One thing I think about when evaluating domain names to purchase is the possibility that there are alternative spellings to the domain names – both accepted spellings and common typos. If the alternate spellings are common, I typically won’t buy these types of names, because there will often be confusion, and the last thing I want to do is develop a website and find that people accidentally navigate to the alternatively spelled domain name.
This is something I am especially cognizant about when the alternate spelling is commonly accepted as the proper spelling – or their is a commonly used abbreviation. A quick example of this is a name like FortWorth.com and FtWorth.com. I would have a difficult time paying 6 figures for either of these names, because there will always be confusion – especially when pitching businesses over the telephone. I would find it annoying to have to explain, it’s “F-O-R-T Worth dot com” or visa versa.
If you do have the opportunity to buy a good domain name that has common misspellings (both accepted and unaccepted spellings), and you are gung ho about development, I would try my hardest to buy the misspellings as well and do a 301 redirect to the properly spelled domain name. Once you begin to develop your website, you are going to increase the value of the typo, making it more expensive for you to acquire down the road.
This is one of the little things to consider before your development project.
