question What to do with a high grade domain? Go.LA

[TheBaldOne]

I have been pondering just what to do with 'Go.LA' since acquiring it as I think it is likely to be one of the most valuable domains of it's type, in the 6 figures according to me from the research I have so far done in affiliate marketing field.

Obviously never having been to the US let alone Los Angeles or Louisiana (both of which would be ideal as development potential for the domain) I am not in a position to personally develop the domain name into a worthwhile website. (I should admit rather shamefully that my knowledge of Los Angeles and Louisiana are from TV, film, and newspaper articles - not the best basis on which to think you can develop either a city or county website from in the case of Los Angeles or a State website in the case of Louisiana.)

So I am left with the following options:

- Try and find a developer to build the domain into a site, maintain it, keep it updated and relevant, and be totally trustworthy - and also be on the ground and be in Los Angeles city or county or in the State of Louisiana.

- Just put it up for sale and wat up to 10+ years for the domain to sell at the price I value it at. (I am not concerned about annual renewal fees as that are presently under 80 cents per week, or put another way less than 11 cents a day. I don't think that will break the bank. LOL)

So does anyone know a 'REAL' and appropriate firm of developers who might work on a percentage basis?

If not then I shall keep pondering what to do and put up an advance Epik parking landers page I guess.

 

[TheBaldOne]

Based on the stated renewal fee I'd plan to exit in year one and jump at any offer above my cost. Regarding end user targets:

• The sh0e company is indeed a perfect fit which is another way of saying that the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to their mark so I'd tip toe around that minefield.
• Nola won the acronym battle in Louisiana so I'd have low expectations there.
• Los Angeles is your best bet but everyone there resisted the sedo $20k BIN (still listed there) so a $4M buyer would be astonishing but who knows -- good luck!

If spending 11 cents a day seems high to you then yes I guess that would be YOUR plan.

Have you ever heard of a drink called 'Babycham'? It was originally launched as a cheap wine, it flopped, it was then branded correctly and marketed correctly and priced for the market and became one of the most popular drinks, and it went on to make a fortune for the company.

Domaining is not just registering domain names or buying them on the aftermarket. Good luck to anyone who thinks it is.

 

[ecalc]

Eleven cents? I spent it all on horses, booze and women -- the rest I wasted. Is babycham the one with "as majestic as the cascading waters of a drain pipe" as their ad jingle? Love it, always keep a few cases on ice for special occasions. After reflecting on bum wine I’d like to retract my earlier gibberish and vote for persuading the State of Louisiana to drop “feed your soul” and “sportsman’s paradise” in favor of “gola”. I gar on tee it!

 

[Dream Domains]

This is not a high grade domain. This is garbage.

 

[Joe N]

@Joe Nichols - I am on about the product that I am selling, a domain name, in that sale I market it, show what the potential of the domain name is. This is common I would have thought, unless you just wait for someone to see your name in a list of millions and go 'Hey, I want THAT domain'.

Selling well is about finding the right potential buyers, but for that you have to first identify the market place where those buyers could be. Strange, I would have thought this was one of the basic principles of domaining, well at least to me it is anyway. I always look at what a domain name offers to potential buyers before I either buy it or register it as a first step.

It seems that some domainers do not follow the principles I consider basic, they perhaps just expect end users to spring up and buy their domains. I do not. (Though I must admit it does happen occasionally.)

You bring up things like 'similar names' - well there are no similar names, that is what increases the value of 'Go.LA', good isn't it.

If you do not see that then we have different approaches to domaining, not that either is wrong, I just think mine is by far more productive.

Apologies. By "similar" I meant names that would also work for whatever project the buyer is contemplating. Typically they will have a range of options in mind.

Outbound marketing can be a great way to sell certain names. I just think brand names are a tough sell for outbound... particularly ones built around the Laos ccTLD where you're asking $4 million. Heck, even Zoom.com only sold for $2 million.

I'm curious to hear how your domaining approach has been more productive than mine thus far.

 

[karmaco]

There is reaching for the stars and then there are delusions. Most top tier actual word premium domains don’t fetch 4 million. Same for desirable low letter (up to 4) count names in dot com.

Making an outlandish figure based on a maybe, a fantasy and visions in your mind alone is silliness. What Joe is trying to stress is the laws of probability based on past sales. You need to come back down to earth because that name will sit unsold for eternity (your lifetime) at that price. I would assume you would want to sell it in your lifetime otherwise why are you in this business.

