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How to Select the Best Domains for Monetization

Selecting a high traffic domain name has an enormous impact on how much revenue you earn. Use DomainSponsor's tips to guide your search process for new domains.

5 characteristics of high-performing domains:

  1. Short and sweet. Domains with fewer characters tend to garner more traffic. One-word and short phrase domains are best.
  2. In demand. Think about the commercial potential of your domain. Is your idea a common search term? Who is interested in the associated subjects? Use Yahoo's Keyword Selector Tool to get an idea of the popularity of a search term; popularity numbers can be a great indicator of your domain's commercial potential.
  3. Clear apparent meaning. People should be able to guess what your domain name means. Put yourself in your site visitor's shoes. What would you expect to find on the site? If you're having trouble answering this question, you may want to check Archive.org to see if the domain you're interested in has previously been developed. What content did it provide before? Another idea is running a Google search on the domain keywords to see what kinds of sites pop up.
  4. Generic. Make sure that the domain name is generic and doesn't infringe on any trademarks. Not only is a trademark lawsuit costly and time-consuming, but registering a trademarked domain is a bad practice for the longevity of the domain monetization industry.
  5. Appropriate TLD. Domains ending in .com receive the most type-in traffic, and are the best choice for a TLD. However, if you have a foreign language domain, and anticipate that your traffic will originate predominantly from the applicable country, you may want to select the country-specific TLD.

Where to Buy Better Domains

4 ways to acquire:

  1. Buy from a domain registrar. If the domain you want to buy is currently unregistered and available, buying from a domain registrar is the fast and simple way to purchase it.
  2. Buy direct from the owner. If the domain you're interested in is currently registered, you can contact the current owner to see if they're interested in selling. Obtain the owner's contact information by doing a Whois search. Buying from a direct owner can have the advantage of gaining traffic history with the sale if the owner is willing to share it.
  3. Buy from a domain aftermarket seller. Here, domain owners can list their domains for sale, for a set price or in an auction format. Sellers on domain aftermarket sites may be willing to disclose traffic history of the domains for sale. Visit Oversee's SnapNames.com to look for your next domain.
  4. Buy through a domain broker. A domain broker can help you navigate the entire process by contacting owners, negotiating price, and seeing through the transfer of the domain to you. Many registrars offer domain brokering services for a fee.