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other There are Numerous Ways to Diversify a Domain Portfolio, but Is Diversification a Good Idea?

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Do you consider your domain portfolio specialized or diversified?

  • This poll is still running and the standings may change.
  • Highly specialized

    26 
    votes
    12.7%
  • Mainly specialized, but a bit of diversification

    32 
    votes
    15.7%
  • Well diversified

    132 
    votes
    64.7%
  • Narrow now, but I plan to diversify more in future

    14 
    votes
    6.9%
  • This poll is still running and the standings may change.

Domain names in health and education have recently seen increasing demand, while some other areas have fallen slightly out of favour. Those who held quality domain names across many sectors were less impacted, both positively and negatively, than those with narrow specialization. This article looks at ways that you could balance, or diversify, your domain portfolio.

A well known idea in financial investment is diversification. The impact of financial market volatility can be reduced by carrying a mix of different asset classes. Most investment portfolios include both stocks and bonds, often along with other asset classes such as commodities, real estate, gold, or cryptocurrencies.

During the the financial market drop in March 2020, if you held a diversified portfolio of half stocks and half bonds, losses from would be substantially less, compared to the case of a stock-only portfolio.

Diversification is partly simply following the saying don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but it is more than that. Traditionally, when stocks go down in value, bonds often go up, so a portfolio that includes both types of assets tends to be more stable. As well as having both stocks and bonds, it is important to diversify within those asset classes. For example, stocks from large and small businesses, from different regions of the world, and in different sectors of the economy.

The topic of diversification in domain name portfolios has received less attention than it deserves. This is perhaps because the degree of correlation in different types of domain names is not as well known as for traditional investment types.

In this article, I first look at different ways you might diversify a domain name portfolio, and then consider the arguments for and against diversification.

Of course the idea of diversification in domain name investing is not new. In this discussion started by Elefekt in 2003, the fourth tip for success in domain investing was “Diversify your portfolio.”


1. Domain Names for Different Sectors

The first way to potentially diversify a domain portfolio is to simply hold domain names from a number of different sectors.

A portfolio that held eCommerce, technology, travel, health and education names would probably would be doing alright overall lately, since although demand in travel is down, that is made up by increased interest in domain names in health, eCommerce, and remote education.

Brandsly commented on the importance of domain portfolio diversification in a recent NamePros discussion.
”One thing I've really learned from the pandemic is how important it is to have a highly diversified portfolio: it will allow you to catch more opportunities, and also that every decent name that makes sense will have its time.”

She went on to comment on how the pandemic, at least in the early weeks, was impacting certain types of venture capital backed technology companies.
”Tech-centric categories depend heavily on VC fundings and most of my clients are technology startups. From various sources I've read, it was clear that a lot less money were flowing into VC-backed startups since the outbreak.”

While such changes in demand may not last long, the greatest opportunities, and most steady flow of sales, will be for those holding appropriate diversification.


2. Different End Users

The core of most domain portfolios will be domain names for business use, but keep in mind that domain names are used by more than just businesses. Nonprofit organizations as well as foundations buy domain names, as do individuals, clubs, and others. Remember that many things are named, not just businesses. Concerts, movies, musical groups, events, video channels, etc. all have names, and in most cases use one or more domain names.


3. Domains for Different Sized Businesses

The highest value domain names are only within the reach of well-established businesses, or exceptionally well-funded startups. Most economic downturns do not impact all types of businesses the same.

Many predict that if we have an extended economic downturn, it may soften demand at the high end of the market for a period of time. However, there may well be new opportunities for modestly-priced domain names suitable for people starting tiny home-based businesses.

For this reason, a sufficiently large portfolio including domain names with different prices will be more stable long term. Using NameBio data from the past five years, for every one sale at a price of $50,000 or more, there were 20 sales above $5000, and 181 sales above $500.


4. Different Types of Use

We often first think of domain names as business brand names. Often the highest value sales are for domain names used in this way. However, businesses and organizations use domain names in many different ways. Some domain names are the names of a product or service and used to drive traffic. Other domains are used for specific marketing campaigns, or a philanthropic arm.


