question How can I tell if a domain is Premium or High Quality

[Kim Hanks]

Hi! Im learning the biz and am wondering what makes a domain premium? What makes it high quality?
I have 140 domains and im trying to figure this part out.

Looking forward to your advice!

K

 

[hawkeye]

This was posted on Rick's Blog today - A good domain name is easy to remember. a GREAT domain name is hard to forget.

 

[Dave]

Let me give you a cold hard truth. 99.9% of domains are worthless.

The key is finding those 0.01% that have some value.

Here are the most important questions to ask yourself when it comes to buying domain names.

"Would I name my own company, product or service this name?"

OR

"Could I use this domain name for promotional or marketing purposes?"

If the answer to both above questions is NO then it's likely your domain has little or no value.

Always ask yourself those questions before buying a domain name.

 

[biggie]

Hi! Im learning the biz and am wondering what makes a domain premium? What makes it high quality?
I have 140 domains and im trying to figure this part out.

Looking forward to your advice!

K

Hi Kimfter

just wondering


how did you go about accumulating 140 domain names, without pondering this question earlier.

imo...

 

[YourBestTrader]

I do beginner domainer coaching... here are a few tips on getting into the game:

1. Buy Correctly
Remember, you never make money when you sell something. You always make money when you buy it correctly. Read those sentences again. They are critical. There is no money to be made on a domain that is not valuable, or that you've paid too high a price for. This leads us to the next point...

2. Get Educated
In many ways, your self-education is a far more valuable an asset than your domain portfolio. And this goes for most pro domainers. What they hold in their minds is worth far more than what they hold in their registrars. For you can always lose a business or empire, but with what is in your mind... you can get it back. Given the choice of one or the other... the wise will go with education every time!

3. Specialize
There are well over 20 categories of domain... here are just a few of the more popular ones:

EASIER
Liquid Domains (LLL, LLLL, etc.)
Brandable Domain
Discoverable Domain
Dictionary Domain
Exact Match Domain (EMD)

HARDER
Geographical Exact Match Domain (gEMD)
Adult Domains
County Code (ccTLD)
Domain Hacks
Emoji, Pinyin, & IDN Domains
First Names & Last Names
Geodomain (Country, State, City, Suburb, etc.)
New Generic (New gTLD)
Numeric Domains
Partial Match Domain (PMD)
Phrase Domains
Seasonal Domains
Ultra-Short Domains
True Premium

I've separated them into in what is "in my opinion" the easy ones for a beginner to start understanding and profiting on, and the other types which to me seem more specialist and with less clear or harder to learn "rules". Which brings us to the next part.

4. Rules
Each category has it's own floor prices and evaluation rules to determine the optimal buy and sell prices. You will need to immerse yourself in the chosen category and get familiar with all of the jargon and peculiarities around that specific category.

For example with Exact Match domains many find the Rosener formula helpful in determining potential value:

For .com domains: Search Volume X Cost Per Click X 12 X 0.33
For .net & .org domains: Search Volume X Cost Per Click X 12 X 0.33 / 10

Remember that the formula doesn't give you the domain sales price, but an indication of potential value, especially when comparing multiple domains.

Another example of a category would be the Liquid Domains category where for example you would learn about various configurations of 4 letter .coms and how the ones without AEIOUV are known as Chinese Premiums or Chips and are far more valuable than their counterparts... which are also valuable, just for being 4 letter .coms. And how the pronouncable ones are Western Premiums... and even the remainder have decent floor prices. And then you dive deeper and learn that certain letter combinations are more in demand both in patterns, and in which letters are used specifically.

And then there the "brandables", which seem to be gaining strength as there are more start-ups and trending niches than ever before, and more and more sites catering to them. Which takes us to the final point.

5. Marketing
You should never buy a domain unless you have a clear idea of who you are marketing it to, and how you are getting in front of them.

Some people are targeting very specific niches and reach out to them by cold calling companies they see ranking in Google or spending on Ad spend. Others are using various tools to email massive lists of companies that are either in the same niche, or have a related domain name.

Others use facebook groups, linkedin groups, skype groups, and online forums like this one to network and promote their domains.

Others list their domains for sale on auction sites like Sedo, Godaddy, Flippa, Ebay, and many others.

