Finding domain names: What rules do you use?

R

rcriger

New member
Jun 29, 2011
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Hey all,

I was wondering what everybody's method for finding domains to buy is. This for development of the domains instead of for selling. Below is normally the rules I try to stick to.

I use Dropday to find expiring domain names.
CPC: 3$ or more
Exact monthly searches: 500+
Something I can write about

I recently added Serpiq to test the competition and will be integrating this tool much more.

Let me know what you guys us.

Thanks
 


Those metrics are only useful for buying in lots.
If you are individually analyzing names look at product availability/ margins.
Look at ease of ranking for various related terms.
Check the Exact Match Term extra carefully, and decide if its worth while.
 
secretagentdad said:
Those metrics are only useful for buying in lots.
If you are individually analyzing names look at product availability/ margins.
Look at ease of ranking for various related terms.
Check the Exact Match Term extra carefully, and decide if its worth while.
Click to expand...

Products That you will sell on your site?
 
Step 1: Try not to suck
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Aquire yet another sucky domain name

Seriously, I suck at domain names.

::emp::
 
Lol, I figured everybody would have system that they use unless they just aren't sharing =]
 
I always start with keywords, but my standards are the inverse of yours -- a $3 CPC against 500 xpms is hard to come by, I would think.

Something that I have found more useful than CPC is to use AdWords' tools to suggest a list of keywords, then look at the estimated cost per day for advertising that keyword. You'll get an idea not only of the value of the main keyword, but of the broader niche in general.

Aside from that, I do like a domain that has a little memorability to it. First and foremost is the "radio test" ie. if I say the name out loud, is it obvious how to type it? This eliminates pretty much anything with a number or hyphen or other character in it. Length is the next consideration, not just letters typed but syllables and how it sounds when you say it. Alliterative domains are hard to put together, but if you can create one that it is short using a good keyword and a non-fucktarded modifier, it might be worth the cost of having picked up an "imperfect" domain.

The reason I focus so much on the way the domain sounds when spoken is, simply put, that I want people to talk about it. While I realise that 9/10 sites that I build will probably never really pop in terms of traffic or revenue, the 1/10 that has a shot at becoming a big deal I want people to be able to say, hear, spell, remember it if they overhear it in a group, come up with stupid initials and such for it, etc. It's a branding point that in my experience can really affect the viral nature of a given site.

Aside from that, it's mostly keyword values -- search terms, is it a broad market, is it monetisable, can I get it without having to get a non-.com, if I get a non.com is it possible to make a cathy name out of an ccTLD etc. etc. etc.


Frank
 
One golden rule of domain purchasing is to double check the name. I know of some funny stories of people buying domains and not realising what they actually said.

Examples:

A website called speed of art - Speed of Art website of Nigel Talamo <- see the problem

&

A website called who represents - Contact Celebrity Agents Lawyers Managers and Publicists - WhoRepresents?com - WhoRepresentscelebrity?com

and finally

An american pen company called Pen Island.. you guessed it - Welcome to Pen Island! The best pens on the internet!
 
I dunno, man. Maybe I'm not being clear. Now, bearing in mind I'm pretty fuckin' lazy, I did pull up some keyword lists out of AW on a few broad topics that are generally high dollar fields:

college grants
engagement rings
custom porsche
accutane lawsuit

From these kw lists, I found 12 keywords that have <1,000 exact match searches per month. Of these, eight did in fact have CPC averages higher than $3.00 -- so a high proportion of those keyphrases found, but a low ratio of the overall market. But yes, I stand corrected -- with even minor digging I was able to turn up a few, and if you don't mind long names many available domains.

In a related story, I don't care for the niche or for long domains, but all of these registered <500 xpms and over $3.00 CPC and are available as of this post:

EngagementRingSettingsOnly.com ($3.35 cpc/$2.30 cpd)
DesignerEngagementRingSettings.com ($6.07 cpc/$3.41 cpd)
DesignMyEngagementRing.net ($4.39 cpc/$0.63 cpd)
WhiteGoldEngagementRingSettings.com ($4.80 cpc/$0.95 cpd)
CustomEngagementRingSettings.com ($6.67 cpc/$ 5.48 cpd)

CPC/CPD estimates are from Google's AdWords external tool using exact match.


