Short domain names are trendy and valuable because they are easy to remember and brand.
Popular enough one word domains could even get traffic from curious people. Generic .coms likely get thousands of visitors a year from people interested about what is at those sites.
This leads to a very important question: are there any one word domains for sale?
This write-up covers the world of one-word domains, top sales, benefits, and more. Let’s get into it!
3 Benefits of One Word Domains
The top benefits of short domains are pretty obvious. It’s not surprising that many are (or at various times have been) among the most popular domain names on the web.
Domains consisting of just one word are valuable, brandable, and tend to be much easier to remember than longer domains consisting of multiple words.
Here are the significant benefits:
- Tend to be very high value
- Make for easy branding
- Are very easy to remember
Let’s break these benefits down more thoroughly.
High-Value
Domains that are easy to remember and easy to brand will be of high value. One-word domains are rare and in high demand: two factors that almost always combine into a higher value.
One-word domains are extremely easy to remember. That is a huge advantage when it comes to branding. Remembering “Outstanding Outdoor Travel Adventures” as a website name is much harder to remember than “Outdoors” or “Travel” or “Camping.”
Single word domains stick out. They are memorable. On top of that, common enough words can get direct traffic from people typing in the word + .com just to see what comes up. Getting direct traffic like that is pretty rare.
Since the age of domain and backlink history, both matters with SEO, many one word domains are valuable because they have a long history or have had sites on them in the past. That adds even more potential value to these rare domain names.
Branding
One-word domains have a significant branding benefit. They hit the whole checklist of what a business, startup, or website owner wants from a domain.
What are the top rules of branding with a domain name?
- The name must be memorable
- The name must be easy to spell
- Be easy to recognize
- Be easy to spread
One-word domains hit all of those points, which is why they are among the most popular options and were quickly gobbled up. Especially when talking about the most popular TLD like .com, .ai, .co, or .io.
This also applies to many TLD extensions that used to be popular like .org or .net.
This doesn’t change the fact that branding is easier for names that are short, sweet, and easy to remember. A single common word is as short and easy to remember as it gets.
Easy To Remember
Forgetting a single word is not going to be easy. This is another reason why one word domains are both so valuable and sought after.
If someone told you their domain name was “beer.com,” “pizza.com,” or “hunting.com,” you aren’t going to forget that name.
These domains are so easy to remember makes them a natural target for smart marketers.
This is why so many corporate company names are also one word: McDonald’s, Ford, Intel, Microsoft, Coleman, etc. Short and easy to remember are traits every investor wants to see in a domain name.
The easy-to-remember nature of a single word puts those domains in very high demand.
Are There Any One Word Domains left?
There are one word domains left; however, all the obvious ones that will be most in demand are likely taken. The best bet that most people have when looking for such short domains is to consider looking at other TLD extensions other than .com.
Admittedly, the more popular the TLD like .com, .co, or .io will have the majority of one-name domain names taken. Our recent analysis of branded domains shows that these three TLDs get priority over others.
Looking at slightly less popular TLD increases the chance that recognizable one word domains would be available.
Whether a short domain’s price for a good TLD is worth it or not is a decision that the buyer will need to make for himself/herself.
Should You Pay a Premium for One Word Domains?
There isn’t an easy answer to this question. If you are looking at a one word domain with one of the most popular TLD extensions, then the only way to get that domain name will almost certainly be by paying a premium.
To some people the perfect name is worth six figures and the direct traffic and great branding from the perfect domain could be worth it.
Other investors are of the opinion that while the short domain might be ideal, the cost of some of the most popular ones isn’t worth it. Especially when in comparison with what else that money could be invested in.
Getting a good premium price on a domain could prove to be quite a coup for a startup or investor, but whether it’s a good investment depends on budget as well as the follow-up execution of marketing.
Takeaways
One-word domains are an interesting topic that brings up some heated debate among investors. We can cut through the debate points to bring some solid takeaways.
- One-word domains for the most popular TLDs are very rare (and valuable)
- One-word domains will be priced at a premium
- One-word domains are easy to remember and great for branding
- Whether or not a one word domain is worth the price depends on budget, business, marketing, and the domain price
When a brand new TLD comes out that gets some attention or traction, grabbing those early available domains could be a smart move in the right circumstances.
