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Ask HN: Are Domain Names Worth Anything Anymore?

7 points by npguy 14y ago

npguy 14y ago
or in fact, are names themselves worth anything?
- generj 14y ago
  I think names are always worth something. How much they are worth depends on a variety of things. Names frame a discussion of a product or service. It's the difference between calling something a) a cancer stick b) a cigarette or c ) a certain genus of plant, rolled into a cylinder so that it can be ignited from a chemically powered heat source. In regards to domain names, domain names are inexpensive because people have realized that humans imagination is so great that we don't need productDescriptor.com anymore. We can use domain hacks, or come up with a different name. Often not having pizza.com available to us prompts better discussion of what our service truly offers, and results in a better product. If domain names were worthless, than I'd direct everyone to simply type 192.168.1.1 (obviously local subnet) in their web-browsers to reach my site.
  - npguy 14y ago
    That ip example you took is an extreme case argument format. Thats the one used for example to prove that poker is a game of skill or chance where ppl say it is not a game of chance since you can play to lose. But point on names well taken.
    - generj 14y ago
      Ah, sorry. I've taken a logic class, so I should really stop making spurious arguments like that. We have seen the enemy and he is us and all of that I guess. I'll admit to collecting domain names simply because they sound cool and I worry other people will snatch them up.
      - sejje 14y ago
        +1 to being a (minor) collector. Have a few with vague ideas behind them that might never come to fruition.
statictype 14y ago
Yes. They are still useful for SEO. rentacar.com will get a free ranking boost on 'rent cars' that 'shertz.com' will not.
- dangrossman 14y ago
  Well, that was the case until the past few weeks. http://www.seomoz.org/blog/are-exact-match-domains-in-decline http://www.seomoz.org/blog/are-exact-match-domains-in-declin... http://searchengineland.com/low-quality-exact-match-domains-are-googles-next-target-134889 http://searchengineland.com/low-quality-exact-match-domains-...
Bob90001 14y ago
Good question. I host stuff on free blogs like Tumblr these days. I am not sure if a full-blown domain name is as valuable to me as it was in the past.
bjansn 14y ago
Since you can google from your addressbar in the browser I see normal users only use Google. Instead of typing www.example.com they type 'example website' and then reach it through Google (or Bing depending on their browser). I think it's still of value to have a good domain name, in the end there will be a big subset of users who will use it to reach your website. If you're running a webshop on the domain this could be damaging if they land on one of you competitors and get the product they want with them.
cstrat 14y ago
I wonder how many people were upset with the whole .co TLD. There must be a heap of people who either paid lots of money to buy off domain squatters to get their desired .com / or they chose a less desirable .com address...
hellosmithy 14y ago
Are you talking about value to your business or value in terms of reselling domains?
- npguy 14y ago
  Doesn't one drive the other?
The_Sponge 14y ago
They have good value for personal email and projects for personal reasons as well as in situations where a link is not clicked. Personal Reasons: Gmail starts sucking? Change email hosts, and all is mostly well with little to no interruption to your email service. Also, they can be good for personal branding. Professional Reasons: A billboard, an ad, a business card. It looks foolish when a company is @gmail.com, for example. There are security reasons as well. I use google apps for my personal email. If Google were to drop IMAP support or enforce terms of service that were unacceptable, I would have the option of easily pointing my MX records to another email host. If I was on @gmail.com, I would have a difficult time switching. For me, <$10/yr is more than worth it.
JohnHaugeland 14y ago
Yes. Domains are worth hundreds, or in some cases thousands, based on SEO. Having the right title can drive traffic to your site. They can increase an existing revenue stream as a result. Unfortunately, there are still people holding onto things they bought 15 years ago, squatting them because they think they're worth millions. (Screw you, Barry.)
hellweaver666 14y ago
If you mean are they worth anything to sell in a domain market place? Yes, but they're only worth what someone is willing to pay. I know people that have a domain they think is worth thousands or millions (they're not) and won't even entertain sensible offers. They've held these domains since the 90's and are waiting for their big pay day that will likely never come because no amount will ever be enough. Meanwhile, I know other people selling many many domains for a couple of hundred per domain who have made hundreds of thousands in profit. So yes... domains are worth anything, but the value is generally determined by the buyer, and big domain sales like those that occurred in the early 2000's are becoming rarer.
factorialboy 14y ago
Depends. For whom? * Employed individuals, probably not. * Self employed individuals, yep. * Businesses, yes but it's mostly subjective, interpretational, perceived importance. And remember, there are always exceptions to every rule. :)
jamesjguthrie 14y ago
I really don't think they're worth what some think or what they used to be as it's getting kinda common to see other TLD's as a company's main domain. E.g. I can't get the .com or .co.uk I want but I don't mind much as I can get the .me or .us that I want.

