Go Where The Liquidity Is – One and Two Word .COMs

I thought I would start-off today with a short and sweet post about the sweet spot in the domain world, one and two word .COMs. While it can be easy to be tempted by all kinds of domains and TLDs it is always important to understand where a majority of the liquidity is in the domain market. Yes, while you might be bidding against twenty or more people for that one word .NET you’ve been watching, understand that the demand for that name is significantly less than the corresponding .COM, the same is true for all TLDs.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have made good money off of other TLDs, specifically .ME, .CO, and .TV, I still absolutely love those TLDs, but I’m honest with myself that the best liquidity and highest prices still comes from one and two word .COMs. Here are some of the reasons why one and two word .COMs have so much liquidity now and in the future:

End-users know and want .COM. There are very few companies dying for the .NET or .ORG of their name or category. If I sell Used Boats I can tell you that I want UsedBoats.com a lot more than the .NET, .ORG or any other TLD. While all end-users want their .COM, not all can afford it, however you can bet that few end-users want their .NET, or .ORG and they most likely won’t be coming to you with an offer, you’ll have to go to them.
  • One and Two word .COMs can have type-in traffic. While there are some .NET’s and .ORG’s that get some type-in traffic, there really is no comparison to .COM. The web is all about targeted traffic and being able to monetize this traffic or offer it as an additional selling point to a domain is a good thing.
  • If you want to call your company “This” you need This.COM. You’re at a dinner party and people ask you what you do, you tell them you work for a company called “This.” Most people will go home and type This.com, if your site doesn’t appear they may decide to do a Google search or they may move-onto something else. If a competitor owns This.com then you’re really in trouble as they might take a segment of your customers. Suffice it to say that everyone wants to call their company “Something” not “Something.net” or “Something.org” (unless it’s a non-profit).
  • .COM is global. There is no doubt that .COM is the global TLD. Yes, if you’re in Germany you should still own the .DE of your brand, same goes for Canada with .CA but you can still advertise the .COM in any country and people will know and understand it. Advertise a .CA in Germany and expect some confusion, .COM is a global TLD.

Once again, don’t take this article to mean that you should only invest in .COM, I invest in many other TLDs. That being said, I do know that the liquidity is in .COM domains and one and two-word names are the sweet spot. So if you’re noticing your portfolio fill-up with other TLDs or three or four word .COMs just make sure to adjust your expectations. Have more to add? Comment and let your voice be heard!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton