How can you get a good domain?

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff

If you’ve visited GoDaddy to search for a new domain over the last few years, you’ve probably noticed that most of the good ones have already been taken. So what options do you have when the perfect domain just isn’t available? You could choose the .net version, as many people have, but even good .net domains are becoming more difficult to find these days. The .org version may or may not be an option, depending on your needs. There’s always .us, but like .org, that’s really not a fit for a lot of people. One option that many people never even consider is buying an existing domain. Aside from the opportunity to get the perfect domain for your needs, you may even be lucky enough to buy a domain that has been used for a live website rather than just sitting in a domainers portfolio. This often means back-links and established organic search traffic – a serious bonus to your investment.

So where does one find an existing domain to buy? You have a few choices. You can bid on the domains you want on some of the auction sites, such as SnapNames or Sedo. This can be a great choice because right now, as with real estate, it’s a buyers market.

Many domainers are aggressively pruning their portfolios, keeping only the ones that work best with their unique business model. Keep in mind, the fact that they are selling a particular domain doesn’t mean it’s a bad domain. The cost to maintain even a modest portfolio can add up quickly – for example: 2,000 domains at roughly $10 per domain means it takes $20,000 per year just to maintain ownership, and domainers  monetize domains in quite a different way than your average person, so while a particular domain may not work for them, it could be perfect for you.

Other domainers, such as Charlie Simm, of DomainingTips.com are selling off domains to fund their own projects. In this case, he is willing to let perfectly good domains go at rock-bottom prices in order to generate capital for a new project. You should definitely check out the auction right away because it ends in just 6 hours and even the category-killer one-word domains, such as Offended.com, Dullard.com, Armchair.net and Necklace.net have current bids of less than $10,000. That’s a steal!

Another option is to contact the owner, even if the domain you want doesn’t seem to be for sale, and make an offer. We’ve walked a few clients through this, and they’ve walked away with some domains they thought they could never get. Bear in mind, we have a little different insight than your average person because we can analyze the quantity and type of traffic a particular domain receives, making valuation a snap in most cases. A domain owner may only be making a few dollars per day, so a modest offer that may be 3-4 times what that domain produces in a year can be enough to make for a quick and simple transaction, but you better have a better plan than they did to monetize the domain.

You can always get the perfect domain for your needs, you just need to know where to look!

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