strategy How To Sell Developed Domain Names?

[redemo]

@NamePros I can't find a thread section called " Developing and Selling Developed Domain Names " but I think it would be a good section to start so we can share general ideas, strategies and tactics. I have developed many domain names but never tried to sell a developed domain name yet. This is a post about the whole process of buying domain names, developing domain names and selling developed domain names. Cheers.

 

[biggie]

Hi

a developed domain name, is called a website

Websites For Sale - NamePros

imo....

 

[scithe]

I think the thing is, websites are worth money for their content and I imagine if the name is decent/fitting then that is a good selling point. If you are buying a website where people come to talk about fishing and it's got an active community with 10 years worth of content, it doesn't matter if that's at fishing.com or fishingisfun.com.

but I think just those two domain names have vastly different values for just the domain alone.

 

[Eric Lyon]

• A painting starts on a canvas
• A house starts on a foundation (land)
• A website starts on a domain.

No matter what is created, the start factor will always remain the key element.

• Canvas
• Foundation (land)
• Domain

With that in mind, it's also easier to digest that the value of each start factor will go up in association to what is designed, built, developed, etc. On it.

The more genuine value the product, service, information, or association has, the greater the value of the start factor rises, too.

While traffic is one factor in a developed domain value total, you have to consider all the other valuing factors in association to the start factor, or in this case, the domain.

As I've said for many years, it's nice when a domain can pay it's own renewals and the cherry on top if it brings profits exceeding overhead maintenance costs.

Perspective would be 10 years renewals x a discounted $9 renewal cost = $90 x 10 domains = $900.

Larger portfolio holders may look more like 10 years renewals x a discounted $9 renewal cost = $90 x 100 domains = $9,000

I'm using 10 years as a general aging and market shift target. Most times, it can take 20 to 30 years to mature as a trend or niche going viral. And even more common, no amount of time helps value rise.

At least with developments on a core start factor, any investment can be influenced to generate revenue with more time and investment into it.

The biggest killer of developed domain assets is spam score and scam reports.

Any startup with a decent investigative acquisitions team will take note of that and immediately look at alternatives.

Those types of reports/scores can set back a companies launch by months or even years trying to get off blacklists, supplemental indexes, etc. Not to mention, the scam association to the domain on 3rd party report sites could devastate any chance of a new business building trust in their respective markets.

In short, developing a domain can hurt a domain forever or increase its value and authority. It can be a tightrope walk at times trying not to tip too far to one side and lose balance.

That's just my opinion anyways.

What works for one may not work for others.

 

[Eric Lyon]

I think the thing is, websites are worth money for their content and I imagine if the name is decent/fitting then that is a good selling point. If you are buying a website where people come to talk about fishing and it's got an active community with 10 years worth of content, it doesn't matter if that's at fishing.com or fishingisfun.com.

but I think just those two domain names have vastly different values for just the domain alone.

Exactly... the evaluation variables of a domain can sometimes differ greatly from that of a developed domain asset.

For example (example 1 & 3 is only accessible to VIP, Pro, and Gold members):

Example 1: common domain evaluation variables - https://www.namepros.com/threads/ve...m-chicveg-com-56-others.1247946/#post-8397883

Example 2: common developed domain evaluation variables - https://www.namepros.com/threads/se...tateclipart-com-website.1133855/#post-7216914

Example 3: common spam/scam scored domain evaluation variables: https://www.namepros.com/threads/in...eld-guru-websitehost-io.1250047/#post-8394863

Everyone evaluates differently, but these should give an idea to some following this discussion and not sure what variables are being looked at sometimes.

At the end of the day, a domain is really only worth what a buyer and seller agree on.

 

[lock]

The thread section is general and the post is "how to sell developed domain names" carry on. This is it.

 

[FranckJ]

I think the thing is, websites are worth money for their content and I imagine if the name is decent/fitting then that is a good selling point. If you are buying a website where people come to talk about fishing and it's got an active community with 10 years worth of content, it doesn't matter if that's at fishing.com or fishingisfun.com.

but I think just those two domain names have vastly different values for just the domain alone.

Last month, I sold a Fishing site (mainly gear reviews) and a Fishing domain.
My intention was to upgrade the site's domain name with this much better domain but finally I didn't want to wait the end of domain migration (and possibly a fail in it) so I list both separately for sale.

Each sold for $10k+.
The site itself would never reached $20k+.

I agree with the statement that a developed domain is a website and so a different asset. I personally managed both assets differently.
Only if you are at some level the domain name will add value to a site.

There's no such 'developped domain' asset

 

[Eric Lyon]

@Eric Lyon You have a very good insight into this. Here's some questions if someone is looking to buy a domain name and finds a professional website (related to the domain name) hosted on it, and upon further investigation the domain name's spam score is zero or very low, will they be dissuaded from buying the domain name because there's no blank canvas?

That's hard to say without knowing the buyers market being targeted and evaluating a specific niche asset. However, a domain having no spam score or scam reports on it is definitely the type of asset that has less leverage to drive its value down by an acquisitions team.

Some prefer a blank canvas they can build out over time and others like to Jumpstart a new brands quick launch with preexisting traffic, email lead capturing, asset age, Etc..

Next if a domainer has a portfolio of 1000 names and I come up with a way they can each earn all reg fees over a year is it a commercially viable service?

Hard to say, again, without knowing more about each asset, niche, market, competition, keyword research, monetization options, demand, etc...

