written by
JoeUddeme
Every business needs to have an online presence in this current age. The internet is one of the primary channels to entice potential customers, so businesses that don’t have an online presence are doing themselves a disservice.
The best way to showcase yourself online is by having a website stating clearly what you or your organization offers with a premium domain name to match.
The domain name is how people will find you on the web, so it’s necessary to have a good one.
Premium domain names are high-quality domain names giving you greater recognition on the internet. They’re often short, catchy, and memorable. They’re the domain names that people are likely to search for and trust over other names.
A premium domain name would go a long way in drawing organic traffic to your website. They’re usually costly, but one of the best investments you can make.
It’s not a coincidence that most of the successful online businesses we know have premium domain names (e.g., Stripe.com, Amazon.com, Google.com, etc).
The easiest way to determine if a domain name is premium is the price you see when you search for it for a domain registrar. Likewise, you can use a premium domain checker for this task.
Premium domain names often range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars or tens of thousands occasionally. There are also specific characteristics differentiating premium domain names from the pool of all domains, and they include:
“The shorter the name, the better” is the rule of thumb governing domain names. Most two or three-letter domains are considered premium because they’re easy to imprint on customers’ minds.
These short names are also usually abbreviations adopted by various companies, so there’s intense competition for them.
Domain names consisting of generic words fetch a higher value than those with non-generic words. Generic names are easy to remember and brand, so there’s significant demand for them.
You’d have an advantage over competitors if your domain name consists of a word that broadly relates to your industry.
For example, Checkout.com, Bill.com, and Authorize.net are leading payment providers. Crypto.com and Blockchain.com are two famous cryptocurrency exchanges.
Customers need little effort to memorize such generic domain names, so it gives these companies a significant marketing advantage compared to their peers.
Search engines are the primary way people discover websites. Hence, any domain name matching what people mostly search for carries more weight.
CreditCards.com, HouseRepairs.com, and RentalCars.com are examples of domain names with high value stemming from search engine optimization.
Some domain names don’t look attractive at first glance but see great demand from prospective buyers for various reasons. These domains command high values because of the bidding war over them.
Numerous domain registrars let you check for available domain names, and it’s easy to identify the premium ones based on their prices and the other factors stated above.
If the domain name you want is already taken, don’t give up. You could still acquire it by making a direct offer (more on that below).
The first step to buying a premium domain name is knowing if it’s available using a premium domain checker. You can buy it straight away if it is. If not, you’ll need to find the owner.
Many domain names are registered but not utilized to a considerable extent. Sometimes, you’ll see a homepage filled with advertisements and affiliate links but hardly any content.
This is an attempt by the owner to monetize what’s basically an abandoned site. If you encounter such a website, then it’s positive news for you. The owner is more likely to sell than someone actively hosting a site.
If the website has a contact form, you can use it to reach out to the owner with an offer. If not, you must get creative in finding them. The easiest way to do this is through the WHOIS database.
It is a public database containing the information collected when someone registers a domain name or adjusts their DNS settings. ICANN, or the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, regulates the WHOIS database.
ICANN allows anyone to search its public database for domain name ownership information. You can do that through the agency’s online lookup tool or your PC’s command prompt.
The official URL of ICANN’s WHOIS lookup tool is lookup.icann.org. Once you open that page, you’ll see a search bar where you can type in any domain name and press the lookup button. We searched for Microsoft.com to demonstrate, and we got the results shown below;
You can see the email assigned to Microsoft’s domain name is [email protected]. Hypothetically, we can contact that email with an offer for the Microsoft.com domain name, but we’re sure the well-known technology company isn’t willing to sell.
Searching WHOIS through your Windows command prompt is a complex process, so we recommend that only computer geeks take this route.
Step 1:
Download the whois.exe file from this link.
Step 2:
Open the command prompt terminal.
Step 3:
Set the command prompt directory to the folder where you save the whois.exe file in.
Step 4:
Type in your query in the following format: Whois domain.com or Whois64 domain.com if you’re running a 64-bit computer. If you want to search for Microsoft’s domain name info, then type Whois Microsoft.com, and you’ll see the contact information.
Sometimes, a domain name owner may have enabled privacy protection through their registrar, meaning you can’t see their information. It implies that they’re likely not interested in selling their domain.
With the contact information, it’s time to negotiate a domain name sale. The process can be hectic and take long periods, so we advise you to hire an experienced domain name broker to help you.
A premium domain name carries more authority on the web, meaning you’re more likely to get found through search engines or social media. It also brings about better brand recognition, making it easy to attract customers through advertisements.
Many domain registrars have a premium domain checker for their users to find and bid for premium domains without stress. Examples include Name.com and Domain.com.
Anybody or any organization can own a premium domain name. Some are owned by business-savvy people or companies looking to flip them for a profit. Some are owned by domain name registrars themselves hoping to find buyers.
There are various factors to consider when valuing a domain name. They include length, genericness, search engine recognition, and historical domain name sales data.
There are numerous appraisal tools available online that combine these attributes to value individual domain names. A good example is GoDaddy’s Domain Name Value & Appraisal tool.
Premium domains are so expensive because there’s considerable demand for them. The number of premium domain names is significantly less than the number of potential customers vying for them. Hence, premium domain owners can charge high prices and still make easy sales.
In this article, we answered some critical questions webmasters always ask. What are premium domains? How can you get one? Why are they so expensive? We believe our answers to these questions should help in your quest to get the best possible domain names for your website.
