In the fast-paced world of online business, a strong domain name is more than just an address—it’s often the foundation of a brand. Understanding domain valuation is crucial as you consider buying, selling, or building on a domain in 2024. Here’s a breakdown of current trends:
Premium Domains
Short, one-word .coms: Simple, memorable, and often representing common concepts. These remain in high demand (Examples: Help.com, Throne.com).
- Price range: $50,000 – $500,000+ (outliers like Voice.com at $30M exist)
- Watch for: Brandability, trendy keywords, and relevance to your business.
.AI domains: The go-to for AI-driven businesses. Popularity and price volatility are likely. (Examples: Agents.ai, You.ai, Pics.ai).
- Price range: $0 – $1,000,000 (highly dependent on the domain itself)
- Watch for: Industries likely to use AI heavily as well as short, impactful names.
Longer or uncommon one-word .coms: Offer more availability at potentially lower prices (Example: Closure.com)
- Price range: $10,000 – $50,000+
- Watch for: Brandability, variations of sought-after words.
3-letter .coms: Highly sought after, especially with trendy abbreviations relevant to target industries (Examples: HKL.com, NFC.com, MAX.com).
- Price range: $20,000 – $100,000+, easily exceeding seven figures
2-letter .coms: The pinnacle of domain rarity. Values are highly individual (Example: IT.com).
- Price range: $500,000+ with several million being common
3-character & 2-character .coms (letters & numbers): More accessible but still in demand (Examples: b5d.com, 5f.com).
- Price range: $500 – $3,000 (3-character), $50,000+ (2-character)
Two-word .coms: Finding the right pairing is key. Brandability and keywords matter (Examples: CloudTech.com, ValueMattress.com).
- Price range: $1,500 – $50,000+
Other Domain Valuations
- Non-.coms (country-specific): Generally valued at 10-25% of the .com equivalent
- Non-.coms (alternate): (.net, .co, .org) Worth 5-20% of .com equivalent. Watch for .io and .ai with rising acceptance in tech.
- New domain suffixes (ngTLDs): (.xyz, .top, .pro, .app, .shop, .store) Focus on the absolute best keywords or phrases, limited broad appeal. Values generally 1-10% of the .com.
- Number .coms: Chinese market heavily influences value. Expect volatility outside of that context.
- Example: 01.com (sold for $1,820,000 USD), 509.com (sold for $106,000 USD), 6439.com (sold for $25,505 USD)
- Price range: A NN will likely be in the millions, a NNN is likely to be $100k+, and a NNNN is generally $20k+
Value Influencers
- Singularity, trends, key industries: Domains reflecting 2024’s landscape will command a premium (think Web3, metaverse, sustainability, etc.)
- Negative connotations: Stay away from domains with negative associations, including terms banned by marketplaces.
Additional Notes:
- Consider professional appraisal services for especially high-value domains.
- Marketplaces like Sedo and Afternic offer domain auctions and sales data for insights.
Beyond 2024
The domain market will always evolve alongside technology and culture. Staying ahead means recognizing the potential in emerging trends and understanding how to value these new types of digital assets.
