debate What is the difference between a good domain name and a bad name?

[xynames]

I'm not referring to the stellar, obviously good ones, like x.com sex.com beer.com aaaa.com etc. that may be considered money in the bank, that people will fight over to buy at any given moment. The stellar ones might be different things at different times, for example btc.com ethereum.com today, versus years ago. But I'm not talking about these types of instant cash domains.


I just mean "good" versus "bad."

I think that a good domain, if held on to long enough, will sell for a decent price, when the right buyer who needs it comes along,

while a bad domain, no matter how long held, will rarely sell for much of anything. (Unless it is lucky enough to come into fashion as some new trend, such as for example, a new cryptocurrency etc.)

That's the key difference. That time, and the right buyer, equal a cha-ching! of a good sale.

By implication, even a good domain doesn't necessarily translate to instant money in the bank. It takes the time and patience to wait for the right buyer.

But your crappy names, no matter how long you wait, the chances of someone wanting them enough to pay much of anything for them, are slim.


See also:
Which kind of domainer are you?
https://www.namepros.com/threads/which-kind-of-domainer-are-you.1053017/

 

[xynames]

The logic of my arguments rests on:

1. Your earlier statement of a brandable being a representation of a bad name on other threads.
2. It's a fact that brandables in the true sense (is invented.meaningless,non-keyword based, etc) do sell at high prices.

The inconsistency shown here is that your current definition a good name becomes a function of the effects it exerts and in its inherent ability to sell and becomes a testimony to its transactional potential while previously (on other threads) you checked out the boxes for objective criteria and things like metrics in assigning the objective value.

If you want make up new definitions, you should start a new thread.

Same goes for mixing and matching my words with your own.

Also, I didn't say that ALL brandables, made up names, misspellings - names are bad, I said MOST. I am usually careful to avoid extremes unless absolute.

EXample:

https://www.namepros.com/threads/closed.1048753/#post-6423682
I think these misspelled names are hit or miss and not like it’ll sell for a massive sum but you might get lucky find the right buyer.

I mean there are plenty of oddball deliberately misspelled “brandable” domain names that are not in the dictionary. Some of these are good and some too, are garbage.

As far as the misspellings, there is sometimes value in these and then other times the only value is in PPC that are placed on the misspelled domain that might get hit when someone misses the properly spelled name (assuming the properly spelled name ends up a well traveled site).

 

[xynames]

so basically your definition of a "good name"
is:
"one day it sells"

so all domains that sold are good names?
no
recently I dropped a domain
that previously was sold for $5K USD
( that guy dropped it - I catched it - only to drop it again )

You didn't wait very long did you?

I just sold a domain that I got for reg fee in early 2015, sold low four figures.

Also, without knowing more about the name, who knows what the issue is. Maybe it was a domain to do with dial up modems that sold for a mint back then and it worthless now.

 

[namelancer]

Also, I didn't say that ALL brandables, made up names, misspellings - names are bad, I said MOST. I am usually careful to avoid extremes unless absolute.

...Now, weird misspelled or made up names of today may acquire distinctiveness and value but they will never, straight from registration, compare to the best names from the past.....The newer domains can’t compare until after they have acquired distinctiveness through branding or use.

So, saying that a brand new hand registered domain can be great - simply means that through use, it may acquire greatness, but straight out the gate it is not on par with the best names of the past, that are great simply because of what they are even before use.

... Made up domain names just came into existence and by comparison have a long way to go.

Made up names acquire distinctiveness through use they are not in existence at the time of creation.

Those made up names, misspelled names, one is the same as the other, in my opinion. Before branding they will never be worth much.

 

[xynames]

So? "Before branding...." --- "Made up names acquire distinctiveness...." --- etc.

do you think about what you post before posting it?

 

[frank-germany]

You didn't wait very long did you?

I just sold a domain that I think I got for reg fee in 2001, sold low four figures. I have to check records, but it appears so, 2001.

Also, without knowing more about the name, who knows what the issue is. Maybe it was a domain to do with dial up modems that sold for a mint back then and it worthless now.

the problem with that domain was
I didn't see any value
other then that it sold for $5K USD once

 

[xynames]

I just re-checked and I got that reg fee domain I just sold for low figures in early 2015. But still, anyway, sometimes must wait.

I am not saying you made the wrong decision, how could I say that without knowing more, just saying it does not necessarily flunk my good/bad domain test that you gave up on it in just one year.

 

[namelancer]

So? "Before branding...." --- "Made up names acquire distinctiveness...." --- etc.

do you think about what you post before posting it?

You wrote that before branding the made up names wont be worth much, YET, they are sold for good prices BEFORE any of the branding has taken place !

 

[Ategy]

Boom! Mic drop.

.. dial up modems ..

