3 Biggest Factors When I Evaluate Domain Names

I spend quite a bit of time evaluating domain names to buy. Domain name auctions happen around the clock every day. Tens of thousands of domain names are up for auction at any given time, and new platform listings are added daily. Continuing to improve and grow my portfolio is critical, and evaluating domain names is essential.

There are many factors I consider when buying .com domain names. Tools I use daily – like ExpiredDomains.net and Dropping.pro – have many different search categories and filter options. There are a handful of search options I value more than others. I think the three most important factors I consider are these:

• Number of companies with the keyword as their brand name.
• Number of domain registrations with that specific keyword.
• How the domain name sounds to me.

There are a variety of tools people can use to search specific keywords to see how many companies exist with that business name. For instance, I can look up the keyword in LinkedIn to see how many companies have that name.

This is critically important because the more companies that are called something the more likely it is the exact match .com domain name will be in demand by one of them. In addition, there is a lower chance a company could win a claim by saying I acquired the domain name because of their specific company if there are hundreds of companies sharing the same name.

From my perspective, the more domain names that are registered in a specific keyword, the greater demand for the .com domain name with that keyword. I want to buy domain names that are already in demand, and if a prospective buyer sees it come on the market, it will be a matter of working out a price.

Notably, this factor can be a bit deceptive since some companies may buy dozens of extensions for a particular keyword. If I don’t notice this, I might artificially inflate the value of the domain name and end up paying more than I shoud.

The final factor is how the domain name sounds to me. I have a bit of a marketing background but am not a branding expert. However, I think I have a pretty good feel for what sounds like it could become a nice brand name. I always consider this when looking at domain names to buy.

There are plenty of other considerations I make when bidding on or buying domain names. Taken all together, these factors help me determine what to buy and how much I can afford to spend/