Making the most of domain name appraisal services generally means finding domain appraisal services that will give you the most accurate estimate of price for your domain.

There are many reasons to seek out the most accurate appraisal services; mainly ensuring you get a fair price when buying or selling domains, accurately evaluating your company assets for various business purposes or for the best estimate that gives you the most tax incentives when donating domains.

There are several companies offering domain name valuation, and some even advertise free domain name appraisal. While free domain appraisal has its uses, their typical automated domain appraisers don’t deliver the most accurate results, although some surprisingly can be relatively accurate.

Most domain appraisals cost at least a nominal fee. However, no matter the price, to when making the most of domain name appraisal services, make sure they evaluate domains on at least the following three criteria:

1. Length -- domain value is usually higher when the URL is shorter.

2. Keyword recognition -- some words are searched for more often and thus are more valuable.

3. Range of potential uses -- appraisers must determine if there is a market for your domain name.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Review domain appraisers to determine which one suits your business' needs best

There are several sources, websites and online communities that review and compare domain appraisal services. Theses reviews and comparisons, some even done from user perspectives, can give you insight into which companies are most accurate and thus makes the most of your money.

I recommend: Web Hosting Information has a concise and informational page review of some of the best known domain appraisers. DNForum.com has an exhaustive forum and online community comprised of members reviewing and discussing domain appraisers.

Understand the factors that determine domain value to make the most of your service

There are several factors that domain appraisers consider when evaluating the worth of your domain. It's important to at least have a general knowledge of what those factors mean to the value of your domain, so you can somewhat know if the appraisal your given seems reasonable.

I recommend: RegisterCompass has a handy tutorial and guide to the factors considered in domain appraisals. DomainRich.com’s archive of articles about domain name valuation can you learn how to make the most of the domain name appraisal services you choose.

Find reliable domain name appraisal services to evaluate your domain

There are many companies that appraise domains. To make the most out of your appraisal you'll want to find a company that evaluates your domain on multiple factors, offers a certification, has a history of accurate predictions and offers a good value for the price charged for services.

I recommend: YourDomainValue.com offers online certification and professional appraisals. Objective Domain Appraisals offers free domain appraisals and has a long and impressive record of accurately appraising major companies.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you need several domain names appraised, ask your domain name appraisal services to give you a discount. Many companies will offer a reduced rate for bulk appraisals.

Domain names can be a lot like customized license plates; the phrase makes sense to the owner, but not to the person driving behind. Get a domain appraisal to make sure this doesn’t happen to your domain name. Domain appraisal services evaluate the marketability of your domain name and its potential value. Couple a good domain name with a website clients like and the domain name becomes an extension of your marketing.

Even if you understand the basics of choosing a domain name, domain appraisals help you look at your domain name from another perspective.

A good domain name:

1. Alerts search engines to the content of the website.
2. Includes keywords.
3. Is short and memorable.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get a free domain name appraisal

A free domain appraisal helps you know the value of your domain name, but you may need to know where the domain name stands in market position and the size of the market. The service may base its appraisal on information you provide rather than on its own research.

I recommend: Use Nameboy's free domain name appraisal, which considers popularity of words, terms and phrases in your domain name as well as the length and number of characters in your domain name. If you are confident in your ability to self-evaluate your domain name, use Swift Appraisal for a quick domain name valuation.

Evaluate the research methodologies used by professional domain name appraisal services

Certified appraisals may take up to two days to return the results to you. Often a certified appraisal values the domain name higher than a free domain name appraisal, but if you don't know how the company reached that decision, be skeptical.

I recommend: Look for companies like Zetetic that provide a full disclosure of research methods and have been featured by reputable companies like CNNMoney.com and Forbes. Review Domain Research Methodology for more information on the different ways to research to obtain domain name valuations.

Pay to have your domain name appraised

The purpose for domain appraisals determines how much money you should spend to get the appraisal done. If you are simply curious about the marketability and potential value, you could use an inexpensive service.

I recommend: Go Daddy domain name appraisals are quick and base the price on the number of critical factors evaluated. Sedo.com also offers appraisals based on evaluation criteria, but also offers a portfolio evaluation of up to 50 domain names.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Domain names are not case sensitive.
• •  Valuations based on information you provide may not show the domain name's actual, objective value.
• •  Some companies offer a free domain appraisal as a way to entice to you to purchase a professional appraisal.

