W3 Spin|Internet news blog

You don’t have to be rocket scientist to see just how one domain name is worth millions and another one similar could be worth next to nothing. Let’s take for example two similar domain names like Beds.com and , which are virtually the same but Beds.com is a goldmine whereas Bedsx.com probably loses money.

Keyword domain names become profitable investments if you follow these 6 golden rules and you must read them before buying your own domain name. It doesn’t matter which route you take to buy the domain name, good investigative work will guarantee a winner when it comes to selling.

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: A common view is that domain names are valued for their uniqueness but I say that any domain name falls into one category. I like names with words that are commonly used in day to day life, you know - words that stick. Words need to be chose on a certain order and you need to value pluralization too. Let’s just explain that with these factors - market, marketing, markets. SportCars.com is not as valuable as SportsCars.com, and is a loser domain name put up against RunningShoes.com. If you run a few checks on Google you will see that ShoesRunning.com is nowhere to be seen.

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: A further important consideration is the domain length. Short domain names will get better results because they are a lot easier to remember and spell and would convert into loads more traffic. Branding domains with takinf these important factors into account will increase drastically the domain name value which is great news if later sell your domain.

5. Prior use: If the domain has a past life, and was acquired through a drop service or from an expired list, you want to know about it. Forget perceived positives like search engine ranking and PR since those will likely disappear after the name is in your hands. Instead, delve into the name’s dark side. Was it ever used for spamming? Is it banned from Google’s index? Did it previously contain questionable content? Overcoming these negatives can be more work than you bargained for, even with an otherwise great name.

6. End user development potential: The one thing pretty much everyone in this business agrees on is a domain needs to be developable. In other words, you must always ask yourself this: Would I or anyone else be willing to spend money to put up a Web site on this name? If the answer is no, it will never truly be considered great.

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