Domain Names are they important anymore?

[Hell Puppy]

Is there still value in domains?

Yes, absolutely. Type-ins are still very effective. And shorter domains like "shoes.com" will always be better than "harrybigfootsshoeemporium.com" for branding purposes.

BUT...

As search engine technology matures and browsers integrate it more tightly, can I say the same is true next year? 2-3 years from now? 5 years from now? Dunno.

Also, something to keep in mind is that some of the most powerful names and brands on the net do not have particularly good domains in terms of type in value. They do have value in that they're short and easy to remember though:

amazon.com
google.com
yahoo.com
msn.com

More recent examples, did youtube.com need something like "videos.com" as their main address to succeed? Nope.

[TheEnforcer]

I'd p[retty much echo what HP said. Yes, I still think they are but there are many examples like HP pointed out of successful sites that aren't branding ready so to speak.

[JoesHO]

I think domains will always be improtant......

and remember there is always so much more than just the name ....

[willwank]

lol for alt no.3

[gonzo]

I hear pimproll just acquired porno.com for 9 million with the terms non disclosed. Good deal for Ken Lawson as he will get the domain back plus what ever cash he recives if they cant make good on the deal.

9 million for a domain name? I wouldnt have done it. That kind of money you can create a traffic pool and branding for a fraction of the cost.

Alexa ranking porn.com - 342,905

They dont even have any traffic to speak of.

Congradulations to all the winners.

[Hell Puppy]

Originally Posted by gonzo

I hear pimproll just acquired porno.com for 9 million with the terms non disclosed. Good deal for Ken Lawson as he will get the domain back plus what ever cash he recives if they cant make good on the deal.

9 million for a domain name? I wouldnt have done it. That kind of money you can create a traffic pool and branding for a fraction of the cost.

Alexa ranking porn.com - 342,905

They dont even have any traffic to speak of.

Congradulations to all the winners.

Selling price is $9 million, but terms were not disclosed.

Without knowing the terms it's hard to say how good or bad of a deal it is. I'd guess probably 5-10% down and an aggressive payment schedule. But who knows, maybe it's a revshare payout with a downside or something.

One things for sure, Ken makes out like a bandit. He likely already has a chunk of change in his pocket, and if these guys cant make it work, he'll get the domain back.

[Hell Puppy]

Looking back as far as alexa can go, porn.com was around 20,000 back in 2002 in rank. Now it's 342,000 and change. That's an interesting statement about what happens if you leave it solely to type-ins.