Domain Investing – Six Definitions of a Top Generic Domain Name

Why does one name sell for six figures, while another languishes on an auction site with a $100 reserve for months, unable to get even a smidgen of interest? Sometimes the two domains are similar, with only a one or two character difference. Beds.com and Bedsx.com come to mind, the former being worth hundreds, even thousands of times more than the latter.

There are six primary elements that make a keyword domain name great and valuable and worthy, and you’ll want to evaluate these factors before you buy. They apply to names you register fresh, names you purchase privately, and names you bid on at auction. A little research upfront can save a lot of grief down the road when it comes time to sell or develop.

1. Keyword volume: This involves keyword research which will reveal whether the words you use in the domain name are words that users like to type in the search box. Google for example get 2400 searches every month for “Hawaii Singles”. At the end of the day it is all down to volume regardless of the keyword tool you use and although they may give different results, you will soon see which words get traffic.

2. Commonality: Uniqueness is not the only success factor in a great domain and if you think for a moment, domains are really all of one category. The best words to chose for a domain name are words that are always on the tip of our tongue and everybody else’s. Word order and plurals are also important factors to take into consideration when choosing a domain name, for example – bank, banked, banks. SportCars.com for example won’t be worth as much as SportsCars.com. Basically it ranks as a losing domain if you compare it to RunningShoes.com. If you try a couple of domain checks on Google you will find that ShoesRunning.com isn’t even there.

3. True type-in traffic: Most people always rush into domain investing and are not able to get this type of information to guide them first. Type-in traffic is the key to success and we need long term traffic, so don’t pay any attention to search engine or link traffic as this won’t last.

4. Length: Another important factor is domain name length. Short domains are better as they are so much easier to remember and spell and will convert into a lot more traffic. Branding a domain with these points in mind will push up the domain name value significantly which is a bonus if you are thinking of selling in the future.

5. Prior use: People that invest in domains that are available on drop services or from expired lists may have been fooled into doing so as you really can be unaware of the history of a domain until you are already the owner. You may have even been fooled by a high Google ranking or PR but that can drop down right under your nose if it has previously been used for spamming and you wouldn’t even be able to get the best sounding domain back on it’s feet again. The only way out would be to register a new similar name like flightsblog.com and take that route to get it back to the top again.

6. End user development potential: Domain names have a certain flexibility that will develop them into major money winning sites and after having read this guide, it is down to you to make the decision on whether the domain words will help you hit the jackpot. Read more to find out more domain investing tips that will put you just way ahead of the rest.

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