You nailed it .. that's the exact sound I hear when I see another Simpli domain! lol


Back on a more serious note .. both sides are half right when it comes to brandables .. in that yes they can sell high .. but what also needs to be factored into the equation is the low probabilities of actual end-user sale. When taking both parts of that equation into consideration .. along with the grand canyon of difference between the various different qualities and tiers of "brandable" .. some certainly can be good .. even very good .. particularly if you're very picky with acquisition costs and good with knowing the various important elements like phonetics and such .. but yes .. equally true .. just like most real word based domains .. most of the brandables being held by domainers are garbage (most domains in just about any category being held are garbage though)

 

[xynames]

You wrote that before branding the made up names wont be worth much, YET, they are sold for good prices BEFORE any of the branding has taken place !

Branding commences as soon as a company decides to use the name for something! You can't know, first of all, when that branding commenced...sometimes it predates the domain registration.

And the moment a company decides that such and such oddball name is a great name for their company, then the value of that oddball domain goes up. If that happens at some point, then the name becomes good, if it sells.

I'd suggest that you just go back to my first post of this thread and stick to the subject!

 

[Brands.International]

good domains are (at least for me) those, which get offers and get traffic

bad domains are those without offers, and without traffic

if domain does not get a single offer within a year or two, and there is no traffic too -> drop

that's it

 

[Brands.International]

I consider good domain to be:

A) A .com / .org / .net or a popular ccTLD (such as .de / .co.uk / .io / .co / .se / .in etc), with keyword(s) taken in almost all ”worse” extensions. Example: Golfclub (dot) com.

B) A new gTLD in which the keyword and extension forms a phrase which is taken in most other extensions. Example: Golf (dot) club. Here, renewal fees etc are also a main factor!

C) A good hack. Example: Cl (dot) ub. Also here, renewal fees etc might be an important factor!

And of course exactly as written in above post.

 

[Ategy]

good domains are (at least for me) those, which get offers and get traffic
bad domains are those without offers, and without traffic

Yeah .. but like I said way above .. while that is most certainly very true .. the point of questions like this is how can you tell BEFORE buying the domain. What actual elements and characteristics tend to result in a domain that gets offers/traffic? (Note that that is a rhetorical question that I already answered above .. lol)

 

[xynames]

Okay but the premier theory of good if sells, bad if does not sell, is irrefutable. (It's a basic economics theory of supply and demand if you want to look at it that way.)

Everything else...no one seems to be able to agree on.

 

[Brands.International]

Yeah .. but like I said way above .. while that is most certainly very true .. the point of questions like this is how can you tell BEFORE buying the domain. What actual elements and characteristics tend to result in a domain that gets offers/traffic? (Note that that is a rhetorical question that I already answered above .. lol)

Well, imo, sometimes you can tell only AFTER you get them

What I mean, even with lot of research, domainer really can not tell/predict who the best possible end user can be for a specific name, and when this end user will need the name. Or we can predict, but we can be wrong, lol.

Because of that, I think one needs to test it - to check regularly number of offers and traffic for all names. Sometimes I think the name is great, but if I do not see a traffic and offers during a year, for me it is really an indication that I was probably wrong. And vice versa - there are some names I did not have any large expectations for, I bought them in bulk deals for example, etc, and suddenly - lot of traffic, few offers - and after I check then in more detail, I usually start to understand why.

So point is - do not be afraid to drop the names, if you tested them and you see weak indicators. And focus on names where you see offers and/or larger traffic - even low balls from other domainers can usually indicate something positive.

 

[Ategy]

Okay but the premier theory of good if sells, bad if does not sell, is irrefutable.

Yeah .. but to say a domain that sells is usually a good domain is obvious to everyone .. so much so that I don't even understand the point of asking the question. It's a very oversimplified answer that doesn't really answer the real question of what are the actual common or similar attributes of domains that sell!

Everything else...no one seems to be able to agree on.

Just because people don't agree in no way means that there aren't some common sets of domain attributes and characteristics that make some domains better or worse than others. What it does mean is that some people are right on some things and some people are wrong on some things ... and more importantly .. that in the world of domains .. there are plenty more than just 50 shades of grey! lol

 

[ThatNameGuy]

Argh. Bulloney. Please don’t hijack another thread with talk of these -i domains.

Sorry...you're so right....what a waste of time this thread. This just adds fuel to my claims that this is the most screwed up industry I've ever been associated with, and I've been directly or indirectly involved in a lot of businesses over the years. Sad

Bulloney

 

[xynames]

I don't think it is a screwed up industry so very much, but I still Liked your post.

 

[Joe N]

Hey Joe...I just met your profile and your Namepros info page. How come all the great domainers are from Canada? I luv Canada and I luv your site BrandSail.com Happy New Year!

Bulloney

Thanks Rich! I'm far from a great domainer yet, but I'm working on it verrrry slowly.

Glad you like the site. Big shout out to Efty for a great platform!

 

[Dave]

Thanks Rich! I'm far from a great domainer yet, but I'm working on it verrrry slowly.

Glad you like the site. Big shout out to Efty for a great platform!

If you've only been doing this since 2016, you've done very well indeed. Keep up the good work.

 

[Recons.Com]

It is quite easy to identify bad ones though. Go to domain sale section of the forum and you'd have to look through tens of threads with ugly names to find a decent one. And for those ugly ones, you can look to the right of the thread with 99.99% certainty that the last reply in that thread is from the seller himself/herself...