question Age of a domain? Does it make a difference?

[Shashi]

I would like to know if holding a domain name for a long period say 10 years can increase it's value??I want to know about the short term and long term investment. I also wanna know if domain flipping is better than everything.

 

[Michael Ehrhardt]

I don’t like used ( aged ) domains they are second hand
I like new ( unused ) domains

No second hand

 

[Name Trader]

It depends on a lot of things. Will the domain be fashionable in another 10 years, or will it be out of fashion. Is it a brandable made up name or not? Is it a 3L or 4L .com? Is it a dictionary word? (then probably it's already going to cost a pretty penny). Will there even be domains in another 10 years (probably). Unless the domain you register today is in demand in 10 years time, it's still likely to be worth regfee. You have to have the skills and judgment to find domains for regfee today, which will mature into valuable domains. It's not everybody's cup of tea.

You need skills to be a flipper and make money also. Best bet is 4L, 5L, maybe 6L, which can be read out loud, without spelling mistakes.

If you invest in dictionary words at a bargain price, then there are chances you can flip them for a profit, in the short to medium term.

There are a lot of things to consider for such a simple question. You need the required skills to be a flipper or long term holder of a domain. Your talent is probably the most likely thing which would cause you to make money or go bust. It isn't just a matter of holding a domain for 10 years and all your paths are paved with gold.

 

[nitg16]

If you know a niche that people are ignoring today and you are farsighted enough to predict (or research) a growth in next 5-10 years, then holding a domain name may prove profitable in long term.

However, domain age itself means nothing.

If there is a domain name that is worthless today and nobody registered it so far and then suddenly a new tech arrives making the domain extremely valuable, then you can make top dollar on it. How old is the domain name won't matter here, you may very well register it today and sell tomorrow.

In any case, end users should't reject a domain based on its age. All they will look for is its value, brandability and relevance to their niche.

 

[garptrader]

When I search for expiring domains at Godaddy auctions I do use an age filter. Of course even the age filter does not give you a nice pretty list of quality domains. Most of those expiring ten -year old domains are still worthless. However if someone renewed a name for ten years there is a greater chance that it was worth renewing than a list of newbie handregs from last year. Portfolio turn in this industry is in the one percent range so passively waiting for inbound offers is not likely going to result in a sale for an individual domain in year one. Even with ten solid names it may take a decade just to generate an attractive offer on one domain.

 

[golan]

I'm always amazed to see people giving the age any weight. In SEO market, indeed the age of a domain means a lot. But in the name market - who cares? I'm yet to hear at least one reasonable explanation.

 

[Ategy]

No ... and Yes .. lol

Technically from an SEO point of view it makes little difference if the domain was registered but never used.

If it was used, then it could hold certain SEO benefits of backlinks .. and more importantly regardless of SEO .. existing backlinks can bring you traffic.

But as for sheer domain value there are valid points on both sides ...

On the wholesale (liquid) level, many domainers do indeed give weight to age .. not so much for the actual age .. but more for the probabilities that ages brings. If a domain has been registered for ages then there's a much higher chance of it being a good domain for the simple reason it was good enough for someone to keep renewing it year after year. But ultimately there are tons of people out there who register and renew absolutely garbage and worthless domains for 10, 15 and even 20 years! So while a domain's age can help you find better domains .. it in ZERO way means a domain is actually good in any way. Most aged domains are garbage .. it's just that on a percentage basis they are likely to be less garbage than younger/hand-reg domains. That being said .. there are still many domainers who think age is important .. so that fact in itself does make age a factor on the wholesale level (regardless as to if it should be or not). So yes .. and no.

On the end user (retail) level. I doubt it really matters much. The only reason it might matter is if it's used as a sales tactic to market the domain and the end user believes age is important (when it actually isn't). In some cases age might indirectly come into play where a domain has been taken for ages and end users actually have been wanting it .. so when it finally does become available for sale there is better edmand for it than younger domains. But again .. this is a trend that comes with age .. not an absolute rule in any way and it definitely is only true in a minority of better quality aged domains. So again .. no and yes.


At the end of the day I think it's ok to give a little weight to domain age when looking to buy domains .. but in no way should you ever buy any domain simply because it is aged. But if it can be the difference if deciding between buying OrangeDog.com and PurpleDog.com if one is 1 years old and the other is 21 years old. But even in that case it's entirely possible the 1 year old domain is the one that will sell for more and sell faster.

Remember that each domain is unique .. so be sure to do your research or deep thought/debate before buying any domain!

 

[Kate]

The topic has been debated countless times over here you know.
In short, age is a bonus, it doesn't make a domain valuable. Although history, SEO, possible residual traffic stemming from past development etc can add some value.

There is a correlation between age and value because most valuable domains are aged. On the other hand there are many aged domains that aren't great at all. Even in 1993 lots of people were not giving much thought about the quality of the domain name, beyond the strictly practical purpose.