The High Value of Exact Match .Com Domains

Establishing a strong online presence is paramount for any brand’s success. One crucial aspect of success is selecting the right domain name. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of using an exact match .com domain name for your brand and how it can positively impact your online identity, credibility, search engine optimization, and user experience.

Building a Strong Online Identity

Your domain name is the online address that customers use to find and interact with your brand. It acts as the foundation of your online identity. An exact match .com domain, where the domain matches your brand name precisely, without numbers or hyphens, enhances brand recognition and recall. It provides a clear and consistent message to your target audience, enabling them to easily remember and locate your website. This creates a lasting impression, fosters trust, and sets you apart from the competition.

Establishing Credibility and Trust

The choice of a .com domain extension holds significant weight in establishing credibility. Dot-com domains have been around the longest and are universally recognized as the most trustworthy and reliable. When users see a .com domain, most perceive the brand as professional, established, and reputable. This credibility instills confidence in potential customers, encouraging them to engage with your brand and convert into loyal followers or customers.

Boosting Search Engine Optimization

A major factor that affects a website’s visibility in search engine results is the domain name. Search engines, such as Google, value exact match domain names when determining the relevance of a website to a specific search query. An exact match .com domain that aligns with your brand name or primary keywords can provide a substantial SEO advantage. It increases the chances of your website ranking higher in search results, which can drive organic traffic and improve your online visibility.

Enhancing User Experience

User experience (UX) plays a pivotal role in the success of any website. A concise and memorable .com domain name simplifies the user’s journey by making it easier to type, remember, and share. It minimizes the risk of users mistyping or misspelling the domain, which can lead to frustration and loss of potential customers. Additionally, an exact match .com domain reduces confusion, ensuring a seamless and intuitive browsing experience that promotes engagement and conversions.

Future-Proofing Your Brand

As domain extensions rise and fall in importance, using an exact match .com domain name not only benefits your brand in the present but also safeguards its future growth and expansion. As the online space becomes increasingly competitive, securing a .com domain that matches your brand name becomes more challenging. By acquiring the exact match dot com domain, you eliminate the risk of a competitor acquiring it or diluting your brand’s online presence. This proactive approach future-proofs your brand, ensuring its longevity and consistent branding across various online platforms.

Despite a wide variety of available domain extensions, the .com domain extension is almost universally considered the most important, the most stable for branding purposes, and the most valuable. Protect your brand by owning and using an exact match .com domain name.

Conclusion

In a digital world saturated with countless brands, an exact match .com domain name is a valuable asset that can elevate your brand’s online presence. It serves as the foundation for your brand’s identity, credibility, and visibility in search engine results. Moreover, it improves user experience and safeguards your brand’s future. By carefully selecting a .com domain name that precisely matches your brand or company name, you lay the groundwork for long-term success and establish a stronger connection with your target audience.

Digital Investing. Personalized Advice. | Bionic Capital Wealth Management

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Commercial companies generally benefit from owning their exact match .com domain. Unless you offer a very specific or niche product or service, like an AI service, most companies should own their .com domain for long-term success.

An exact match .com domain name is a valuable asset that can elevate your brand’s online presence. It serves as the foundation for your brand’s identity, credibility, and visibility in search engine results. Moreover, it improves user experience and safeguards your brand’s future. Unless you offer a niche product or service, where another domain extension may suffice, owning the .com domain name that matches your brand or company name will lay the groundwork for long-term success and establish a stronger connection with your target audience.

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9 Great Steps to Sell Brandable Domain Names

Selling Brandable Domain Names

Selling brandable domain names for top dollar can be challenging, but there are a number of key strategies that can increase your chances of success:

Evaluation

1. Determine the value of your domain name: Before offering your domain name for sale, you should research and analyze its market value. There are many factors that can influence the value of a domain name, such as its length, its memorability, its relevance to a specific industry, its name extension, and its search engine optimization potential. Use Godaddy’s domain appraisal tool to help you. Although we at Startup Domains primarily offer exact-match .com domain names, others have succeeded in selling domains of various extensions and types. Each name and extension will infer different valuations.

