Course / Lesson 2 of 8 ยท 3 min read
Where to find names worth buying
There are three places to get a domain name. Each has a different price and a different chance of being any good.
1. Register a new name
You type an idea into a registrar such as Namecheap, Porkbun or Dynadot, and if no one owns it, you buy it for the normal yearly fee. This is called a hand registration.
It is the cheapest way in. It is also the hardest way to win, because almost every short, clear .com
was registered years ago. What is left is usually long, odd, or tied to a trend.
2. Catch an expiring name
Every day, thousands of names are not renewed by their owners. Some of them are good. Lists such as ExpiredDomains.net let you search names that are about to drop or are up for auction.
If more than one person wants a name, it goes to an auction at a drop-catch service such as DropCatch or a registrar's own auction. You only pay if you win.
Why expired names can be better: they may have age, past traffic, or links from other sites. Check what the name was used for before you buy. A name with a spam history can be a problem.
3. Buy from another owner
Many names are for sale by other investors on marketplaces. You pay more, but you can pick from names that are already good. Buy here only when you know what similar names sell for (Lesson 3).
A quick filter before you buy
- Can you say it once on the phone and have someone spell it right?
- Is it a
.com? Most business buyers still want.comfirst. - Is there a business type that would pay for it? Name the buyer before you buy the name.
- Is it free of anyone's trademark? (Lesson 4.)