There are also many marketplaces best suited to each category, for example for brandables many would try and get exposure by listing on BrandBucket, BrandRoot, BrandPa, or Namerific for example.

Personally I think the number one neglected thing people should be doing but aren't is having a decent landing page on each domain... a large percent of sales come from people just typing in your domain to see if it is available.

I also personally list my domain on over 100 marketplaces because in this world exposure is a large part of the battle.

6. Bonus Point
The strongest tip I can give besides deeply familiarising yourself with the industry by reading all the blogs, and studying Namebio, etc. would be to try and find a mentor or coach. Obviously if you have a friend who makes good bank doing domaining... try and pick up as much as you can from them.

Make friends with as many people in the industry as you can, and they don't have to be in the top 10 domainers worldwide... just doing better than you... then you can learn from them.

Feel free to reach out to myself or anyone on the forum that sounds like they know a little more than you do, and ask questions... most of us are just happy to pass on some good advice.

Don't be put off when I said I do beginner domainer coaching... I'm happy to give free advice. The coaching is really for people who need that something extra, and not just a few pointers in the right direction.

Stick with it, don't be discouraged... when you make your first 1,000+% profit it will all be worth it.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

While the list off all time top sales kindly provided by @1Darko is a good guide to super premium, do keep in mind that some of the sales in the list go back as long ago as 1999 and the majority are a number of years ago. While single memorable words with high positive impact remain in vogue, there are changes in trends over the decade.

By the way one really nice feature of the list as pasted by @1Darko is that you can click on each name and go to the NameBio record for it which shows characteristics and stats like CPC etc. for the term. Very helpful!

Looking at the top sales of 2018 e.g. at DNJournal or NameBio (the lists are not exactly the same) will probably give a better feeling for what is currently considered super premium.

However, for most of us, while it is fun to look at 6 and 7 figure sales, a more realistic view of premium names we might hope to own is a bit less exclusive. I find it helpful to look at the say last month of NameBio sales, order it in terms of price, and see what has sold in the top 30 or 40 of that list. This is still a pretty exclusive list, but a bit more own to earth.

Bob

 

[xynames]

But the point being - it’s hard to put into words exactly. Time and experience may show the way!

 

[hawkeye]

Imo...you know that it is a great domain name when you will immediately renew it 8 years in advance after you get it, lol.

I'm sorry but this makes no sense. Anyone can 'immediately renew' a domain for 8 years, or 10 years just because they may 'think' they have a great domain, but that does not make it a great domain! It just means someone 'thinks' their name is great. (As so many domainers do of their domains.)

 

[Fancy.domains]

You’ll have to learn what kind of names that sell, and for how much. Some tools and websites you can learn a lot from:

PREVIOUS REPORTED SALES

- Namebio.com
- Dnpric.es

DOMAIN AUCTIONS

- Namepros auctions
- GoDaddy auctions
- Namejet auctions
- Sedo auctions

Estibot.com is a good tool for checking data such as search volume etc, but don’t focus too much on the appraisal itself.

 

[MapleDots]

This was posted on Rick's Blog today - A good domain name is easy to remember. a GREAT domain name is hard to forget.

HeHe.... from Rick its more like....

If it's not a .com it sucks

If its a .com its terrible because you don't know how to pick your ass much less a domain.

If it's a one word .com its pretty good

If it's one of my domain (as in Ricks) it has to be great

Everybody else can just go fuck themselves

Hey... I'm just quoting on that last sentence

Ps. I make no claims to the accuracy of this post it is purely made for it's entertainment value

 

[MapleDots]

One more question. Does anybody post a list of your domain portfolio on your webpage for all the world to see or is this just weird?

Not weird, good business

Then attach it in your signature for some free advertising

 

[ecomslice]

Past Comparable Sales Data - Recent Comparable Sales Data - Trend Growth within Keywords

and by comparable, I mean the same words, same spelling, no hunches , were new, so were probably wrong.

 

[Dave]

Beginners please stop acquiring hundreds of domains before pondering this question. You are likely throwing money down the drain.

 

[Kpett]

Thanks for sharing your names @Kim Hanks - I have found the Estibot values are higher when there is traffic to the domain - whether the domain used to be a website and still has backlinks, or is so popular of a name (or great keywords) people type it in - that will give you higher Estibot value. GoDaddy Value does not look at traffic at all - just keywords and recent sales on GoDaddy platform.

