Ever thought about valuing one of your registered domain names, because you were considering selling it and wanted to know what a fair price would be? Maybe you are just curious to know how much your domain is worth? Did the high fees for detailed appraisal services put you off the idea or are you still considering it?

Here’s a simple fact: domain names, just like any other product or service, are worth what the market can bear.

What that means is that if a domain appraiser tells you that your domain name is worth $ 2,500, but the most you can raise at auction is $ 50, then your domain is really worth $ 50, not $ 2,500. It’s basic economics. . The market works on a supply-demand system. You are providing a certain domain name, and its value is entirely determined by the demand for that name. If only one person in the world is interested in buying it from you, its value will be quite low (unless, of course, it is a squatter who jumped into a domain that someone gave up and is demanding an obscene price for it). On the other hand, if thousands of people desperately want the domain name you are selling, the price that some people are willing to pay can skyrocket, making your domain name worth thousands.

How domains are evaluated

Domain pricing is not an exact science. Several factors are considered, ranging from the length of the domain to the extent of the domain. These are some of the considerations:

The domain extension: A .com domain is always valued more than a .net, .org or other extension for the same name.

The length of the domain name: Domains tend to be more valued if you avoid going from 12 to 15 characters.

Hyphens and Numbers: You will receive a higher rating if you avoid using numbers and hyphens in your domain name.

Domain Prefixes: You will receive a lower rating if your domain name starts with any type of prefix, be it an e, i, la, an, etc.

Name recognition: If you can register a domain that can be easily recognized, such as a common word in the dictionary, you will receive a higher rating.

Name relevance: If your domain specifically indicates what services or products your website could offer, it will receive a higher rating.

Marketing: could the domain name be easily marketed and promoted? Does it lend itself to a simple logo and site campaign? Can it be easily pronounced in a radio campaign without being confusing, like having multiple possible spellings? Does it look attractive in print? If the answer to each question is yes, you will receive a higher rating.

Is it worth the cost?

At the very least, you should understand that domain name appraisals are extremely subjective and you could receive very different evaluations from two different appraisal companies. In a general sense, unless absolutely necessary, a domain name appraisal is probably not worth the expense. When selling a domain name, many buyers require you to provide one. Some even tell you which appraisal companies will and will not accept. If that’s the case, please agree to get the appraisal, but kindly inform the customer that if they request it, they will be responsible for the upfront fee or will add it to their invoice when processing the sale. Other than that, if you want an honest opinion on one of your domain names, there are countless free forums on the web where seasoned domain buying and selling professionals will give you their free opinion based on what they have seen selling similar domains. for recently. It might be a better use of your time to get various opinions that way and decide for yourself what you think your domain is worth. And if you considered getting a domain appraisal just out of curiosity, remember this: your company’s domain name is only as valuable as you think it is. If you couldn’t run your business without it, it’s priceless.