5. Different Extensions

For many decades the .com extension has remained the dominant first choice in much of the world. There is no evidence of that changing in the foreseeable future.

Nevertheless, the country code extensions remain strong in many regions. If economic uncertainty comes with increased protectionism, it is at least possible that the country codes may further grow in use and popularity.

Some general-purpose country codes, and certain new extensions, have found increasing use in niches. For example, .io is popular in the technology area, .app for relevant businesses, and .ai within artificial intelligence startups.

Out of interest I wondered how your portfolio would be diversified if done according to domain sales dollar volume from the past five years, using NameBio statistics. A domain portfolio diversified this way would include the following.
  • .com 82.1%
  • .org 2.7%
  • .net 3.0%
  • all new extensions 3.7%
  • all country code extensions 8.2%
  • everything else 0.3%
The everything else category includes .info and .biz, as well as the legacy alternative extensions such as .pro, .asia and others. I have not taken out the $30 million voice.com sale that some regard as an outlier. Had I eliminated that one sale, the .com percentage would decrease by about 4.7%. I have not accounted for registry sales in the new extension totals. It is likely that the country code total is under represented, due to the venues where many country code names sell.


6. Different Types of Names

Domain names come in many formats. There are of course dictionary words, either in English or another language. But other domain names are made-up words, through creative spellings, contractions of two words, etc. Some domain names are acronyms, and others are made up of two or more words. Some domain names are short phrases. Other names are purely numbers, while alphanumeric combine both numbers and letters.

It seems likely that different types of domain names have performed better in different years. The Chinese market, that specializes in certain forms such as numerics, short-lettered and alphanumeric, has gone through several boom and bust cycles, not always correlated with the global domain market in general. Some degree of portfolio diversification may help you even out these fluctuations.

Some years ago Andrew Rice published a NamePros Blog article on diversification Would you like some DiP with your CHiPS?, with DiP meaning Diversified Portfolio.

The other thing to keep in mind is that branding and marketing styles change over time. It is probably best, if you invest in brandable names, to hold at least some variety in types of names. Browsing the holdings at a brandable marketplace can give you an idea of what is currently popular, as well as options in brandable name types.

This NamePros discussion, started back in 2016 by mhdoc, has suggestions for both types and possible niches. Another worthwhile discussion is Should one specialize in a domain investment niche?, started by Kuffy in 2017.


7. Different Degrees of Risk

Different domain names carry different risks. For example, a 5N or 3L .com domain name will always be liquid. That does not mean it will not possibly sell for a loss, but the odds of it not selling at all, or for a catastrophic loss, are low compared to some other types of domain names.

In financial investing, usually risk and reward are related. Rewards are generally higher with stocks compared to bonds, because the risk is higher.

In domain investing, to some degree, the same idea holds. For example certain types of domain names may be much less likely to sell compared to a more liquid name, but the return on investment, if they do sell, may also be higher.

With new technologies or trends, one generally needs to acquire domain names before it is clear how the technology is going to turn out.

In new extensions the main opportunity period is at the beginning, but that is when the risk of not knowing how the extension will be received is very high.

Kate explained the difficulty with trying to pick trends in this 2018 post.
”The best way to capitalize on a trend would be to anticipate it, but it is risky. It means keeping a close eye on emerging technologies, world news. Because when a trend is visibly taking shape and gaining momentum in the public space it is already too late to buy the good names.”

A well diversified portfolio should probably carry a mix of low risk and high risk domain names, according to the overall financial situation and strategy. Keep the advice offered several years ago by karmaco in mind.
”Anyone investing in thousands of domains in one niche is either very foolish or very rich. If you can get some of the better names before everyone else there is nothing wrong with having a handful of high quality domains in one or multiple niches. Better to have a few and be able to play the waiting game and renew than too many.”