Out of my first hundred or so domain names I hand-registered a few years ago, some I still have (I know, I shouldn't be attached ... but I think they will be worth something some day), some I sold (I use landers on my own domain sales website and received offers), some I sold on Flippa (and some I paid for Flippa listing but never sold - even more in the hole), sold a few through outbound emails, but since most weren't that valuable to start with I mostly didn't get any responses. The rest I either sold for peanuts here on NP or let expire. I had a bunch in .net and .io - some of the .io ones were successful. But I only now deal in .com.

From the money I made on the ten or so I sold for profit, I re-invested in names through dropcatch or GoDaddy auction that met my criteria of having a GoDaddy value over 2500 and could be used for some sort of business or website - have been much more successful with those. I think in the last year I only hand-regged a few names - only because I found them to have a possible business attached to them.

For your names, obviously wedding/clothes/com is your best name by far, and of course my/blog/post/com is also a good aged name. I'm guessing you bought these in auction somewhere so you have more of an investment in these. These are your high quality domains. I think the rest you would have a hard time re-selling to domain investors or even on Flippa or Afternic waiting for a buyer. Some look to have good possibilities if a website was built on them - I think that is where you might be able to get something back more than you spent. And, of course, you have to keep the ones that are your name!

Hope this helps ... good luck!

 

[alcy]

you cant really tell this unless you spend countless hours of learnign and experience in domaining.. that means reading forums... checking namebio sales.. etc..

its a process.. like everything else in life.. and domaining is exactly opposite of quick and easy succcess or money.

gl

 

[Brands.International]

Imo...you know that it is a great domain name when you will immediately renew it 8 years in advance after you get it, lol.

If you hesitate to spend your money on renewals, it is clear indication that domain is, at best, the mediocre quality.

As usually, money talks

 

[Brands.International]

I'm sorry but this makes no sense. Anyone can 'immediately renew' a domain for 8 years, or 10 years just because they may 'think' they have a great domain, but that does not make it a great domain! It just means someone 'thinks' their name is great. (As so many domainers do of their domains.)

Believe me, it makes sense.

If there would be a rule that you can keep domain only if you renew it 8 years in advance, average people would do so much better...instead of having hundreds of crap domain names, they would only have few, but those few would bring them much more profit after all

 

[hawkeye]

I do it for my best domain names - when I get some good name, I am usually renewing it 7-8 years in advance...so this is my reality

That's fine...for you. But the OP didn't ask for 'your reality', she was asking for the industry's reality. And as your reality isn't standard for everyone, it's not the advice she was looking for.

 

[wormfood]

step 1 : check if name is developed in other extensions or similar domains in .com
http://www.isofol.it/
http://www.isofolmedical.com/
step 2 : squat on this unique brand name, tell yourself it's a premium brand name
step 3 : "do outbound"
step 4 : wait
step 5 : report sale here and get lots of congratulations
https://www.namepros.com/threads/report-completed-domain-name-sales-here.83628/page-650#post-6927132

 

[Kim Hanks]

Hi Kimfter

just wondering


how did you go about accumulating 140 domain names, without pondering this question earlier.

imo...

Hiya! I started out as a webmaster buying domains for my sites, then moved into buying names I to use as affiliate pages. Some of them came to me from a portfolio I bought.... Working now on how to flip the ones i have and hunt for ones that could be a profitable flip.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Hi @KimHanks and welcome to NPs! I agree with @MapleDots that it is not weird and in general good practice to post your entire set of names on your site. The names that sell are often hard to predict in this inexact science, so I have never believed in listing a few of your best and saying contact us for other possibilities. Also, unless it is under lock or offer or you are planning development, it should have a lander. Otherwise how will people find it?

Re what makes a premium name, a big question that books can be written about, by my short answer is that it is memorable, unique (i.e. not alternatives of similar quality available to the end user), positive, valuable to one or more end users as a significant improvement over what they have now or could have from others, and feels special, not just to you but to a group of non-domain people you would ask for reactions.

Best wishes for success!