Domain appraisal can serve many purposes that aid your business. Domain name valuation is important when buying domains, so you can ensure that you are not overpaying. Likewise, knowing your domain name value when you are selling your domain, ensures that you receive payment for its total worth. Less known reasons for domain appraisals are for tax purposes, as substantial benefits are given to those donating domain names, and for asset evaluation of a company.

When you look into domain appraisal services, you may be at first confused at how providers seemingly advertise the same services, but some domain appraisers will appraise domains for free, while others charge a significant amount of money. Most free domain appraisal services use automated software to generate a rough idea of what you're domain is worth. Fee-based services provide more accurate appraisals. Each type has its place, but regardless here are some domain name appraisal services basics to keep in mind:

1. For the most leverage when selling a domain, use a certified appraiser.

2. Use domain appraisal services that evaluates domains on multiple factors.

3. Investigate the history and accuracy of an appraiser to make sure they're a credible company.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider free domain name appraisal if it suits your business' needs

If you're just considering selling or buying a domain and only want a rough idea of the domain's value to help you decide whether or not to buy or sell, then a free domain appraisal is all you should need. However, remember that you will only be getting a rough estimate, so if you decide to move forward you may consider a fee based appraisal service to get a more accurate number.

I recommend: Worth Fish has a long directory of free domain appraisal services. Estibot also has a free service, and even offers bulk appraisals.

Consider fee-based domain appraisal services for more accurate results

If your business is selling, buying, donating or evaluating its assets and this includes domain names, you'll want an accurate estimate of its worth. This way you can ensure you're not overpaying or losing out on your company's domain names.

I recommend: Moniker evaluates domains based on 17 different criteria. Impressive Domains has experts research your domain's worth to make the best and most accurate estimate possible. Both appraisers charge a nominal fee for their services.

Choose domain appraisers that offer a certification for the highest degree of accuracy

Although domain appraisers do not have industry standards for domain valuation certifications, a certification has benefits. For one certification usually entails a higher degree of accuracy and if you're selling your domain it can give reassurance to potential buyers. However, appraisers that offer certification usually charge more.

I recommend: Domain Appraisal is a non-profit that offers several packages that have different levels of certification. 5 Shades Hosting offers certified appraisals within 2 days at a reasonable cost.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you have a domain name evaluation and the estimate is not what you expected and you decide not to sell, be sure to retry in a year. Internet markets and niches are always shifting, so what you own now could be worth something more later.

Domain names can be valuable commodities in today's digital economy. If you own a few domain names you're not using, or even one that you are using but that is not making money for you, you may be able to raise some cash by selling it.

Domain name appraisal services can tell you how valuable your domain name might be. It's good to know the meaning of the terms a domain name appraisal service will use, so you can speak their language.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Marketability

Marketability is all about how profitable a domain name might be, the size of the target market and related factors. Other factors considered in a domain name appraisal are clarity, memorability, link popularity, whether it's '.com' or '.net', length and several other factors.

I recommend: Read a list of eleven factors considered in a domain name appraisal and learn what each means at SwiftAppraisal.com.

Broker

A broker is an individual or company bringing together those who are buying domain names with those who are selling domain names. They help clients find each other, facilitate the transaction and generally get a percentage of the sale price for their efforts.

I recommend: Read a detailed explanation of the job of domain name broker at Portfolio.com, a division of Wall Street Horizon.

Domain name pre-appraisal

It costs money to get a domain name appraised. So, before you do, you may want to consider some factors that could give you an idea whether your domain name is worth enough to warrant the appraisal. A pre-appraisal is just that, a list of questions to consider before you approach a professional.

I recommend: Find a list of things to consider before spending money to have your domain name professionally appraised at 100 Best Domain Names.

Transfer

Transfer is the process of changing the registration of a domain name from one person or company to another. Once you sell a domain name, you need to transfer it, so it becomes the property of the new owner.

I recommend: Consult a glossary of domain name terms, including transfer, at AboutDomains.com.

Registrar

A registrar is a company where you can pay to register a domain name. Many such companies exist. Some of which are also web hosts, and others strictly deal in domain name registration.

I recommend: Find the definition of registrar at Domainmonster.com.

Expired domain

When you register a domain, it is generally for one year. Most registrars will warn you before that year ends, and allow you to renew the registration before it expires. Many also keep the domain on hold even after it expires, so that you can have the chance to renew it. If it has expired, you will likely pay a higher price to renew it than if you renew it before it expires.

I recommend: Find a list of terms related to domain name registration and appraisal, including expired domain, at NameSecure. Check out a discussion of expired domain names at Internet Goldrush.