What happened to last year’s sold domain names?
Domain names are bought and sold constantly, but what happens to the names that get sold on? It is interesting to see how a sold domain can develop into a large website, be utilised for an existing one, or disappear into the abyss of the world wide web. Let’s take a look at what happened to some of the domain names that were sold last year.
Domain platforms
There are a number of domain platforms that produce reports on sold domains in a given period. The domain market is clearly dynamic and very much driven by the trends and needs of the moment. Key factors that influence the marketability of a specific domain name include popular search terms and keywords, and the growth in some industry sectors and shrinkage in others.
Looking at some of the data from back in October 2019 and aggregating transactions between the buyers and sellers of domain names, there were a significant number of domains that were purchased for upwards of $2,000 – or just under £1,500 – by the end of October 2019. Analysis of this data indicates that at least half of these sold domains went directly to end-users rather than to domain brokers and resellers.
More than 50 per cent of the sold domains had subsequently been developed or forwarded to an already developed website.
New TLDs, new possibilities
Given the level of global competition for attractive domain names, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) manages the ongoing release of new top-level domains (TLDs) (https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/delegated-strings) to ensure healthy growth in domain registrations and transaction volumes and open up new possibilities for businesses looking for relevant domain names. Whilst some of the top-level domains are geo-specific, others reflect certain industries or professions or even specific demographic groups. ICANN forecasts that as many as 1,300 new TLDs could become available over the coming years.
Other options when it comes to domains
Whilst buying domain names is a possibility, creating your own website and acquiring a unique domain name to go with it is an option made possible by a number of hosting specialists, such as https://www.names.co.uk/web-hosting, that offer free domain names and secure website hosting.
Ultimately, the domain marketplace will continue to be dynamic and ever-changing, reflecting the shifting commercial and geo-political world.
