subject: How Much Your Domain Name Is Really Worth? [print this page] How Much Your Domain Name Is Really WorthHow Much Your Domain Name Is Really Worth.
At hand are various providers on the web offering appraisal services for domain names. Several, such as SwiftAppraisal.com (which is free) perform this task entirely through automatic software programs that checks for certain features, such as the presence of hyphens, total length, or an estimation of the market size. Other sites charge between $10 to $35 for a personal appraisal, that might be more nuanced. The trouble with this approach is that every sale of a domain name is completely unique, and ultimately the value of a domain name is worth whatever a buyer will pay for it.
In broad, it is worthwhile to look at sales figures for other domains in the same category, but still a superficial glance will divulge that closing prices vary widely even for similar names.
On the other hand, a broad guideline does exist. The most precious domain names are the .coms, followed by .net, .org and .biz. Single word websites sell for the most currency, though not all sole words will have the same high value. Concatenated phrases are somewhat less precious than single words, and hyphens decrease the value further. Short words and phrases are preferable.
Not all words have the same commercial capability, and most domain names have no resale value at all. For example, Trucks.com might sell for more than a million dollars; GMCTrucks.com could sell for tens of thousands; Your GMCTrucks.com would be lucky to sell for a few hundred dollars, if at all; and YourSiteForGMCTrucks.com is commercially worthless. So ahead of anticipating massive income from the sale of your domain name, consider about whether or not the domain name is distinctive and unique, like Sex.com (which sold for $12 million) or just a long concatenated phrase with dozens of variations that anyone registering a website might come up with. Also, replacing letters with number, "4" for "for", or using common misspellings lowers the domain name value.
On the other hand, long phrases are not for all time value less than single words if they are frequent web search terms with commercial value: for example, FreePhoneService.com is worth more than Grammer.com. Commercial latent is a subjective value, and often not well thought-out enough by domain name appraisers, who may not know the size of the industry covered by the name.
One sure indicator that you comprise a precious domain or website is unsolicited offers to buy it. Obviously, if potential customers are consequently eager that they make offers without the domain even being listed for sale, it has great commercial latent.
Also, content and links add value to niche-market domain names, and if a site is generating profit, it can be sold as an internet turnkey business. This is comparable to commercial real estate, where a business with clientele and inventory will sell for much more than an empty storefront. Not only will this raise the value, this method will provide you with income while waiting for a buyer. In addition, the more popular your site is, and the more visitors you have, the more chance a probable buyer will see it.