Tell the World

2. List your domain name on domain marketplaces: There are many online marketplaces where you can list your domain name for sale, such as GoDaddy, Sedo, Afternic, DAN, SquadHelp, and Efty Marketplace. These marketplaces can help you reach a wider audience of potential buyers and provide tools to help you negotiate and close the sale.

We currently use Dan.com (owned by GoDaddy), and Efty (our marketplace is at ResaleDomains.com), in addition to our other owned site, BrandLily.com. Marketplaces typically charge fees, including broker fees, so be aware of the specifics of whichever platforms you use.

More Outreach

3. Reach out to potential buyers directly: Obviously, you can contact potential buyers directly via email or social media. Rather than a scattershot approach, try to target individuals or companies who may have reason to be interested in your domain name based on their industry or business model. Although this is one of our least favorite techniques, there are successful domainers who have made money through such outreach.

Make it Shiny

4. Showcase your domain name: Create a landing page for your domain name that showcases its potential and its value proposition. Consider including information on the domain’s history, its search engine optimization potential, potential trademark opportunities, and any notable companies that use branding with a similar feel. Just make sure you aren’t infringing on their branding.

Showcasing in these ways can help increase the perceived value of the domain and attract more potential buyers. BrandLily.com, SquadHelp.com, BrandBucket.com, and others include logos to help showcase domains for sale. It requires some effort and creativity but doing so can help your domains stand out.

Consider Financing

5. Offer financing options: If your domain name is priced at a high value, offering financing options may make it accessible to potential buyers who may not have the full amount available upfront. This can help you close the sale and generate more revenue over time. Dan.com is one of the best at financing domain purchases, though Escrow.com has financing options that may be less expensive for the buyer.

Build Your Presence

6. Build a strong online presence: In addition to your professional website or landing page that showcases your brandable domain names, social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook can be powerful tools for promoting your brandable domain names. You can create social media posts, share blog articles related to your domains, or use paid advertising to target specific audiences. Make sure to use appropriate hashtags and keywords to increase your reach and visibility.

The more visibility and personal credibility you develop, the more likely buyers will trust what you’re selling and look for your offerings. Use high-quality images and clear descriptions in your posts or tweets. Humor is great but directness is important. Everyone is busy, so cut to the chase.

In-person Networking

7. Attend domain name conferences and events: Consider attending domain name conferences and events to help you network with potential buyers and other domain name investors. These events provide opportunities to showcase your domain names and gain exposure to potential buyers in person. You may pick up tips about how to market to end-market buyers. Conferences can become expensive, of course, but they work well for some people. This is not our preferred approach due to the expense and a general dislike of travel. But, you do you.

Pay to Get Paid

8. Use paid advertising: Paid advertising can be a useful tool to reach a larger audience of potential buyers. Google Ads and Facebook Ads are popular advertising platforms that allow you to target specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. You can use paid advertising to drive traffic to your domain name’s landing page or to promote a domain name directly.

Plan to start with a low daily ad budget and track your costs, so you don’t give up your potential profit to the advertising platforms. This is not a technique we have utilized, so you are on your own with this one.

One More Way to Sell Brandable Domain Names

Pay Even More to Get Paid

9. Use a domain name broker: Many domain name brokers are experienced professionals who can help you sell your domain name. They may have access to a large network of potential buyers and can help you negotiate the best possible price for your domain name. However, keep in mind that domain name brokers typically charge a commission fee, which can range from 10% to 30% of the sale price. And it is difficult to know upfront who is actually worth the fee you will pay. That research is beyond the scope of this post. (FYI: Startup Domains does NOT broker outside domains, but only those owned by our long-time clients.)

In Summary

Selling brandable domain names requires a combination of research, marketing, sales, and networking skills. By using a mix of the above strategies, you can increase your chances of finding the right buyer and achieving a successful, top-dollar sale. Good luck!

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