8. A Mix of Flip and Hold Names

Many domain investors acquire domain names a buy-and-hold strategy, while other investors are much more domain flippers, looking to quickly obtain a return on their investment, and then reinvest as they move on to other domain names.

Bernard Wright recently made the argument for long-term domain investment.
”It seems to me that those who are best-positioned in domain investing are true investors. Those who bought quality domains in the 90s, or found (at least) reasonable prices on quality domains since then, are investors. And they are probably doing fine. Find quality names for less than their future value, and sell them later at a profit. I think there is still much potential for this. (However) It may make sense to diversify, at least somewhat, into both names with long term horizons and those for immediate sale.”


9. Income Generating Domain Names

Another way to diversify your portfolio would be to include a mix of domain names that generate regular income, through parking, monetized redirection, affiliate development, etc. This does not suit all types of domain names, but has similar benefits to holding dividend-paying stocks or other income financial products. It makes particular sense for those who require a steady income stream from their domain investments.


10. Domain Names for Development

While requiring more time, fully developing a few of your domain names is a way to generate income, as well as potentially increasing the future worth of the domain name. Some find it helpful to ask yourself at time of acquisition the following question: Would I develop this name myself. if I had sufficient resources? That question can help guide you toward quality domain names in an area that you really understand. The bonus is the possibility of later development.


11. Diversify Where You Sell

While most domain investors already sell across different marketplaces, if you mainly use only a single marketplace, you might benefit from diversifying your listings across more marketplaces. There are probably regional and application differences, in where, and how, end users search for domain names. Also, the fraction of sales happening at different marketplaces almost certainly changes over the years. Consider whether specialized sites, such as the brandable marketplaces, fit your domaining strategy. You can of course diversify into other types of social media or online promotion of your domain names.


12. Retail and Wholesale Sales

Some domain investors never sell at wholesale prices to other domainers, while others make that a regular part of their operation. A balance of wholesale and retail sales is one form of diversification that works for some. Keep in mind that NamePros is a great place to make those wholesale transactions.


13. Diversify Pricing and Payment Options

The debate over buy-it-now or make offer pricing, or other options such as price upon request, will probably always be with us. In the interest of diversification, it might be wise to have a mix of make offer and buy-it-now across your portfolio. Some potential buyers are more likely to purchase under buy-it-now scenarios, while some may be more apt to start a negotiation process.

Payment plans are becoming more popular, and are now easy to implement. You may broaden the pool of possible buyers by offering some domain names, at least, with an optional monthly payment plan.


14. Diversify Your Domain Related Income Sources

While domaining is primarily earning money from domain name sales, one way to diversify is to include other streams of domain-related income. Those could include domain brokering, consultancy, writing, analytical work, teaching, guest speaking, website development, icon or graphics creation, leading workshops, or various affiliate opportunities.

Regular income from monthly payments on past sales made on payment plans, or rental of domain names, is another way develop monthly income from domain names. While this is not precisely diversifying your portfolio, it is definitely a way to providing more diversified domain-related income.

Earlier this year Arpit131 started a discussion entitled What is your backup plan? It includes good ideas for alternative sources of income.


The Arguments For Diversification

Here are some reasons in favour of domain name diversification, as I see it.
  1. Even though it will not completely protect you from market fluctuations, odds are you will be less impacted.
  2. Holding a variety of types of domain assets may lead to more sales opportunities.
  3. It is difficult to predict future trends with confidence, so it makes sense to spread your domain investments over a number of niches.
  4. It may simply be more interesting and personally rewarding when you hold a variety of types of domain assets.
  5. You may like the challenge of needing to learn new things in order to master domain names of different niches, types or extensions.
  6. If you carry domains in different sectors and extensions, you can make use of all of the competitive advantages you have. For example, investing in your own country code may make sense because you know the market or have local connections.
  7. With a more diversified outlook, it is more likely that you will spot new domain name opportunities.


