EMD vs brandable - Why prefer one over other?

I am often stuck with the decision of whether to go with an EMD or go for a brandable name. In both cases, I hardly know who would be my buyer, but have an idea of the niche in which I would be finding my buyer.

For example, when I come across names like StockMarketNews.com versus Stockify.com or similar names, and have a limited budget to spend, how do I make a decision to bend one way or the other.

Similarly, imagine a name like AccreditedLoans.com versus Loansify or Loanify or Borrowly, I get confused on which one to go for.

Although these are only examples, I am often struck at a crossroads as in both these cases, I know that the buyer would potentially be from the finance industry but who would it be? And why would they go for the brandable or the EMD when they can come up with their own brandable and buy something else.

How do you make such a decision when you have limited funds and what parameters do you consider in these cases?

 

In my opinion, if you buy a domain with the purpose of reselling, I think it's best to go for emd. Users would normally type in the exact words search engines and on the browser search bar.

If you are buying a brandable domain for making a website out of it and the price is cheaper than the emd, then go for the brandable. You have to work hard creating quality content to make your brandable name a type in, ex: Google and Yahoo. The top 5 sites are brandable names.

 

Agree with above. EMD will always have intrinsic value for SEOs, while brand variants don't.

Of course, if you get a buyer that absolutely must have Stockify, they will pay way more than a goofy SEO will pay for stockmarketnews.com. I never quite got that line of thinking, but that's just me.

But if launching your own site, go with a brand that also includes a bit of keyword. That's usually my gameplan.

Also, personal opinion, I suspect EMDs that are a bit too goofy won't necessarily work forever. Too many words or too niche. EMDs work great for local SEO but when you get too large of a niche it may be better just to have a good brand to build up.

 

I just had to check it. I have stocksmarketnews.com if you are interested. About your question I prefer to register EMD. I think my ratio EMD / brandable is like 85/15. For example one of my last brandable is a .co which .eu extension was sold for $1.770 and 1.250 years later. So i like the name (i could even use it if someday i create a company) and with the .eu reference sales (.eu is very lower valued compared to .co) i decided to buy it.

 

Beginners should stick with EMD's (real emd's, PizzaEat ShoppingGoing, RespairsACar etc. are not real EMD's)

 

Sorry, but I don't think "stocks market news" is an EMD. "Stock market news" sure.

Brad

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Totally Context dependent.

HomeLoans and MortGageRefinance are great EMDs
ColostomyBags, not so much, even if it has commercial value

 

As a domainer lower tier brandable domains are good to own if you are deploying a volume based strategy i.e 1%-2% STR based on holding 1500+ close outs like Voyosa.com etc priced at $1295 to $3495. Premium brandables like Loanify.com or iLoan.com for example will be costly to acquire even at wholesale valuations due to their naming conventions. Such names will sell for $xx,xxx or more retail.

EMD domains organically affect CTR and signal user intent. In general the more popular/relevant the search term(in English) combined with actual usage (domains with the search term included in the full domain)...the harder and more costly the EMD is to acquire at both wholesale and retail levels.

Personally, I would own Loanify.com vs AccreditedLoans.com because research into domain valuation characteristics like search volume and tlds taken show more usage/demand with Loanify. Now if it was Loanify.com Vs CashLoans.com for example I would pick the latter due to it's superior popularity in search, more tlds taken etc.

Businesses buy both types of domains but what is important is understanding the EMD or brandable as a whole. If the niche is the same than the only differentiating factor would be the quality of the domain. You will never know who/what/where they come from or what stage they are in the lifecycle of their business unless they tell you explicitly....in reality all that matters is that they need your domain.

My suggestion to you would be to research valuation characteristics for domains and then create your own specific criteria from that. Use this criteria for every domain you buy and try not to deviate from it. By doing so you will always maintain a standard of quality. This way every purchase you make won't be a "scattershot" and will have a meaning/method behind it and decisions like what you are facing now become much easier to deal with.

 

It depends on the brand direction, a brand that wants to be seen as a professional and serious company is a better fit for an EMD while a more fun and modern brand can go for a brandable.

 

The vast majority of pure brandables, especially made-up types (like Voyosa, Stockify, Borrowly) are rather hit-and-miss, with a generally lower-than-average STR, for obvious reasons. That does not apply to premium brandables, of course.

I personally focus primarily (but not exclusively, maybe 90% of my portfolio) on 2-word brandcentic types; domains comprised of two widely-used keywords (in most cases), that would make highly-memorable brands within their field. A few examples of combinations could include:

BeautyConnect
TrueBuild
TotalConcepts
AtlasHealth
ClickPet
EtherBit
WorldOcean
EasyQuote
BridgeCare
PeakCapital

The recognition factor and, often, potential useage, is usually wider/higher - especially when one of the keywords clearly decribes the field/area you are tarketing (ex. Health, Beauty, Capital, Care etc.).

 

I get it. It is for reselling/investment purposes only. But let's say I buy StockMarketNews, should I sit out there and wait.
In brandables, I definitely will have to wait as there are no avenues to outbound.

I think the correlation between a name being sold in another extension and the same getting sold in the extension you own (unless it's the big 3 - .COM, NET ORG) is very less.

MAkes sense. But what would be those parameters and how do you think I get to that? There are of course the general searches, local searches, cpc etc. But what else?

 

Appending Word comparable sales
Prepending word comparable sales
TLDs Taken
Long term relevancy i.e obsolete or relevant
Google trend i.e trending or falling
industry market capitalization ex insurance vs farming
ETC

Build your own criteria. Everyone takes time to find what works for them but as long as they are relevant characteristics you will be in a much better position than you are in now. DNAcademy would be a good place to start if you want to break it down to a science. Over the years I went from looking at only 5 criteria to over 20+ before any acquisition. You will fine tune your preferences as you become a better domainer.

 

Numerous pivotal decisions need to be made when you first start building your company’s marketing strategy and online presence, and choosing the name of your website is one of the most important. Since it’ll probably be the first impression of your brand that customers will encounter.
But the decision rests largely on whether an exact match domain or branded domain is a better fit for your business.
There are several factors to take into account when deciding on a domain name. On one hand, taking into consideration technical elements like SEO and Google algorithms is crucial. At the same time, the appeal of your brand name are also significant.

• I hope it can help you. If you have any questions, please feel free to communicate
  

 

Thank you for your sensible advice. I will check out the DNAcademy course. I have heard good things about the course.