Bob

 

[Kpett]

Hi Kim-
One thing you can check (and many hear don't agree with this approach ... because it is automated), is to run each of your domain names through the GoDaddy Domain Name Value and Appraisal. Sure there is no online (or any other) appraisal that is going to tell you how much you can sell your domain names for, but at least this one will tell you whether you have a name that may be worth something (based on similar names that have sold on GoDaddy) versus being in the other 99% where you have 'brandables" or other names with bad keywords, etc.

Once you run each of the 140 names you have through the GoDaddy appraisal, how many of them come back with a number over $2,500?

Anything under that, I have found, means there is no current market for the name and you will need to work hard to get it sold for any profit - even if it says $1,500 - there are thousands of names that come back like that but aren't really marketable.

If you have names that might have future potential and you want to hold on to them for a while, that is different. There are many here who buy names on speculation - early bitcoin name investors immediately come to mind - that have made money on names that aren't worth much when first purchased, but gain in value based on popularity of the keyword/name.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Great answer @YourBestTrader with good advice for all of us!

Thanks @Kim Hanks for sharing your list with Estibot and GoValue estimates for each domain. My first piece of advice would be to divide you names into categories to prioritize your selling efforts.
A - quality domain name with many potential buyers
B - good, but some hesitation either re number potential buyers or not quite as good in quality
C - someone might want this name, but whether it sells is doubtful
D - something negative re the domain name, or so specialized hard to see it selling
F - what was I thinking! (or a name that might have been good for personal development but not general sales)

The list will help guide your renewals (A and B should be renewed probably, while F and D not, and probably most C not unless you have had contact re the name in the year.

If you do not already. I would make sure that those in A and B list (at least) have good landers and are on marketplaces (I think they are on Flippa already). Do the same for C ASAP and maybe a few D ones later.

Re your names, here are some thoughts on a few.

Both GV and Esti like WeddingClothes a lot and I agree it is a good name. Best of luck with it.

I see you have a number of .io. Proportionately the extension sells well, but mainly in short single words and acronyms. Also the majority of ales are on .io, at least the reported ones, so finding a place to sell them is more challenging. With the high renewal only keep your best in this category.

While the golden era of webinars are maybe a few years in the past, I like your name BlueWebinar quite a bit. It feels fresh and interesting to me. If you have not already done so, for names like this use NameBio to research past sales with the words 'blue' (a lot!) and 'webinar' (quite a few). I expect you already use NameBio regularly but in case you need help I published on NameTalent an intro guide to using NameBio. The second in the series, out any day now, will look at compound words.

I like ComedyGrade (com) a lot too. Maybe for a comedian performer site, agency, etc.?
I also would place PaymentHut (com) in B or A category.
Even with hyphen green-lawyer (com) is nice.
Net is not as popular as a few years ago, but still some good sales and PlumberPlanet (net) has a nice sound and is memorable.

While the rate of sales of ngTLDs continue to lag .com/.org, There is a market for those that have a good match between two sides of the dot. From your list I liked WeddingDesign(services), WeddingPlans (app) although this extension crazily over-speculated, WeddingCakes(shop), TheGreen(club), etc. Even though I like them, the vast majority of sales in ngTLD are in single word or acronym left of the dot.

I like WeddiingMaker(co) but with renewal probably would not renew if you have not had any offers on it. Same comment re FamilyPet(co).

A few others like ShutUp(club) are cute not sure overall feeling on saleability. Someone might like it.

About those 'poop' domains.... hmmm. For me they would be F.

This is probably showing my ignorance of some current trend (I am a senior) but I noticed you have 'squne' in several iterations. What does it mean?

Anyway, the very best of luck with the portfolio. I truly hope you will have some great sales.

Bob

Edit: I meant to add that I like the name glamour(boutique) a lot [not that glamour applies to me personally ). I can definitely see a shop having interest in the name if you can only connect with them.

 

[Kim Hanks]

This was posted on Rick's Blog today - A good domain name is easy to remember. a GREAT domain name is hard to forget.

Very true! Thanks

 

[Brands.International]

If is a 'big' word. And not one that deals with reality.

I do it for my best domain names - when I get some good name, I am usually renewing it 7-8 years in advance...so this is my reality Some people can argue that is is unnecessary lockup of the capital, but it prevents me from loosing my good names, and it allocates my money to correct places and prevents me from sending good money after bad money (aka renewing crappy names). It is better to have 3 good names then 3000 bad ones which never sell. Just imo.