How do I find valuable domain names? In this article, Domain Reselling 101, I walk you through how to find a great domain name.
Note that I have updated this article to reflect new techniques using new search tools from Namecheap to secure great domain names at great prices.
Premium Bitcoin Domain Name For Sale on the Secondary Market with an Asking Price of $84,995.00
Probably the first way that comes to mind, but not the best or most cost effective route.
Using this method, you select domains owned and priced by others on the secondary market. These prices can run into the thousands of dollars.
There are investors who purchase these types of domain names in bulk, holding them as part of a portfolio and slowly selling them over time. These domain names are typically priced starting at $10,000 per domain name, going up into the millions of dollars.
I don’t advise following this approach unless you are purchasing a specific domain name for a specific business you are planning on starting.
It’s very difficult to make a profit when your inventory is expensive. There’s not enough of a markup if you are paying retail prices for a domain name.
Domain Reselling 101 Tip
You want to SELL at retail, not buy at retail. The “great” part of “how to find a great domain name” also incorporates “great price”.
New Market Niches
There are always new markets emerging the the global business world. The cryptocurrency market did not exist prior to 2009, and in the last 9 years it has grown into a multi-billion dollar market. Cryptocurrency domain names are now valued in the millions. Before there was such a thing as “bitcoin”, “ethereum” or other top cryptocurrencies, those cryptocurrency-related domain names could have been purchased for as low as $9.00.
Researching new market niches and securing related domain names is an excellent way to find a great domain name and to add value to your domain portfolio with just a little bit of work.
Namecheap Domain Search Results using “Bitcoin” as a Search Parameter
Stay up on current events, and be ready to pounce on new domain name investment opportunities.
Expired Domain Names
Another excellent way to find valuable domain names at a discount is to look at expired domain name auctions. An expired domain name auction happens when the owner does not renew a domain name.
Buy domains on the secondary market with Namecheap, one of the world's largest domain name registrars.
Each year, the owner of a domain name must pay a fee (as low as $9.00 per domain) to keep control of the domain name. If the payment lapses, these domain names are released into the market. Some registrars (Namecheap is one) hold an auction offering those expired domain names before they are released to the public.
This is an excellent opportunity to acquire valuable domains for pennies on the dollar.
The image above is a sample of a search of Namecheap expiring domain name auctions.
Note some of the high-value domain names, such as MasterofMoney.com which has a current bid of $405.
If you click on the auction, you can drill down in much more detail on the domain name to assess its value.
You can see:
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- Time left in the Auction
- Current Bid
- Bid History
- The number of extensions taken with this domain name.
- The year the domain name was originally registered.
- The number of Google searches per month for the keyword.
- Name length
- When it was previously sold.
All of the information is presented in an easy-to-understand format, allowing you to quickly determine if that domain is right for your portfolio and how much you would be willing to bid.
Prospect for Unregistered Domain Names
This is my favorite. It feels like I am mining for gold.
The process is to pick a high-value keyword (I used “affiliate” in this example) and use Thesaurus.com and the Namecheap search engine to find unregistered domain names. Affiliate marketing is a very high Lever Rank online business, and serving that online market would be an excellent business model.
Use Namecheap's "Beast Mode" to scan for the best domain names using awesome screening tools.
A quick search reveals some premium domain names that contain the word “affiliate” priced at over $25,000. Here is an example using Namecheap’s “Beast mode” and AffiliateTeam.com.
“Help” with affiliate marketing is a well-searched topic, so I perform a search domain search for “affiliatehelp.com”.
The domain is taken, so I open up Thesaurus.com and enter the word “help” to see different synonyms for the word “help”.
As I go through the list, I tab over to verbs for “aid” and “assist” (I like domain names that inspire action).
I see “lend a hand” and start to think about “helping” or “saving” someone who is struggling with affiliate marketing. I want to be their “lifesaver” and help them when they need it. I search for “lifesaver” and bingo!
It is available!
I always search for a while because new and better ideas always pop up as I dive deeper into searching for different domain names. I enter “lifesaver” into the thesaurus search window and get another screen of potential words.
I see “guardian angel” in the tabs and think that “angel” would be great combined with “affiliate”.
Both words start with the letter “A”, it’s easy to say, and it immediately conveys what the business does. I combine the words and search for “affiliateangel.com”.
Bummer! It’s already taken and is up for sale at $2,495 as a premium domain name (by someone doing the same thing as me).
Namecheap always gives you other options below the taken domain name, but I want to stick with .com domain names, so I continue the search.
I go back to the “lifesaver” search page and consider how I would feel if someone stepped in and helped me fix an affiliate marketing issue that I was struggling with.
I see the word “relief” in the last column on the right and think that is something I would feel if someone helped me through an issue. I add that word to my “affiliate” root word and search for “affiliaterelief.com”
It is available! That is two domain names.
I really would like a word starting with an “A” to follow “affiliate” as I think it would be both easy to say and to remember (both of which are critical in branding).
I continue thinking about someone who is on your side and has your back when you are affiliate marketing.
Because I speak with a lot of attorneys in my other lines of business, the word “advocate” comes to mind. Looking under the “help” search again, I notice “advocate” under the “verb” section for the word “help”.
A quick search of “AffiliateAdvocate.com” on Godaddy reveals that it is taken already.
I searched through the other synonyms on that page and thought that “AffiliatePromoter.com” would have been nice – unfortunately, another domain investor already registered it and has the domain name for sale for $3,000.
Going down the list, “AffiliateCounsel.com” is available! Not the “A” word I’m looking for, but a great domain name to add to the domain name investment portfolio in any case.
I’m still really looking for a word that starts with “A” (to be paired with “affiliate”) that represents someone who helps new affiliate marketers get started.
I go back to the beginning and search for synonyms for “help” one more time.
I notice that “assistance” is listed in the top tab of the noun description along with “assist” on the verb area. I want to be the “person” that assists – or the “doer” of assistance.
I run a quick search for “AffiliateAssistance.com” and bingo! The domain is available as an expiring domain name!
I make the purchase via the minimum bid of $12.00 (which was the “buy it now” price), and I receive the “won auction notification”.
It’s important to note that this is not a quick process. The domain name will take some time to transfer into your account.
There are many different approaches to finding a great domain name, but I wanted to take some time and give insight into my approaches. Part of any reseller business model is acquiring the highest quality inventory at the lowest possible price point. It is not just a Domain Reselling 101 concept but a Business 101 concept.
Are you looking to invest in digital real estate and get started reselling domain names?
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One of my favorite quotes is from an ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus of Ephesus , who is known for his concept that change was central to the universe.
The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change.
It is important to remember that like every market, the domain reselling market is constantly evolving, with new tools on how you sell domains, what domains have value, and how to find hidden value in the unregistered domain name market. Good luck with the search and if you have any comments or questions, feel free to reach out in the comment section below.
