Domain Name competition for industry.
The market for domain names is driven by the scarcity of “good” domain names. Most companies, large or small, would prefer a domain name ending in “.com” to any other top-domain. In many industries, all memorable combinations of words that can realistically go into a domain name have already been exhausted, driving prices up. Books are one area where the look-alike factor is strong, with just about every permutation of bookstore, book mall, bookshop and several dozen other expressions already snapped up.
At the same time, there is a perception within the domain name market that “generic is good” i.e. that common English words have more value. For instance, “books.com” is worth much more than “flyp.com” since the former domain name is instantly recognizable and easy to remember.
Another factor that has to be taken into consideration when trying to price a domain name is the commercialism of the industry it relates to. Law is an industry with a huge number of players and very deep pockets. At the other extreme, Bonsai tree growing, while appealing to a hard core of devotees, will never be a subject that will command big $$$ from major companies.
The strength of the field or industry that a domain name relates to is not enough to make all domain names in that field valuable. Sticking with law as an example, a domain name such as “CyberLawUSA.com” is very valuable; a domain such as “LawDogmen.com” is worthless.
At the same time, if the industry is small or not given to participation from large companies, the maximum value of any domain names relating to that industry or field is very low. Taking our trusty Bonsai growers as an example, a domain name such as “eBonsaiExperts.com” has practically no value at all since there is little or no money in Bonsai trees, whereas “eLawExperts.com” would have more significant value. The domain name “bonsai.com” will have more value, but still remain far, far below “CyberLawUSA.com” in ultimate intrinsic value.
Many people use the rarity of domain names as a justification for their own poor-quality names. “Domain names are running out! All the good domain names are gone…” Remember that over 17 million domain names have already been registered, and the total resale market for domain names will NEVER even begin to make serious inroads into the existing domain names, let alone new ones being registered daily. What is true is that each domain name is unique, so that high-value domain names cannot be “copied”.