 

[Grego85]

a lot of us have great names in obscure cc extensions or ngtlds. I'm sure we all like to trip out on how much each of the names could be worth in some crazy scenerio! In the end, I believe this one is in with many of the rest of the solid ones.. It could go for $500 or it could go for maybe 25k.

and also, LA is just a polluted & almost has-been city as far as I've heard lately. Many desperate to get out, and not too many going in. Like Apple computers, living off the name, but far behind for awhile. Plus I heard there's poop all over the sidewalks!

 

[Shackleton]

There are many great names available in crap extensions for reg fee.
For example, Cosmetics.cx is available

 

[otismo]

I would like to suggest that there is a third option available to you.

Perhaps you would like to own a small percentage of a very profitable internet business.

This is the idea behind The Domain Investment Bank and why I was accepted by 1871 in Chicago

based on the strength of that idea alone. The cost of a domain can be 30% of a startup. I am offering

the domain, the business/marketing plan, LoGo/slogan, etc. as well as the first round of V.C. financing

and eventually leading to their I.P.O. I will be an unpaid consultant to them and even be on their Board

if they wish. What I expect to end up with is just under 5% of the company ( NOT subject to dilution ).

 

[DomainBoxio]

Awesome name with unlimited possibilities

 

[otismo]

I still believe you have what we might like to think of as a "good problem" -

beat the drums, beat the bushes...

I was obsessed with Go.To at one time. I was convinced that it was ABSOLUTELY the

BEST short domain name ever; if I'd of had the money, AND if it would have been offered for sale,

they could have named their price - I think I would have given ANY sum of money for that name,

AT THAT PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME - I was SO naïve...

So, I think Go.com is the best short name today - what do you think ?

( this may be valuable info for the owner(s) of Go.LA... )

( it is also well-known that I covet the Creamette Brand..... )

 

[JimmySun]

It's a good name, I believe u.

 

[TheBaldOne]

Just a quick update.

It has been an interesting couple of days, to say the very least.

Upshot is that I have been advised, and I agree with the advice given, that this is a domain name that there were two real possibilities to go with.

1. Develop the domain name, which I am not capable of doing due to having no knowledge of the target market nuances.
2. Spend money and make sure the right people in the right spheres know about it, here we are talking $xx,xxx as I have had it explained to me (and the figures seem reasonable when explained).

I have decided that option #2 is what I am going to pursue. This means liquidating and putting in place the required finance myself rather than going looking for a backer and diluting at this stage (and hopefully that will change to 'at all'). If I believe in this personally, and I do, then this is 'the one' I should go with. So now I am culling everything else with the sole aim of backing 'my belief' (or hunch). And yes that does mean even Fig.ht will go (and a lot of you know how attached I am to that domain - LOL).

If you believe in what you preach then at some stage you have to trust that preaching and your own abilities.

Domaining is a wonderful game.

 

[TrueBranding]

In my opinion sell to anyone for a reasonable price and go for .com, It's my opinion could be totally wrong, but putting efforts on a non .com makes hard to make sense specially where there is no traffic keyword which bringing up the clicks to cover the renewal cost of the name.

thank you.

 

[TheBaldOne]

@TrueBranding - Thank you for your opinion.

 

[Haroon Basha]

Congratulations @TheBaldOne , you are indeed having a Masters Degree in Marketing. There are lot of things to learn from you. Best of luck.

 

[Reddstagg]

Oh Bald one....I have sent you a DM

 

[TheBaldOne]

Hi Reddstagg, Replied. Thank you.

 

[TheBaldOne]

@Haroon Basha - I am just a little 'old in the tooth' and built up a knowledge that isn't all from textbooks. LOL

 

[otismo]

ok

for a million dollars, I will tell you what G O L A is

wait - you are a Namepros member ?

for that ( and because I am a nice guy ) I will waive my usual fee :

G O L A

is

Game of Life Addict

( I am a GoL Addict Myself )

gol.foxeo.com

 

[Sam]

Owning premium domain hacks, all you need to do is just wait for the buyer to approach. But you can wait years until you get a determined end user. Most of my domain hacks are not even listed for sale.

IMO this domain is worth maybe low-mid 4 figures to the right end-user. That's about it.