Shane’s post yesterday highlighted for me the evolution in domaining that we often talk about generically, but fail to expound upon, other than “this is what companies want”. The idea is that brandable domains, be they keyword or made up, are more sought after than keywords. Well, to the degree that the keyword can’t be made into a good brand, but let’s not get lost in the weeds.
This concept affects our domain investing strategies in many ways, but most notable to me (in light of the context of Shane’s post) are the lack of metrics or normal valuation markers used to value or find, traditional keyword type domains.
Using the examples from Shane’s post, Quazz, Comto, and SharkJuice there’s no discernable metric, that I can see anyway, other than length. Pronounceability is subjective and can’t easily be built into search filters, SharkJuice is only 2 syllables, but other than that I don’t think people are currently searching for it.
There’s still age to search by, but we all know or should know, that age only means that the domain has survived by living at a registrar that has an expired auction process, allowing the age to remain intact and therefore easier to find. Without the expired auction process, all of these names at expired auction would die and be reborn like their brethren who were “unfortunate” enough to live somewhere that allowed them to go through the complete domain lifecycle.
The point here and I think the main thing to take away, is that there are no objective data points that make these names valuable. Even length or number of syllables while not subjective, are limited in their ability to assign value to a domain. They’re like a bonus, and maybe an end user requirement, but they are not in themselves a qualifier.
Now if you’re still following along, we ask ourselves what does this mean? What are the implications of buying and selling domains that have no obvious metrics showing their value?
To me it means picking domains that someone might buy for their brand is more an art form than science. The “science” that is involved is more abstract, like cultural trends, a broad knowledge base, linguistics, along with all kinds of other things like “brand modifier keyword” mindshare development.
I just made that term up, but it has to do with something Drew R referred to in the last sherpa show. He highlighted a brandable with “Hero” in the name, citing that the term Hero is being made popular by other brands that use the term, therefore it could add value to other potential brands using that word. That’s what I’m calling “brand modifier keyword, mindshare development”. I think he used DeliveryHero.com as the example, but there are many others.
This can get confusing but remember I’m talking about keyword brandables not keyword domains. Quick review, Delivery.com would be the keyword domain (also a great “brand” but stay with me 🙂 ), DeliveryHero.com is the keyword brandable, with the keyword Delivery being branded by the addition of the “brand modifier keyword”, Hero.
Another thing it means to me, is that there will be names that are mineable, that have to be found or even created that can have value. This style has a lot more risk and takes a lot more time, it also needs a more developed domain finding skillset and intuition. If you don’t have the time or the ability, there’s nothing wrong with buying and selling the more obvious choices through auctions. You’ll pay more money per domain, but you’ll save money and time by not wasting it chasing BS domains.
Simply going by domain age let’s you quickly identify good names that will sell. It’s easier to find value not because of the age itself but because there is a higher density of older names that have value compared to names with a newer registration date. For example there are over 42K expired .com’s at auction ending Today at Godaddy. Of those 42K names only 3K of them were registered before 2011, with over 22K registered in 2017.
Pick your strategy, learn, grow and be able to pivot. If you find yourself peddling your hand caught or registered domains on Facebook or spend all of your time trying to sell them on namepros or even namejet and never sell them to end users, you’re doing it wrong.
- Main List NameJet Flippa/Sedo
- LLLL.com’s LLL, CCC, 5L Other LLLL’s
- Short Brandables Numbers One Worders Vape, Vegan, VR
- Snap Names/Dropcatch NamePros Godaddy Value BIN
- Available For Reg Fee
Click the links for current prices, most links are commissionable and fund the operation.
TopCars.com a good name for online car sales
YouConvert.com Maybe a tool for measurement conversion
TrafficCop.com Your own radar camera system. Set it up in front of your house and track speeders and then send them your own ticket
8818188.com lots of 8’s
Main List
The No Bid List
AbcSquad.com Learn you letters with the help of the ABC squad
BtcToolKit.com All the tools you need for your bitcoin
BuildYourOwnWay.com be an individual, blaze your own trail
CoinQuota.com The amount of coins you need
CoverThePlanet.com Wasn’t this the slogan for a paint company? maybe it’s cover the earth.
DangerousTattoo.com Sounds like an edgy tattoo brand. I can only think of local applications for tattoo brands and I doubt they would pay much. Even with a quasi negative word I think it works for something like tattoos
DeathByCat.com Attack cats, or crazy cat lady finally being overrun
DotOmeter.com A tool to measure your domains, I’m thinking it collects data and tells you if you should renew or let expire
GoProvide.com Get a job, or donate
HelpThemUp.com When someone falls down, figuratively or literally you should help them up
IncomeMining.com earn money mining crypto or regular old gold
iNeedToSurvive.com There’s a few survival related domains on the list today. This one has a declarative motivational feel
KickTalent.com A soccer site
LandConversion.com Turn your empty land into something that makes you more money
LikeMeSocial.com A digital agency for social media promotion
MysteryKeeper.com find the answers to all the mysterys of the world.