The Arguments Against Diversification

But there are also strong arguments against domain name portfolio diversification, including the following.
  1. It is better to decide what type of domain asset has the best chance of selling for a good return on investment, and hold only those. Why combine types of domain names that have poorer selling probabilities?
  2. If your domain names are all very similar, you will become expert in properly pricing the assets, both for acquisition and in sales negotiations.
  3. You will develop connections in your specialization, and that will help you in making first contacts.
  4. Your portfolio site, if you maintain one, will look more unified and professional, if you hold only domains from a few related sectors.
  5. If just starting out, there is a less steep learning curve. For example, investing in new extensions is different from legacy, with different skills to be mastered.
  6. If you are in domain investing primarily as a hobby, without the need for quick sales, it makes sense to concentrate only on what interests you. It is after all a hobby.
  7. It is easier to become known, to other domain investors and to end users, if you have a narrow focus.
  8. Some extensions and types of domain names may carry greater risks, either because a technology does not work out, or because a registry runs into difficulties or is poorly managed. In this way, diversification does not necessarily lead to less risk.
  9. While almost all types of names sell in .com, in most other extensions that will not be the case. For example, the types of names that sell in .cc, .io and even .co are considerably narrower. Most new extension sales have been in a single word before the dot. Make sure you have done your research before starting to diversify into a new area.
  10. If you advertise, or do other types of promotion, it is easier to target when you hold only a few types of domain names.


Rebalancing Your Portfolio

Most financial investment advisors recommend that you periodically rebalance your portfolio. A similar case can be made for domain investment, as Page Howe suggested in this article.
”In this type of Domaining this means if you sell names, and reinvest the money, reinvest some in the category where you sold, and some across the spectrum of other classes. If you don’t reinvest, you run the risk of selling strong categories, and only leaving weaker names in your portfolio.”


Only You Can Decide

Of course only you can decide what is the right course of action for you. It may depend on factors such as your financial situation, interests and experience, the amount of time you have, and your tolerance for risk.

Perhaps the most important question to ask is whether you depend on your domain activities for a regular income stream. Just as those drawing regular income from financial investments benefit from a greater degree of diversification, and a more conservative approach, the same would hold for those needing regular domain name income.

Probably no one should seriously consider all of the types of diversification listed in this post. The optimum degree, and type, of diversification, may change with time and experience.

I close with this insight from Brandsly.
”There are always losing and gaining industries, especially when there's a significant catalyst in play like the pandemic event. A highly diversified portfolio will experience less impact and might even catch some opportunities.”


Share Your Opinions
I am sure that there are diverse opinions on the topic of diversification, and hope you will share them in the comments with other NamePros members.
  • Do you deliberately diversify your portfolio?
  • Of the ways to diversify mentioned, which do you think are most important?
  • Feel free to share in a general way how you have diversified your own portfolio, or plan to in the future.
  • What types of domain portfolio diversification have I overlooked?
  • Are you considering more diversification going forward?
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
I enjoyed reading this, as I do the majority of your postings.

Id like to share or expound on a point you made towards the end of your post. One must consider the level of dedication one puts into domaining. Is this a hobby for you or full time profession? For me this is something I enjoy and partake in at leisure. Additionally, I do not have a decent bankroll for investing in domains and although I have a high risk tolerance I rarely buy domains over $100.

With that said my portfolio is rooted in my areas of expertise. As an ex internet marketer and SEO'er I still buy domains with the mindset of setting up an adsense or amazon store. I would also buy domains with keywords that I knew I could rank for, build a website for it and then sell both. Its second nature to me and I know where to sell the better ones I acquire. I also hold domains in a couple niches which I wont mention because its arbitrary.

My larger point is my domain buying and holding preference is predicated on me being honest with myself. This is a hobby for me and my budget for this hobby reflects it being a leisurely hobby. Thus, I buy what I know.

However, if this were a part time or full time occupation for me.... Id 100% diversify. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Education is power. If this makes up a significant portion of your income you better be on the cusp of every trend and be knowledgeable in almost every extension.

