Why do people register weird domain names?

[Brian2011]

Hi all,

Just been researching some 4 letter domains and wondered why someone would register names such as xyst.com? In fact there are only a couple of top extensions left for this name.

Or how about the following domains where most of the extensions are taken:

mell.???
mura.???
qaid.???
rhos.???

Hardly any of the above domains are developed and most aren't worth very much (according to estibot). Don't think I've ever used these words in my lifetime.

So is it a good idea to register ANY 4 letter domain just because it's short in length or is it because some 4 letter domains contain good keywords that will help the site rank well in serps if developed?

I've noticed there are quite a lot of good 4 letter .in names still available with keywords such as:

oafs.in (DotCom Value $900 / Search Volume 368,000)
mown.in (DotCom Value $2,200 / Search Volume 878,000)
waif.in (DotCom Value $36,000 / Search Volume 5,930,000)

Why would anyone register these names if they have no intention of developing the website? They'll probably keep these domains for years with apparently little hope of turning them for a profit.

Thanks all

 

[Whogister]

Why do people register weird domain names?

Because they think that they can get a million dollars for them...

"Hey! Look at my 4 letter pronounceable domain name that's brandable!"

My screen name (Whogister as in WHO WOULD REGISTER THAT?) is actually from the name of the blog I was going to develop dedicated to stupid domain names that were registered... I couldn't keep up though.

 

[Kate]

Some LLLL.com that are not dictionary keywords can be brandable (pronounceable) domains. LLLL are not all equal. Some are good, some are bad. Some are good in a certain language, but not in English. Q & X may be good in Chinese.

There has been a lot of speculation from domainers based on a number of assumptions like the fact that LLLL are short (memorable).
But there has also been a flawed idea floating around, that LLLL.com could become much more valuable like the LLL.com.
It's different beasts.
LL/LLL.com are coveted because they can be used for corporate acronyms. But you see much fewer 4-letter company names. So the demand is considerably lower.

 

[Brian2011]

Thanks for your replies so far. ..Very helpful.

I just registered Thug.in, Kilt.in and Ouch.in which seem to be quite high value names according to estibot.

Can I trust estibot's valuations and if so what price should I ask for them if I wanted to sell please? I guess a certain percentage (say 30%) of estibot's appraisal value would be reasonable asking price to leave some profit for the buyer but I'm not sure.

Just want to know if I'm on the right track as a budding domain speculator.

 

[Kate]

Automated appraisals are worthless. What's needed is brains, experience, patience, dedication, research (lots of). Unfortunately many people start out on bad advice so they need to 'unlearn' first

Hint: if you still find a valuable domain that is still available, ask yourself why.

 

[Brian2011]

Thanks sdsinc,

If I did have brains, experience, patience, dedication, research (lots of), I'd probably be able to ask myself why the domain is still available :lol:

Looks like I need to study domain appraising A LOT more. I thought these names were an OK buy because they fulfilled most of the criteria for a good domain. i.e. they are short, memorable, brandable, generic, no hyphens or numbers etc.

So far I have checked over 30,000 4, 5 and 8 letter domains in 11 extensions to build a database of available domains for my new website. Only about 80,000 words to check for the 6, 7 and 9 letter domains to go!

Out of the 30,000 words checked, I've ended up with about 150 domains that (according to estibot) are worth between $120 and $10,000 (mostly .in)

I thought the majority of domainers used estibot as the defacto guide to the value of a domain. ..A starting point?

I fully agree that there can be no substitue for an experienced 'human' appraiser but it would cost a heck of a lot to have even a few of my domain finds professionally appraised.

I use the same auto appraisal service as estibot (DPlex) in my automated checking scripts. Is there another widely accepted automatic appraisal service other than estibot that I could use to compare rough valuations anyone?

Thanks again

 

[carob]

I thought the majority of domainers used estibot as the defacto guide to the value of a domain. ..A starting point?

I fully agree that there can be no substitue for an experienced 'human' appraiser but it would cost a heck of a lot to have even a few of my domain finds professionally appraised.

Estibot is a joke.

Paid appraisals are a ripoff scam.

Looks like I need to study domain appraising A LOT more. I thought these names were an OK buy because they fulfilled most of the criteria for a good domain. i.e. they are short, memorable, brandable, generic, no hyphens or numbers etc.

What you need is a buyer - that is the most important thing. A good domain is one that several different parties are willing to buy, probably because they intend to use it, or they intend to prevent someone else using it.

 

[Foxydomains.com]

Great thread and some valid points made!