Frank
 
fm1234 said:
I dunno, man. Maybe I'm not being clear. Now, bearing in mind I'm pretty fuckin' lazy, I did pull up some keyword lists out of AW on a few broad topics that are generally high dollar fields:

college grants
engagement rings
custom porsche
accutane lawsuit

From these kw lists, I found 12 keywords that have <1,000 exact match searches per month. Of these, eight did in fact have CPC averages higher than $3.00 -- so a high proportion of those keyphrases found, but a low ratio of the overall market. But yes, I stand corrected -- with even minor digging I was able to turn up a few, and if you don't mind long names many available domains.

In a related story, I don't care for the niche or for long domains, but all of these registered <500 xpms and over $3.00 CPC and are available as of this post:

EngagementRingSettingsOnly.com ($3.35 cpc/$2.30 cpd)
DesignerEngagementRingSettings.com ($6.07 cpc/$3.41 cpd)
DesignMyEngagementRing.net ($4.39 cpc/$0.63 cpd)
WhiteGoldEngagementRingSettings.com ($4.80 cpc/$0.95 cpd)
CustomEngagementRingSettings.com ($6.67 cpc/$ 5.48 cpd)

CPC/CPD estimates are from Google's AdWords external tool using exact match.


Frank
Click to expand...


You can do far better. - Dig deeper instead of bulk checking things suggested when you search the generic.
 
I don't really look for expired domains to build sites around. I have a site in mind then find a domain that is fitting.

I will first looks for exact match .com or .net to a keyword I want to target.
I will then look for hyphenated options.
If nothing is available I will use a short variation of the keyword (example: keywordhq.com, or keyworddepot.com)

Typically I can find something like that. That's good enough for me.
 
posted by secretagentdad:
You can do far better. - Dig deeper instead of bulk checking things suggested when you search the generic.
Click to expand...

posted by fm1234:
... bearing in mind I'm pretty fuckin' lazy ...

But yes, I stand corrected ...
Click to expand...

I appreciate that you're only encouraging me (and anyone else reading) to try harder; just saying in re my above example that when a cursory search proved your point, it didn't seem necessary to keep digging for further proof.


F.
 
When buying domains I need to first decide on 2 things:

1/ Will the same be brandable? think google.com, groupon, facebook...etc. If so, I find one that meets 2 criteria:
- BRANDkeyword.com - the brand is something original and special and the keyword is just hint of what it does. So when you grow SEO hair and become a bit know people will google you by BRAND or BRAND keyword and you will rank #1.
- Age - anything over 7 years is good. I used to buy drops, but the clocks get reset on them and you get 0 value from domain age. I buy them before they expire in auctions. You can start with Godaddy and move to other auctions as you see fit.
- Price - never pay stupid money for any domain. It's age, content, links and other SEO factors that count, not just a domain. Who would think a stupid domain like icanhascheezburger.com wwill be sold for $2?!

Advantage:
* Authortiy
* Memorability
* Brandability
* Algo resistant

Cons:
* You may loose all your hair before you get that authority, but it will be worth it.
* You will need steer clear of agressive blackhat SEO
* Harder to rank for money keywords initially

2/ Do I need keyword domains? This is pretty much what everyone goes after these days for a quick buck.
I used keywordsnipper in the past, but not a member anymore - I kept buying domains faster than I can develop. You can use any other tool but:
- Match it to Google Keyword tool data. Sometimes their data is inconsistent
- Get a feel of the value using traffic estimate as mentioned above
- Check local search results - if you are targetting USA, it's no use to you if the Global Searches are 12k, while the local is 900.
- Tick EXACT MATCH when searching G Keyword tool - many people forget this and ends up investing a lot of money and energy on the wrong keyword.
- Don't worry about domain extension (co.cc is an exception) I see .biz, .us, .info ..etc ranking very well for 1300+ monthly searches and I'm trying to beat them!

Advantage:
- Will likely rank for it keyword (unless you build links too fast)
- Minimum SEO work - depending on niche
- Less content required

Cons:
- None will come back because they want your site. They just came through the KW
- Not algo resistant. Can be washed buy G if they decide to devalue keyword in domain factor

Good luck!
 
1. To me, branding is more important than keyword targeting. You must look for domains that highlights your brands, because there are many other ways keyword targeting.

2. Domain extension of the target country. If You want to optimize your website for global results you can go with any top level domain.
 
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