977,500 sale of SelfMade.com. Elsewhere, we look at the U.S. government's stimulus checks and whether they will create more domain sales, and is a collectively owned...

Bob Hawkes · Mar 10, 2021

Last week’s NamePros Blog post took a look at domain name appraisals – why you might want an appraisal, who could provide it, the different types of appraisals, and some caveats about interpreting appraisals. This week’s post looks into the types of appraisals available here on NamePros...

James Iles · Mar 7, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, we discuss whether random four-letter .COM domains were worth the renewal costs, and a domainer shares twenty-one tips for selecting investment-worthy .COM domains. Elsewhere, a new investor wants to know how long your first ever domain sale took to occur, and...

Paul · Mar 6, 2021

A few months ago, NamePros started observing aggressive credential stuffing attacks. This marked a new chapter in security at NamePros. We have rather secure infrastructure, especially for a site of our size. However, we've been growing at a steady pace, which makes us a bigger target...

Bob Hawkes · Mar 5, 2021

Few topics generate as much heat as discussion of automated domain name appraisals. The value of human appraisals can also be controversial. This week I decided to take a look at appraisal options and limitations. Should we even be doing domain name appraisals?

Why Do You Want An...

James Iles · Feb 28, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, we take a look at the potential qualities that differentiate successful domain investors from unsuccessful ones. Elsewhere, an investor asks for opinions on the .CO versus the .NET extension, and how do you keep track of your domain names?

Also, a domainer is looking...

Bob Hawkes · Feb 25, 2021

While it is sometimes possible to have success without a business plan, having a clear plan, including near-term and long-term objectives, will improve your odds for consistent success. I personally consider late February as a good time to consider New Year’s resolutions. Goals we set at the...

James Iles · Feb 21, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, domain investors share the three domains they'd most like to own and is it possible to sell domains without a phone call? Also, a domainer asks for advice on a $5,000 offer, and we discuss the $3.15 million sale of Christmas.com.

Which 3 Domains Would You Like...

Bob Hawkes · Feb 18, 2021

The past year has been a strong one for country code domain extensions in general, with the generic extensions .io and .co particularly active. This has prompted discussion around what might be the next generic country code to become popular. While extensions such as .ai...

James Iles · Feb 14, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, a domain investor shares their experience of moving domains valued at $5,000 or less to a buy now landing page. Elsewhere, George Kirikos offers a full report of domains used in Super Bowl commercials this year, and how do you future-proof your domain...

Bob Hawkes · Feb 11, 2021

Everywhere you go in the domain world these days someone is talking about decentralized domain name systems. There are both proponents and sceptics, as this recent NamePros thread shows. In last week’s NamePros Blog I summarized ideas on where domain names will be in 5 years, and...

James Iles · Feb 7, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, domain investors discuss a recent $28,500 expired domain sale linked to the daughter of a famed CEO, and is domain parking still worth it? Elsewhere, investors make predictions for where they see domaining in five years' time, and should we avoid domain names...

Bob Hawkes · Feb 4, 2021

Relatively new NamePros member dave321 asked a really good question this week: Where do you see domaining in 5 years? Typical sell-through rates mean that most of a domain portfolio is held for multiple years, so ideas about the future will impact our investment...

James Iles · Jan 31, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, domain investors react to news of Rick Schwartz's latest seven-figure domain sale, and what do you think of GoDaddy's intention to introduce BIN landers? Elsewhere, a domainer discloses a recent five-figure .TV sale, and what's one insight that has led you to become a...

Bob Hawkes · Jan 28, 2021

Choices can be wonderful, letting us feel better about an action, or empowering new ways to accomplish a goal. But is it possible to have too many choices? Are you, or the marketplace you use, presenting potential purchasers with too many possible domain name choices? Alternatively, is it...

James Iles · Jan 24, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, an investor shares their experience of hand registering domain names, and on the back of Climate.vc's $21,038 sale, we ask why .VC are names starting to sell for higher numbers. Elsewhere, there's confirmation that the Mask.com domain name has sold, and what's the most...

Bob Hawkes · Jan 21, 2021

While NameBio data indicates that average sales prices for .com domain names have been going steadily down year by year, that may not mean that retail prices have been decreasing. I think it is mainly an artifact due to changes in which venues have sales reported in NameBio...

James Iles · Jan 17, 2021

In this week’s Top Topics, an investor requests advice on the best way to build a portfolio in 2021. Elsewhere, our featured poll asks you to reveal the percentage of your overall investment portfolio that is invested in domain names, and John Berryhill has a warning about catch-all email...

Bob Hawkes · Jan 13, 2021

This week I take a look at how average prices, numbers of domains sold, and sales dollar volumes in 2020 compared to the previous year. I used the NameBio data for the analysis, looking at sales of $100 and more. Keep in mind that by no means all sales are in NameBio, and the reported...

James Iles · Jan 10, 2021

In this week's Top Topics, AbdulBasit Makrani shares a list of valuable, ultra-premium domain names that he has acquired recently. Elsewhere, investors are prompted to showcase their delivery domain names, and the power of color is discussed.

Also, an experienced domainer is back with more...

Bob Hawkes · Jan 6, 2021

I reached out to many people to see what they thought 2021 would hold for the domain world. I made it tough by requiring each to respond in just a single sentence. To get a comprehensive view from many perspectives, I included long-term and newer domain investors, business leaders, domain...

James Iles · Jan 3, 2021

In the first Top Topics of 2021, we look at whether domain investors plan to do anything differently in the new year. Elsewhere, a domainer asks for advice on a five-figure negotiation, and what do you do after getting a cease and desist letter?

Also, an investor makes some predictions for the...

Bob Hawkes · Dec 30, 2020

In this, my last post of 2020, I highlight NamePros discussion threads started in 2020 that merit a second read. In making my selections, for the most part, I excluded posts about sales, even spectacular ones, or topics that were time sensitive. In some cases I edited titles for clarity or...

James Iles · Dec 27, 2020

In the final edition of Top Topics for 2020, we take a look at Rick Schwartz's latest domain sale, and domain investors offer their opinions on the hottest niches of 2021. Elsewhere, George Kirikos reveals that View.com sold for $737,000 in 2018, and do you want to see some decent domain landing...

Bob Hawkes · Dec 23, 2020

One of the advantages of being a NamePros member is that you can buy and sell domain names without commission. NamePros allows you to get your names in front of a large audience. While many selling formats are allowed, auctions are among the most used.

My first NamePros auction did not turn out...

James Iles · Dec 20, 2020

In this week's Top Topics, several investors share their recent sales and successes. Firstly, we have Riz Memon, who reported $168,000 in sales this week. Then, there's an investor who made an $11,420 return on investment on a two-word .COM, and thirdly we feature the story of a new domainer...

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