Domain Names for Sale – How To Find Premium, Brandable Domains

Before you start looking for premium domains for sale, it’s important to understand what makes a domain valuable as an investment and asset to your end goal. Whether you are buying a domain as an investment to resell later or to use it as the anchor for your brand, there are key factors that you need to know before you start the domain purchasing process.

What is a Premium Domain?

A premium domain name has some specific characteristics that sets it apart from the millions of other domains on the internet. Here are the 7 top attributes that make up a premium domain name:

1. Length

Length matters, but in this case, shorter is better.

Generally speaking, the shorter the domain, the more valuable it is. From an SEO point of view, a shorter domain is a positive SEO factor as Google prefers domains that are 15 characters or less. Longer domains are easier to find, easier to forget and, and have less impact if they include keywords.

2. Keywords

As mentioned above, if your domain is based on keywords, then it makes sense that your domain will hold more value if it has easy to remember, popular keywords. Google still places some value on the keywords in a domain name and you can maximise this by choosing a domain name that contains keywords that best represent your niche, focus and content. So, a premium domain name will include keywords that reflect a popular niche or market.

Also, make sure to avoid numbers and hyphens. There are a few exceptions to this rule, as using a sequence of well-known numbers can help your branding efforts as they are easily recognised and remembered, such as 800, 888, 247, 365, 420, etc. Hyphens should be avoided as much as possible as they weaken a domain name’s value and impact on a variety of levels, especially if you are looking to buy the domain as an investment to resell later.

3. Brand Friendly

When considering the meaning and value of a domain name, you can generally approach it from two ways: either as a keyword-based domain, as discussed above, or as a unique “brand.” A domain name that focuses on brand, rather than keywords, can be more creative and memorable. As Google focuses on brand popularity in its search index and apps, this opens the doors to domain name options.

If you are creating a new brand, consider domains that still reflect your niche.

They can also include or exclude letters from a domain, think fiverr.com, dribbble.com, digg.com, tumblr.com or flickr.com.

Your brand-able domain ideally should be:

• Unique (you are one-of-a-kind, your brand should be too!)
• Concise (remember shorter is better)
• Descriptive (while the brand can be more creative, it should still hint at your niche)
• Memorable (an domain that is easily remembered, will get more shares and return traffic)
• .COM (as noted above, this is the best extension to get)

4. Extension

How many types of domain extensions are there?

According the this article that discusses the popularity of domain name extensions, there are over 280 domain extensions worldwide. The TLD (Top-level domain) .COM extension has remained as the #1 choice worldwide since it was introduced on January 1, 1985.

As the .COM extension carries this inherent popularity, it immediately conveys authority and trust, not to mention it is easy to remember and will receive the most direct “type in” traffic. It is the default extension and is the “go to” TLD when you are looking to invest in a domain name. It is simply the best choice, whether or not you decide to park it in you domain portfolio or build it out as a brand with a website and social media channels.

5. Age

The age of a domain is a factor in the domain’s overall value, especially from a reselling perspective. However, the most important thing when you own a domain for your business, is to ensure it is registered for at least 3 years. This shows that the domain is dedicated and is not a “throw away” domain that is often used by spammers.

6. Readability

The readability of a domain name is reflected in its length and, in some cases, the keywords used in it. A unique brand domain may be more challenging if you are using combinations of characters that are harder to read or pronounce.

An easy test is to simply read your potential domain name aloud. Or to ask some of your inner circle of friends and family to read and comment on your choices.

7. Relevancy

Relevancy of a domain name can be tricky, as it can vary over time. In many cases, due to global trends, the relevancy of the words included in a domain may gain or lose value. So, ultimately, it’s best to focus on those keyword-based domains that have more “evergreen” keywords than ones focused on topics and niches that will fade in months.

Remember, any domain is an investment in your brand, so it only makes sense to invest in a quality domain that has been curated based on these top factors. A good domain name, like a fine wine, will not only age well, but gain value, especially if you choose to build a brand and web presence around the domain.

You can find premium domains for resale across the web, on marketplaces like Sedo, Godaddy and domain marketplace Afternic. They each offer a wide ranging premium domain portfolio for you to buy distinctive domains as an investment or to base your brand’s future on.