The caveat to all of this is budget though. If you have a decent bankroll you may not need to diversify as much. A solid .com will always sell. Its just a matter of waiting for the right buyer. Acquiring said domain name to begin with and possibly waiting for a few years in where the budget variable comes into play.

So remember these variables:
- Budget
- Level of Domainer. (Casual or full time?)
 
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Amazing article, Bob Hawkes!

Thank you for highlighting the question of diversification!
I believe everyone is asking and answering most of theese questions subconciously with every new domain purchase.
As about me - I am trying to steer away from what I like to what sells best.

Keep up your Great Work!

Greetings
 
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I'm half collector, half domainer. I collect domains in some niches that I don't plan on selling, while some domains I register strictly for sale and those are "well diversified" i.e. I don't care what category it is as long as it looks good, sounds good, or is in some other way fit for a future sale. :xf.rolleyes:
 
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Excellent article covering all the bases. I do have a wide variety of domains covering automotive , plant based ,medical,food ,transportation all .com .Now all I need is a hot shot reseller to sell the whole portfolio.
 
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I'm starting to think we should treat each name like it's our only name. To avoid the mental traps of "Each year there's an X% sell through rate on average, so if I just add more names..." Each name needs to be able stand entirely on its own, otherwise we are playing lotto imo.
 
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Fantastic article Bob that really resonated with my situation. I am grateful for having a diverse portfolio because some of my favorite niches like sports/fantasy sports are obviously hurting since they've been non existent. Luckily, many other areas are thriving to balance that out.
To answer your question, I think having specialty niches is better for a new investor if they know more about those areas. Then over the years of reading articles here and via domaining.com, slowly diversify.
Thanks for taking the time to write this. We definitely appreciate this kind of article!
 
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Thanks for the article.

I believe in diversification of one's portfolio. I've never understood people who have portfolios of say 500+ domains of just one thing or one emerging trends like Crypto or CBD. A couple of names in every niche is the way to go.
 
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That was excellent read Bob 👌 thank you for such an insightful and informative article.
Always love reading your articles 👍
 
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Very insightful article. I think its funny .com accounted for almost exactly 80% or all sales, its the 80/20 for domains...lol.

I was surprised .net was slightly higher than .org as .net doesn't seem to have the in build audience .org has with non profits, but then since its based on dollar volume not raw number of sales I guess thats due to non profits not paying as much per domain. I still like it as an extension myself but don't really like .net. I'm reminded on an episode of the CNBC show The Profit where Marcus went to this toy store called Sandra's Toys and they had printed on their sign our front their website santastoys dot net and even he was like wait...what? And helped them get the .com.

But back to the article at hand, it seems that beyond .com the focus should be on io and co.

Good advice as always.
 
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Have owned domains since 1996 and back then through the very early 2000s' tended to acquire very niche-specific domains and established a non-diversified portfolio.

The names acquired were intended for rather small ( non-corporate or conglomerate ) type businesses - such as sole proprietors, serious hobbyists and the like.

The domain names for those entities really could be considered almost like " vanity plates ".

And we also used many of those same names for websites for advertisers or item sales related to the names.

As an aside and look back in time, oh man did I overprice those names early on - but leveled off to a sensible and saleable mid - upper xxxx range for most.

In hindsight too " should have " left a comfortable niche and widely and wisely diversified our holdings although quality and " near quality " names were obviously being snatched up by wise investors by the thousands.
 
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Bob....not only are you a great guy, you're blog post inspired me to buy the domain DiversifySmart.com to give to you. If you want an idea of how to monetize it just go to; SmartDiversification.com and that's just one way. Personally I've led a pretty diversified life so it stands to reason that I believe in diversification. With regards to the domain industry, my advice is NOT to diversify into areas you don't know or understand. For example, i don't have a clue about Crypto, Bitcoin, or Tech, and as such i avoid them. With regards to buying and selling of domains, i've never participated in an auction, or any of these drop/catch programs, thus I avoid them as well. Finally, i'm an "outbound" marketing sort of guy, and I plan to prove it to the industry, and myself. Thanks Bob

ps. I'll reach out to you about my ideas for "Diversify Smart":xf.smile:
 
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Diversifying is the real deal in life. In cryptocureency, in Countries IGR, in stocks etc. All eggs in one basket is hell though.
 