However, yes, it is possible to develop small 5 to 10 page service or digital download sites for keyword terms that have less competition and easier to index on page 1 for lower searched terms (e.g. 500 to 2000 per mo.) And be able to cover 1 yr renewal on the domains.

Is the time invested to get a site up with unique content and possibly some 3rd party sem campaigns to get it started worth it?

that's going to be different for everyone. Some have enough html, css, php, or cms experience to cut overhead costs and quickly pump out 1 to 5 sites per day, as well as sem experience to kick off a free or cheap campaign that starts to convert in the first 30 days.

Others will have to hire a designer, developer, marketer, etc.. to get things going. This could make it less feasible to build a network of sites on a shoestring budget and will definitely take longer to earn back what you put into it.

in most cases revenue developments fail, even with experience in building, designing, and marketing online businesses.

Not everyone's a winner and what works for one may not work for another.

I'm talking about mini sites related to the name with a variety of monetisation methods including lead gen forms, affiliate ads, and other methods depending on the name, subject and associated high volume keywords. Cheers.

This is from back in 2017, but it might lend a few more monetization ideas to consider: https://www.namepros.com/threads/do...options-limitless-revenue-potentials.1032079/

 

[Peak.Domains]

How do you price developed domain names?

It depends on a number of factors, obviously, but a decently put-together affiliate or display ad site can bring in around 30-40x of its average monthly earnings. In your example above, a site that's making $250 per month ought to be able to fetch you around $7500, give or take.

 

[biggie]

A website still resides on a domain name.
Change the domain name of a developed site and its worth far less imo.
Therefore a developed website is also a developed domain name as opposed to an undeveloped domain name which is a web page.

Hi

over the years, there are have been notable instances where companies/ services, etc have changed their domain name and in many cases that change was an upgrade to a shorter domain or from a non dot com extension to dot com.

so, your imo, is invalid as far as depreciation of value is concerned.

though it's possible the name had a website in the past,
when the domain name was/has changed from the initial domain used to develop the website
then in the majority of times, the replacement domain, was not a developed domain.

imo...

 

[mr-x]

Now the domain all of a sudden loses all merit and it becomes about how much traffic it generates. Buyer attempts to beat you down over current earnings not potential and expects the numbers of searches generated automatically like they think it is a given Or is a great looking brand but unless under spot light it flies under radar and you're getting low balled.

Includes in a quote from estibot or a sales thread on namepros.

 

[mr-x]

Change foundation to Land and you have a better domain analogy

 

[lock]

When that is done using paid traffic it becomes more and more about the earnings. Why part with something that pays for itself without work. You need to not just earn a few months but prove a few years earnings then after making so many you get disheartened over a newbie flogging a couple of brands big money no work in first year. I am not going to argue that somehow the domainer that does less goes further but i tend to just cause myself problems trying to do too much.

 

[redemo]

Take off the binoculars you're seeing pixels.

Done. Just for you.

 

[FranckJ]

There's no such formula. Every site is a different business.
Is there a common formula to value a drugstore in India and a design agency in London?

 

[lock]

Domain selling and discussion covers websites really as i can make the crappiest name in world more popular just with work as a web site over domains with merit. Work over rules everything.

 

[lock]

Take off the binoculars you're seeing pixels.

 

[redemo]

Why part with something that pays for itself without work.

My general reason for selling a developed domain name (website) that makes money would be let's say it earns $ 250 monthly and somebody (who has bigger ideas or more experience in the subject) offers $ 5000 well then I don't have to wait 20 months for $ 5000. Also I might have other more profitable sites that take the same time to maintain.

 

[lock]

Hehe thought you (Avatar not actions) were a monkey. Now see the tail.

 

[Eric Lyon]

Change foundation to Land and you have a better domain analogy

Land, blank tablet of paper, blank pages of a book, etc...

Exactly... everything has a starting point in which value sits upon.

Updated post

 

[lock]

Now the domain all of a sudden loses all merit and it becomes about how much traffic it generates. Buyer attempts to beat you down over current earnings not potential and expects the numbers of searches generated automatically like they think it is a given Or is a great looking brand but unless under spot light it flies under radar and you're getting low balled.

 

[lock]

I think there is such a formula and I intend to find it. First let us estsblish that a developed website, that being an established website, has value and that value is determined by its features. Next we need to identify these features. What are they?

Traffic

Search ranking

Topic

Content

Backlinks

Social shares

Income

Assets (social media)

Contracts

Software

Theme development

Programming

Any others?

My sites will rank your site or hosted domains i have a dozen similar sites. I am messing around with my appraisal sites and scripts at present.

 

[redemo]

I found something very interesting. https://flippa.com/blog/how-much-is-my-website-worth/.

 

[redemo]

It's been moved by @NamePros to Domain Selling and Domain Sales. https://www.namepros.com/forums/domain-selling-and-domain-sales.314/. Think it needs a more specific home as @biggie pointed out this is for developed websites. I could be wrong.

 

[redemo]

@Eric Lyon You have a very good insight into this. Here's some questions if someone is looking to buy a domain name and finds a professional website (related to the domain name) hosted on it, and upon further investigation the domain name's spam score is zero or very low, will they be dissuaded from buying the domain name because there's no blank canvas? Next if a domainer has a portfolio of 1000 names and I come up with a way they can each earn all reg fees over a year is it a commercially viable service? I'm talking about mini sites related to the name with a variety of monetisation methods including lead gen forms, affiliate ads, and other methods depending on the name, subject and associated high volume keywords. Cheers.