Thursday, January 03, 2008
What's In a (Web) Name? Some Big Bucks Actually
Maybe we should make that (Web) address, since we are actually talking about URLs. Or better yet, we'll go with domain name.
While I tend to spend less than ten bucks a pop for domain when I decide to buy one, other people seem to think some domain names are worth millions. Here are the most expensive domain names/web addresses purchased in 2006 and 2007--
2006: Diamond.com ($7.5 million), Vodka.com ($3 million), Cameras.com ($1.5 million)
2007: Porn.com ($9.5 million), Computer.com ($2.1 million), Seniors.com ($1.8 million)
Pretty ridiculous, huh? Especially when you consider that very few searchers on the Web would ever enter those URLs in a search term.
I'm sure whoever is behind them considers it part of their branding, but does that really do much in the branding department? I don't think so. All they are doing is enriching whoever had the names before them. i guess there really is money to made in domain name squatting.
Whoever bought those domain names should instead consider investing in search engine optimization/search engine marketing rather than over-priced URLs. They'd definitely get more bang for their buck.