Premium domains are the best type of domains because they are memorable and tend to draw a lot of organic traffic. To the uninitiated, premium domains are short, catchy, and memorable domain names that have a high potential to become popular web addresses. They also present great branding opportunities for websites. The best places to find premium domains for your business include: Name Experts GoDaddy Sedo Network Solutions Domain.com Namecheap
What Is Domain Leasing? Domain name leasing refers to renting a domain name for an extended period, usually a year or more. An individual or business pays to rent a domain name owned by another individual or corporation. This arrangement allows the lessee to use a domain name for a long time without paying a substantial sum outright. Domain leasing is usually done for valuable domain names that are too expensive for the lessee to acquire completely. How Does This Compare To Renting? Renting and leasing are the same thing, except for the latter being for longer periods. Domain leasing agreements usually cover at least one year compared to typical renting, which covers a few months. What Are the Ways You Can Lease Your Domain? You can lease your domain through the following ways: Periodic payments: The lessee can pay for their lease at specific intervals. For example, they could pay monthly or quarterly for the period the lease lasts. This method gives the domain owner stable income they can count on during the leasing period. Percentage of profit: You can agree to take a percentage of profits the lessee makes from the website using your domain name. This method is riskier, as there’s no guarantee the website will be profitable. However, there’s a higher upside if the website becomes a profit-making enterprise. Royalties: You can collect a fixed percentage of the lessee’s net revenue for as long as the lease runs. Ownership percentage: You can request a percentage of shares in the domain lessee’s company. This method is risky but can earn you significant income if the website becomes a viable business that another corporation eventually acquires. Benefits Of Leasing For Domain Owners Provides Another Way To Monetize A Domain Monetizing a domain is better than having it sit idle. If you have a valuable premium domain you’re not using, leasing it out can earn you passive income. You can always reclaim your domain once the lease expires. Opportunity For Investors With Domains In Their Portfolio Many investors specialize in acquiring domain names for profit. Investors with a portfolio of valuable domain names can lease them for a long time and get stable income. Consistent Revenue Stream Renting out a domain for periodical payments generates consistent income for the owner. The owner is sure of getting a specific return on the capital they spent acquiring the domain as long as the lease lasts. The Domain Value Increases Due To Usage Active domains are more valuable than inactive ones because of online traffic. The higher the traffic to a domain, the more valuable it is. Leasing out a domain increases its value in the long term, which the owner can realize by selling it later. Long Term Financial Advantage Receiving periodic lease payments can generate more revenue in the long term compared to selling your domain for a lump sum. It’s why many owners lease domain names out despite getting lucrative purchase offers. Benefits Of Domain Leasing For End Users Spend Less Money Upfront Valuable domain names can run into tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is risky to spend upfront. Leasing allows you to build a business with the domain and make periodic payments from the revenue you generate, which is cost-effective. Lesser Burden If the website you use the leased domain for fails, you can terminate the lease and return the domain to the owner. If you owned the domain outright, that means having another asset you must keep renewing or find a potential buyer for. Opportunity To Buy the Domain In the Future Some lease terms include an option to acquire the domain outright later. This way, you can start the website to see if it succeeds. If it does, you can acquire full domain ownership and gain more control over your website’s fate. Access To Premium Domain Names At A Lower Cost Domain leasing lets you use very valuable domain names for lower costs. These valuable domain names can draw more organic traffic to your website. Avoid Legal Liability Issues Leasing a domain name means avoiding any legal liabilities concerning the domain’s ownership. Any legal dispute is the concern of the owner and not the lessee. Downsides Of Leasing A Domain No ownership Not having full ownership of your domain is a risk. The owner can terminate the lease anytime and pay any agreed monetary penalties for early termination. It could be at a crucial time when your website is booming, and losing the domain would affect it negatively. Less Control You have less control over your website than the domain owner. Let’s say your website grows big and becomes valuable, its fate lies more in the hands of the domain owner than yours. They could use that leverage to extract concessions from you. The Domain Value You Build Is Never Yours Drawing traffic to your website increases the value of its domain name. Yet, the owner will capture that value instead of you working hard to maintain the website. Where Can You Lease A Domain Domain Marketplaces Many domain name marketplaces allow owners to list and lease their domain names. This method is beneficial because owners can easily find customers to lease domain names to. The domain leasing services generate a lot of traffic, giving you higher chances of finding an interested lessee. Domain Brokers You can approach a domain broker to lease your domain for you. Domain brokers are experts in negotiating domain deals and can fetch you the best possible price. They’ll collect a fee for their service, either a flat rate or a percentage of the lease value. Word Of Mouth You can spread the word to your social and business circles about a domain name you want to lease out. You may find a trusted lessee this way and negotiate a good deal to earn a stable income. Forums You can join webmaster forums and post about the domain name you want to lease. You may find a buyer this way, but ensure you use a transaction escrow service because you’re dealing with a stranger. Leasing versus Buying a Domain While leasing a domain might be a good option for some businesses, buying your domain outright continues to be the safest and most secure option for guaranteed success. If you’re interested in acquiring your perfect domain, we make the entire domain buying process easy. Contact us for more information about our domain buying service.
.com is still relevant As a super-premium domain broker and domain name valuation expert I am continually asked if the .com is still as relevant as it once was…The short answer is absolutely and here’s why… Branding remains at the forefront of all carefully executed advertising or marketing campaigns. It’s imperative that your message is clean; concise and to the point. Some of the largest and most successful companies around the globe understand the importance of brand appeal. The domain name is the “foundation” for the brand. The .com domain name adds equity, credibility, and is easily memorable. Often times, we refer to the .com as the beach front real estate. Additionally, domain names are valuable and continue to retain that value. Most startups and brand managers understand the importance of the .com as consumers have been programmed for years to gravitate towards the .com. This is still relevant today. In using this example, we can demonstrate the significance of the .com domain name.
Name Experts offers personalized domain brokerage services, assisting clients in buying or selling premium domain names with expert appraisal, negotiation, and complete transaction management while ensuring confidentiality.
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