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When speaking of a well diversified domain portfolio, one should consider including blockchain domains. Currently there are 3 that seem to have the concentration of development (.eth, .crypto, handshake).

Blockchain domains are a great hedge against the centralized ICANN dictatorship. In addition, some protocols surrounding blockchain domains make them more advanced, secure and safe.

Blockchain domains are currently making progress in all areas. One specific area, its toughest hurdle for mainstream adoption, is for browser support. Recently, Opera resolves a .crypto blockchain domain just like any other domain.

Progress is growing rapidly and so is the amount of developers around web3 and blockchain domains.

Disclaimer: Not investment advice. I own a small amount of blockchain domains. Not enough to change a lifestyle, but enough to get a better understanding.
 
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Thanks everyone for the great comments!
my portfolio is rooted in my areas of expertise.
I think having specialty niches is better for a new investor if they know more about those areas. Then over the years of reading articles here and via domaining.com, slowly diversify.
Yes, as well as starting slow, expenditure wise, I agree that when starting out concentrate on just a few niches, that you understand, and then diversify as your portfolio and expertise grows, then is time to diversify as noted in following.
In hindsight too " should have " left a comfortable niche and widely and wisely diversified

Sound advice in following. I agree that before one invests anything, ask who you are as a domainer and how much money you can afford to invest, and possibly lose.
So remember these variables:
- Budget
- Level of Domainer. (Casual or full time?)

I'm starting to think we should treat each name like it's our only name.
This is one of the more insightful things I have seen in a few days. I think you have hit it on the nail. If we make sure that each individual acquisition is smart, the portfolio will take care of itself. Thank you.

I was surprised .net was slightly higher than .org as .net doesn't seem to have the in build audience .org has with non profits
Although keep in mind that it was based on multiple years. I suspect that a more recent time frame probably does show .org above, and as you say there also tends to be a price ceiling on most .org sales due to the dominant buyers (although not completely).

As of writing about 73% say they have a well diversified portfolio, higher than I would have expected.

Thanks to all who have shared their reflections in the comments.

Bob
 
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Thank you for the great article and poll. There's an old saying "don't put your eggs in one basket".
 
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Thanks everyone for the great comments!


Yes, as well as starting slow, expenditure wise, I agree that when starting out concentrate on just a few niches, that you understand, and then diversify as your portfolio and expertise grows, then is time to diversify as noted in following.


Sound advice in following. I agree that before one invests anything, ask who you are as a domainer and how much money you can afford to invest, and possibly lose.



This is one of the more insightful things I have seen in a few days. I think you have hit it on the nail. If we make sure that each individual acquisition is smart, the portfolio will take care of itself. Thank you.


Although keep in mind that it was based on multiple years. I suspect that a more recent time frame probably does show .org above, and as you say there also tends to be a price ceiling on most .org sales due to the dominant buyers (although not completely).

As of writing about 73% say they have a well diversified portfolio, higher than I would have expected.

Thanks to all who have shared their reflections in the comments.

Bob
Bob....not only are you a great guy, you're blog post inspired me to buy the domain DiversifySmart.com to give to you. If you want an idea of how to monetize it just go to; SmartDiversification.com and that's just one way. Personally I've led a pretty diversified life so it stands to reason that I believe in diversification. With regards to the domain industry, my advice is NOT to diversify into areas you don't know or understand. For example, i don't have a clue about Crypto, Bitcoin, or Tech, and as such i avoid them. With regards to buying and selling of domains, i've never participated in an auction, or any of these drop/catch programs, thus I avoid them as well. Finally, i'm an "outbound" marketing sort of guy, and I plan to prove it to the industry, and myself. Thanks Bob

ps. I'll reach out to you about my ideas for "Diversify Smart":xf.smile:
 
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As of writing about 73% say they have a well diversified portfolio, higher than I would have expected.

