What makes a domain name valuable?

I am relatively new to the domain world and I've been trying to get into the buying and selling of domain names. However, I am still finding it quite difficult in figuring out which domain names are the most valuable and the ones that aren't. I found a few that I thought were quite valuable and yet they turned out to not be worth that much. I know it is very difficult to find a valuable domain name but I was wondering if I could get some information on what makes a domain name valuable from the many that have success in this market. Thank you in advance for the responses!

 

There are different things that make a domain name valuable from being a .com, pronounceable, short and memorable etc. Domains that have highly searched keywords in them, domains that are easy to remember and pronounce are easier to turn into a brand. Domains that would get natural or organic traffic also makes the domain more valuable.

 

Thank you for the great responses! I hadn't thought of the domain's history before and I'm going to check my current domains to see if they have any bad history. That might be the case and the reason they are not selling.

 

A domain is always worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. If people don’t see value they will not buy.

From what you write it looks to me like you want to trade domains? If so let’s say there are guys named Toni and they own restaurants. Chances are high they would buy tonisrestaurant.com because it makes sense. Or Barbies who own flowershops would buy barbiesflowershop.com…

I personally, if opening a web shop about shoes would not care much about the domain name and would take one for the regular standard price only because search engines do not value EMD’s (Exact Match Domains) that much anymore. E.g. whatevershoes.com for $9 and done!

 

Domain names can be categorized into 2 categories: keyword domains and brandable domains. Premium keyword domain names will always have value but you will find that most of the good ones have already been registered. Brandable names can be hit and miss.

 

Well its not much think but of course its very good if you find one related to your keyword and its must to be short and nice for people to remember

 

i dont prefer this domain resellership, this is not right,
actual value of the domain is very cheap,
but you are just buying and reselling it for 1000 time price,
is this a Good Business ?

 

I think there're many factors that make a domain valuable, that's called premium domain. Such as these below:

Have amount of traffic: Premium domains usually receive hundreds or even thousands of traffic daily. Especially for generic domains.
Easy to remember: Usually they’re very easy to remember due to it’s nice, dictionary or exact match keyword.
Easy to spell: It’s short, brandable or dictionary word so it’s very easy to spell and pronounce
Have better brand image: Premium domains convey an image of prestige and added credibility, that have a better chance to increase sales or leads
Better in SERPs: Many EMDs (exact match premium domains) have a better chance to get on top positions in search engine ranking with the keyword they contain.
Market trend & Investment potential: You can invest in a trending premium domain in a specific market and then resell it later with a higher price for a profit.
And many others that related directly to your business and market.

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you for all the responses! They were very helpful and I have a much clearer picture on what a valuable domain looks like. I'm enjoying the domain world and I'm hoping I can contribute quite a bit to it!