Recently the Huffington Post posted an article on The 11 Most Expensive Domain Names purchased thus far in our very short world wide web history. I do not find it all that out of whack when you consider the search volumes for terms like;
- Vodka.com (sold for $3 million) – estimated Google global search volume for “vodka” – 5 million last month
- Business.com (sold for $7.9 million in 1999) – estimated Google global search volume for “business” – 151 million
- Toys.com (sold for $5.1 million in 2009) – estimated Google global search volume for “toys” – 124 million
- Beer.com (sold for $7 million in 2004) – estimated Google global search volume for “beer” – 24.9 million
- Casino.com (sold for $5.5 million in 2003) – estimated Google global search volume for “casino” – 24 million
While these number are astounding, it is all about the potential traffic and relavancy of the keywords located within the URL. A good domain name can go a long when when trying to reach potential website visitors. When picking a domain name consider critical keywords which you would like to rank well for and see if those domain names are available. Try different variations of your desired domain name and you may get lucky.
My guess is most domain names that have potentially high traffic potential are gone. Domain buying is, I believe, a pretty cool business but an evil business. Domain name buyers hold out on good domain names to make a profit. Pure and simple. Much like waving the golden carrot in front of a potential business owner. If you are willing to pay, you can get the domain name you want [unless it’s not being used].
If you have a domain name you want there are a few tools which can give you an estimation of what it’s worth. Check out EstiBot.com or Valuate.com to find your own domain worth. Who knows, you may sell it one day for ONE BILLION DOLLARS.