How To Safely Purchase Premium Domain Names

written by

Joe Uddeme

Joe Uddeme

How To Safely Purchase Premium Domain Names

Almost every good domain name you can think of has already been registered – meaning you’ll need to buy it from someone if you want it. NameExperts.com Principal Joe Uddeme explains how to do it the right way.

 

We are living in a time when there are more active domain names than there were people alive in the 1920s. There are over 1.8 billion websites, and this doesn’t even include the ones that aren’t active.

This doesn’t leave a lot of room for you to find an original domain name that will instantly connect with your market.

If you want your business to succeed in the online world, you will likely need to buy a premium domain name that is already owned by someone else. Keep reading to learn everything there is to know about premium domains and how you can successfully purchase them – with or without the help of a top domain broker.

Key Takeaways

  • Understand premium domains and what they can do for your business
  • Top tips for purchasing a high-value domain name
  • How a domain broker can simplify and streamline the whole process

 

What Are Premium Domain Names and Why Do You Need One?

You want your business to be successful right off the bat, and premium domain names might be the best first step. Here, we discuss what premium domain names even are and share a few tips to help you purchase them.

Elements of a premium domain name

Premium domain names are short, easy, and highly marketable names that are usually already bought by someone and are available for sale for a “premium” value. They are priced higher than normal domains due to a few factors:

  • They have high marketability thanks to their unique and trendy names that are instantly recognizable by the target audience.
  • Premium domain names tend to be shorter in length and are easier to remember. (Example: Facebook bought “fb.com” as it was used almost as much as “facebook.com”). While not on our list of most expensive domain names ever sold, it certainly commanded a high price.
  • They have optimized keywords that are hard to find in new domain names.
  • They usually end in the popular “.com” extension.

There are a few other things to consider and a few criteria that are used to qualify your domain name as premium. The first is if they are generic or single word domain and whether they have a .com or another globally driven brand.

They should also be pronounceable and meaningful and should have a desired commercial appeal. Similarly, does the name you want to have a clear path to developmental success or is it random and highly specific?

A premium domain might also already have a rich-SEO history and what we call a “white-hat” SEO past. Your domain should be catchy, brandable, and most importantly – scalable.

Basically, you’re looking for a timeless domain that won’t go out of style or be easily forgotten. A domain name consultant can advise here, and can prove invaluable when investigating your intended domain name’s past.

When you’re looking to add a domain name to your business, it’s important to focus on some of these pointers above if you want to add value and long-term equity to your overall brand. If you plan on selling your business someday, you want to choose a name that can be resold; try and give yourself a little digital curb appeal for if the business doesn’t pan out down the road.

Large 'Sale' sign in shop window

 

Why Premium Domain Names Are Necessary For Your Business

While they’re more expensive, premium domain names offer a range of benefits that often match that price and provide a pay-off in the long term.

The first benefit you can take advantage of is a higher reach and resonance with your audience. A memorable domain name will stick in consumers’ minds and create a more credible image around your brand. If they remember your domain name, they’re more likely to search directly for it. Check out our guide to choosing a strong brand name for your business.

Premium domains will typically contain relevant keywords that are used frequently by consumers of your chosen business segment. This provides a potential pool of traffic already searching for your domain – readily available for you to access.

Premium domain names are not essential when you’re first starting out and do not have a lot of capital. They are often expensive and might be a risky investment at the beginning. Once your business starts growing, a premium domain name will help take your online presence to the next level and open you to a world of new opportunities. The Name Experts team regularly helps provide detailed strategies about great business names to help your startup off the ground.

Office scene with man and woman conversing indicating a startup business

Our Tips For Purchasing Premium Domain Names

Buying domain names can be stressful if you do not have much experience with the process. Here are a few tips you can follow to successfully purchase a premium domain.

  • Hire a Domain Buyer Broker with a successful track record. They will help you perform a WHOIS search easily and aid you through the process of your purchase.
  • Make sure you get your broker to sign an NDA to protect your information.
  • Contact the owner professionally.
  • Keep a list of alternatives.
  • Be honest and flexible in your negotiations. No one wants to deal with dishonest or overly-rigid buyers.
  • Ask your broker any question that comes to your mind.

Why Choose a Domain Broker for your Premium Domain Name Purchase

Though this is a quick and general list, we highly suggest reaching out to an experienced broker to help you with the process.

A well-established firm like Name Experts offers a full-service domain name brokerage experience for clients. With over 16 years of industry experience and a proven track record (including helping Monday.com to rebrand), we can help you buy a premium domain name your business needs to boost its online presence.

We’re highly skilled at tracking down and reaching out to owners of off-market domain names, as well as negotiating the best price for our clients. Buying high-value domain names is a process, and our services ensure that you’ll get the best deal with the least fuss.

 

About the author

Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s leading domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains. Contact him at: [email protected]

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Got a domain name in your sights? Looking to sell one? Here are 5 ‘safe pairs of hands’ when looking to buy or sell non-premium domain names.   1. Sedo Sedo is a dedicated domain marketplace (similar to GoDaddy) with millions of users. It has been around for over two decades, making it a trusted marketplace for buying and selling domains. Any domain name owner can sign up for free and list their domain for sale on the website, and prospective buyers can easily contact them through the platform to buy domains. On Sedo, sellers can set a fixed price for their domain, put it up for auction, or indicate that they’re entertaining offers with an unspecified price range. When buyers come to the site, they can search for any keyword and check if anyone has listed a related domain name on the market. If you’re in the market for a premium domain name costing upwards of $10,000, consider seeking out an expert domain name brokerage service. 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NamePros NamePros is an online community for domain name owners to interact and discuss events related to their industry. In the forum’s early days, users commonly posted they had domain names available for sale and wanted to connect with potential buyers. Observing this, the owner of the forum launched an official domain marketplace section for buying and selling domain names. On NamePros, any registered user can list the domain names they have available in a forum post. To make the domains easy for prospective buyers to find, NamePros has formal categories that users can attach to their posts to find the perfect domain. How much is it worth? Namepros can also share pertinent details of recently sold domains that are similar in nature to your domain search. Because it is a forum, NamePros only helps buyers and owners find each other and it’s up to them to negotiate and decide how they’ll handle payments for the domain. 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Popular Domain names Internet marketplace where domain name owners can connect and manage potential buyers. Only domain names registered on Namecheap can be listed for sale on this marketplace and owners can list their domain names at a fixed amount or put them in auctions. If a seller lists their domain at a fixed price, you can purchase it immediately, just like you would purchase a new domain on Namecheap. Auctions If the seller puts their domain up for auction, you’ll have to participate in a timed bidding process for all auctions. If you are selling your domain, Namecheap collects a 10% commission on each sale. You must have a Namecheap account to buy domains from its marketplace and after buying any domain it is automatically transferred to your control. The convenient sale process makes Namecheap one of the easiest domain marketplaces to use over other domain marketplaces. 5. 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Why Work with Name Experts

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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