7 points by npguy 14y ago

npguy 14y ago

or in fact, are names themselves worth anything?

generj 14y ago
I think names are always worth something. How much they are worth depends on a variety of things. Names frame a discussion of a product or service. It's the difference between calling something a) a cancer stick b) a cigarette or c ) a certain genus of plant, rolled into a cylinder so that it can be ignited from a chemically powered heat source. In regards to domain names, domain names are inexpensive because people have realized that humans imagination is so great that we don't need productDescriptor.com anymore. We can use domain hacks, or come up with a different name. Often not having pizza.com available to us prompts better discussion of what our service truly offers, and results in a better product. If domain names were worthless, than I'd direct everyone to simply type 192.168.1.1 (obviously local subnet) in their web-browsers to reach my site.
- npguy 14y ago
  That ip example you took is an extreme case argument format. Thats the one used for example to prove that poker is a game of skill or chance where ppl say it is not a game of chance since you can play to lose. But point on names well taken.
  - generj 14y ago
    Ah, sorry. I've taken a logic class, so I should really stop making spurious arguments like that. We have seen the enemy and he is us and all of that I guess. I'll admit to collecting domain names simply because they sound cool and I worry other people will snatch them up.
    - sejje 14y ago
      +1 to being a (minor) collector. Have a few with vague ideas behind them that might never come to fruition.

statictype 14y ago

Yes. They are still useful for SEO. rentacar.com will get a free ranking boost on 'rent cars' that 'shertz.com' will not.

dangrossman 14y ago
Well, that was the case until the past few weeks. http://www.seomoz.org/blog/are-exact-match-domains-in-decline http://www.seomoz.org/blog/are-exact-match-domains-in-declin... http://searchengineland.com/low-quality-exact-match-domains-are-googles-next-target-134889 http://searchengineland.com/low-quality-exact-match-domains-...

Bob90001 14y ago

Good question. I host stuff on free blogs like Tumblr these days. I am not sure if a full-blown domain name is as valuable to me as it was in the past.

bjansn 14y ago

Since you can google from your addressbar in the browser I see normal users only use Google. Instead of typing www.example.com they type 'example website' and then reach it through Google (or Bing depending on their browser). I think it's still of value to have a good domain name, in the end there will be a big subset of users who will use it to reach your website. If you're running a webshop on the domain this could be damaging if they land on one of you competitors and get the product they want with them.

cstrat 14y ago

I wonder how many people were upset with the whole .co TLD. There must be a heap of people who either paid lots of money to buy off domain squatters to get their desired .com / or they chose a less desirable .com address...

hellosmithy 14y ago

Are you talking about value to your business or value in terms of reselling domains?

npguy 14y ago
Doesn't one drive the other?

The_Sponge 14y ago

They have good value for personal email and projects for personal reasons as well as in situations where a link is not clicked. Personal Reasons: Gmail starts sucking? Change email hosts, and all is mostly well with little to no interruption to your email service. Also, they can be good for personal branding. Professional Reasons: A billboard, an ad, a business card. It looks foolish when a company is @gmail.com, for example. There are security reasons as well. I use google apps for my personal email. If Google were to drop IMAP support or enforce terms of service that were unacceptable, I would have the option of easily pointing my MX records to another email host. If I was on @gmail.com, I would have a difficult time switching. For me, <$10/yr is more than worth it.

JohnHaugeland 14y ago

Yes. Domains are worth hundreds, or in some cases thousands, based on SEO. Having the right title can drive traffic to your site. They can increase an existing revenue stream as a result. Unfortunately, there are still people holding onto things they bought 15 years ago, squatting them because they think they're worth millions. (Screw you, Barry.)

hellweaver666 14y ago

If you mean are they worth anything to sell in a domain market place? Yes, but they're only worth what someone is willing to pay. I know people that have a domain they think is worth thousands or millions (they're not) and won't even entertain sensible offers. They've held these domains since the 90's and are waiting for their big pay day that will likely never come because no amount will ever be enough. Meanwhile, I know other people selling many many domains for a couple of hundred per domain who have made hundreds of thousands in profit. So yes... domains are worth anything, but the value is generally determined by the buyer, and big domain sales like those that occurred in the early 2000's are becoming rarer.

factorialboy 14y ago

Depends. For whom? * Employed individuals, probably not. * Self employed individuals, yep. * Businesses, yes but it's mostly subjective, interpretational, perceived importance. And remember, there are always exceptions to every rule. :)

jamesjguthrie 14y ago

I really don't think they're worth what some think or what they used to be as it's getting kinda common to see other TLD's as a company's main domain. E.g. I can't get the .com or .co.uk I want but I don't mind much as I can get the .me or .us that I want.