I suspect that many are diversified in one way or another. Whether its they have various tlds or names across a variety of industries, but I doubt few are diversified across many different dimensions. Take my small portfolio, I add in org io and co with com but is very tech centric and doesn't represent many different industries, while someone else may have lots of industries but is exclusively or almost so in com.
 
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Have owned domains since 1996 and back then through the very early 2000s' tended to acquire very niche-specific domains and established a non-diversified portfolio.

The names acquired were intended for rather small ( non-corporate or conglomerate ) type businesses - such as sole proprietors, serious hobbyists and the like.

The domain names for those entities really could be considered almost like " vanity plates ".

And we also used many of those same names for websites for advertisers or item sales related to the names.

As an aside and look back in time, oh man did I overprice those names early on - but leveled off to a sensible and saleable mid - upper xxxx range for most.

In hindsight too " should have " left a comfortable niche and widely and wisely diversified our holdings although quality and " near quality " names were obviously being snatched up by wise investors by the thousands.

Im curious as to your idea of regging in 1996, did you pick domains like apple.com or grape.com or did you just pick personal ones like myauntida.com? tyvm. :)
 
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Im curious as to your idea of regging in 1996, did you pick domains like apple.com or grape.com or did you just pick personal ones like myauntida.com? tyvm. :)

We were told in 1994 by a relative to buy domain names - which he well explained to us - however, my dense bone head did not absorb what he told us until '96. The relative said he had acquired a nice portfolio of names in '94, whatever that meant.

Finally bought a couple domains for personal website use in '96 ( we were early with a personal interest and a very large, well designed and illustrated website ) and wow, we were getting hundreds of visitors a day, then a couple thousand a day.

We acquired a few similar names for re-directs and potential sites and " offers to purchase " those names came flying in, literally.

Believe domains were $70. per name for a 2 year reg at that time so we were a bit cautious in reg hundreds of names.

I recall buying 2 hobby related names during an afternoon (140. to reg I believe) and that evening having an offer of 2000. each called in. Pretty good ROI.

That caller gave me a standing offer of 2k per name for any similar names I managed to acquire.

That was nice, however, I acquired and offered on sites similar hobby type names for extremely unreasonable 5 figure prices, decline other great mid/high 4 figure offers.

Some eventually sold for mid/high 4 figures and a few more I did sell at a " lowly " 2k to the standing offer buyer.

I gathered up a bunch of domains and believe me, it was laborious searching several times a day using large " copy and paste " lists. To secure a name it was fastest and best then to call the registrar and have our ever changing " personal rep " reg the names for us - that was a more certain method to lock in names than to reg online.

Most of the domains I acquired then were what I considered to be " renewal forgotten drops".

And got a few hostile calls and demands from their " former owners" but, hey.

Our early names tended to be related to micro areas of collecting/antiques, art, animals, designers, all intended for the serious hobbyist or small biz.

None as specific as " myauntida", a one person market, but micro markets that had low thousands of likely endusers.

In retrospect and with telescopic hindsight sure, I wish I had " listened " to the relative and acquired dozens of business names back then if were available.

Overall I was niche specific in early acquisitions and years later began acquiring more diverse names
although by the handful not by the truck load.
 
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We were told in 1994 by a relative to buy domain names - which he well explained to us - however, my dense bone head did not absorb what he told us until '96. The relative said he had acquired a nice portfolio of names in '94, whatever that meant.

Finally bought a couple domains for personal website use in '96 ( we were early with a personal interest and a very large, well designed and illustrated website ) and wow, we were getting hundreds of visitors a day, then a couple thousand a day.

We acquired a few similar names for re-directs and potential sites and " offers to purchase " those names came flying in, literally.

Believe domains were $70. per name for a 2 year reg at that time so we were a bit cautious in reg hundreds of names.

