Internet 4 Profit

Why does one name sell for six figures, while another languishes on an auction site with a $100 reserve for months, unable to get even a smidgen of interest? Sometimes the two domains are similar, with only a one or two character difference. Beds.com and Bedsx.com come to mind, the former being worth hundreds, even thousands of times more than the latter.

There are six primary elements that make a keyword domain name great and valuable and worthy, and you’ll want to evaluate these factors before you buy. They apply to names you register fresh, names you purchase privately, and names you bid on at auction. A little research upfront can save a lot of grief down the road when it comes time to sell or develop.

1. Keyword volume: This involves keyword research which will reveal whether the words you use in the domain name are words that users like to type in the search box. Google for example get 2400 searches every month for “Hawaii Singles”. At the end of the day it is all down to volume regardless of the keyword tool you use and although they may give different results, you will soon see which words get traffic.

2. Commonality: A common view is that domain names are valued for their uniqueness but I say that any domain name falls into one category. I like names with words that are commonly used in day to day life, you know - words that stick. Words need to be chose on a certain order and you need to value pluralization too. Let’s just explain that with these factors - market, marketing, markets. SportCars.com is not as valuable as SportsCars.com, and is a loser domain name put up against RunningShoes.com. If you run a few checks on Google you will see that ShoesRunning.com is nowhere to be seen.

3. True type-in traffic: This information can be difficult to get, but it never hurts to ask, especially when the sale is private and you aren’t under stressful time constraints. You specifically want to know how much type-in traffic the name gets, not including visitors who are referred from search engines and links, both of which are unreliable in the long term.

4. Length: A further important consideration is the domain length. Short domain names will get better results because they are a lot easier to remember and spell and would convert into loads more traffic. Branding domains with takinf these important factors into account will increase drastically the domain name value which is great news if later sell your domain.

5. Prior use: People that invest in domains that are available on drop services or from expired lists may have been fooled into doing so as you really can be unaware of the history of a domain until you are already the owner. You may have even been fooled by a high Google ranking or PR but that can drop down right under your nose if it has previously been used for spamming and you wouldn’t even be able to get the best sounding domain back on it’s feet again. The only way out would be to register a new similar name like flightsblog.com and take that route to get it back to the top again.

6. End user development potential: The common denominator in successful domain names is one that can be easily developed and you just have to ask yourself whether you would be prepared to spend your own money on and if you aren’t, forget it. Use these tips to find a domain that will work and will reap you huge benefits in time.