NeedToSurvive.com one word shorter than the one above
NotStrict.com The word strict makes me think of teachers when I was in elementary school. Someone would say, “she’s really strict” or “She’s not strict at all” That’s the circumstance that comes to mind for me anyway
PleasureRoad.com An easy laid back, restful vacation type of name
ProcessOfSuccess.com If you fail to get rich quick maybe you need a process for success
RowClass.com I added these because it reminded be of getting rammed by a rowing crew on the Potomac in Georgetown
SecureForAll.com everyone’s protected
SpaceKayak.com sounds like a cool vessel made of the same stuff as spacecraft
SurvivalistBible.com all the things you need to know to survive, plants you can eat, building shelters, how much pee you can drink before it becomes toxic
TattooForge.com an app that helps you design your next tattoo
TokenSelect.com The best of the tokens
TotalStamp.com Every thing you need for your stamp collection
UnitedBall.com Sounds like a baseball, basketball or soccer club
ZeroIsBetter.com When it’s better to have none of something
More Names With No Bids
Names With Bids
More Names With No Bids
Namejet
TrafficCop.com
TMRK.com
8818188.com
827880.com
Apprize.com
BookTown.com
MinerTech.com
WildOnion.com
Peseta.com
GeneralBenefits.com
PaintProcess.com
ScopeTour.com
Erroneous.com
imthegreatest.com
FirstHobby.com
RiderSupport.com
OneDayMore.com
AppMed.com
SmartAdvise.com
Ribbing.com
CargoCar.com
SyncDesign.com
SeoHelper.com
HumanResearch.com
Flippa/SEDO
Save Money With Daddy Bulk Domain Registration
Your LLLL.coms of The Day
lhgn.com
abtx.com
dmof.com
qeql.com
ujyu.com
qxbu.com
LLLL’s that End Users Might use someday
LLL’s, CCC’s, 5L’s
Brandables
Coomea.com
Horock.com
Hozala.com
Klytic.com
Morrot.com
Nongra.com
Rongios.com
Snynchrony.com
Soology.com
Taczy.com
Wonoi.com
MORE Short Brand Dot Coms HERE
Some Numbers
90778.com
9797888.com
822877.com
700722.com
910096.com
977933.com
577522.com
766711.com
910081.com
910095.com
722755.com
833811.com
899833.com
One Worders and Other TLD’s
Glycine.org
Wirer.org
Gaggle.tv
Mutilated.org
Baddy.org
Appalled.org
Pricy.org
Smuts.org
Chortle.org
Irrevocable.org
Grammar.info
Writedown.org
Miner.info
Shirty.org
Fatten.org
Blowoff.org
Valuing.me
Routinely.org
Wintery.net
Erecting.org
Carjack.org
Resubmit.org
Snick.org
Swears.org
Fudges.org
Overpay.org
Sleazy.info
Oppress.org
Enslave.org
Thicken.org
Wirelessly.me
Cryptical.org
Popularize.org
Sweated.org
Shored.org
Messed.org
Ledger.ws
Split.biz
Hypnology.org
Kilogram.info
Sava.us
Singin.org
Odorless.org
Tows.me
Squat.us
Scotty.us
Vape, Weed and Vegan Names and VR
CannabisNova.com
ConnectCanna.com
LinkCanna.com
MjHack.com
SixHigh.com
ZigBud.com
Snap Names/DropCatch
NamePros
NZD.COM
ALBV.com
1M.com
ZTD.COM
AtlantaGanja.com
SacramentoMechanics.com
UKTP.com
QAVP.com
V.Company
TheNewsRoom.net
ae971.com
RightMindBody.com
Headquarter.ca
Mosquito.cc
O9786.com
FloFX.com
WishSanta.com
786Too.com
Q.Company
QuadGames.com
W.Company
Godaddy Value BIN
Godaddy Value BIN
Available Names
Available for Reg Fee big list
Have a name at auction and need more exposure? Send me an email. We Charge $10 per name per day. We may be able to help. If you have an auction you want to promote, email us for details.*All names chosen by us, Shane and Josh . (ie you click through and purchase a name you like) or an occasional paid listing. Everything we say is based on our own research or is opinion. Do your own due diligence. That means look it up yourself if you don’t think the stats or our opinion is correct. We hand choose the names but we are paid to make this list by both the auction houses, individuals that are auctioning names, and Godaddy affiliate links. Keep that in mind and only buy names that YOU think are good
Fantastic post, Josh!
Thank you sir!
I don’t think a better article can be written about such a difficult topic. It’s like trying to catch a fart in the wind. It’s definitely an art and Mike Berkens is the best at it and started doing it from the beginning really. I like Elliot Silver’s approach best these days. Get dotcom domains of colors, flowers, fruits – essentially any word a 5th grader can relate to. It’s expensive and some work but probably the safest bet in domaining.