I recall buying 2 hobby related names during an afternoon (140. to reg I believe) and that evening having an offer of 2000. each called in. Pretty good ROI.

That caller gave me a standing offer of 2k per name for any similar names I managed to acquire.

That was nice, however, I acquired and offered on sites similar hobby type names for extremely unreasonable 5 figure prices, decline other great mid/high 4 figure offers.

Some eventually sold for mid/high 4 figures and a few more I did sell at a " lowly " 2k to the standing offer buyer.

I gathered up a bunch of domains and believe me, it was laborious searching several times a day using large " copy and paste " lists. To secure a name it was fastest and best then to call the registrar and have our ever changing " personal rep " reg the names for us - that was a more certain method to lock in names than to reg online.

Our early names tended to be related to micro areas of collecting/antiques, art, animals, designers, all intended for the serious hobbyist or small biz.

None as specific as " myauntida", a one person market, but micro markets that had low thousands of likely endusers.

In retrospect and with telescopic hindsight sure, I wish I had " listened " to the relative and acquired dozens of business names back then if were available.

Overall I was niche specific in early acquisitions and years later began acquiring more diverse names
although by the handful not by the truck load.
Awesome! ty for sharing. Always wondered how the forefathers of domaining were thinking. tyvm.
 
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We were told in 1994 by a relative to buy domain names - which he well explained to us - however, my dense bone head did not absorb what he told us until '96. The relative said he had acquired a nice portfolio of names in '94, whatever that meant.

Finally bought a couple domains for personal website use in '96 ( we were early with a personal interest and a very large, well designed and illustrated website ) and wow, we were getting hundreds of visitors a day, then a couple thousand a day.

We acquired a few similar names for re-directs and potential sites and " offers to purchase " those names came flying in, literally.

Believe domains were $70. per name for a 2 year reg at that time so we were a bit cautious in reg hundreds of names.

I recall buying 2 hobby related names during an afternoon (140. to reg I believe) and that evening having an offer of 2000. each called in. Pretty good ROI.

That caller gave me a standing offer of 2k per name for any similar names I managed to acquire.

That was nice, however, I acquired and offered on sites similar hobby type names for extremely unreasonable 5 figure prices, decline other great mid/high 4 figure offers.

Some eventually sold for mid/high 4 figures and a few more I did sell at a " lowly " 2k to the standing offer buyer.

I gathered up a bunch of domains and believe me, it was laborious searching several times a day using large " copy and paste " lists. To secure a name it was fastest and best then to call the registrar and have our ever changing " personal rep " reg the names for us - that was a more certain method to lock in names than to reg online.

Most of the domains I acquired then were what I considered to be " renewal forgotten drops".

And got a few hostile calls and demands from their " former owners" but, hey.

Our early names tended to be related to micro areas of collecting/antiques, art, animals, designers, all intended for the serious hobbyist or small biz.

None as specific as " myauntida", a one person market, but micro markets that had low thousands of likely endusers.

In retrospect and with telescopic hindsight sure, I wish I had " listened " to the relative and acquired dozens of business names back then if were available.

Overall I was niche specific in early acquisitions and years later began acquiring more diverse names
although by the handful not by the truck load.
WatchDogue....you sound like a really cool dude, and thanks for sharing. I noticed you bolded "if", and I've been known to use it over my lifetime, and to put it in perspective, when I used it in golf, "if I'd have just made that 2 foot putt", a buddy of mine would say, "for crying out loud, "if" my aunt had ba**s, she'd be my uncle":xf.rolleyes: Now that puts "if" in perspective.

Anyway, it sounds like you did far better than most in this industry, and my hat's off to you(y)
 
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I'm reminded on an episode of the CNBC show The Profit where Marcus went to this toy store called Sandra's Toys and they had printed on their sign our front their website santastoys dot net and even he was like wait...what? And helped them get the .com.

https://domainnamewire.com/2019/01/03/a-domain-name-lesson-on-cnbcs-the-profit/

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