Buy Domains

Hints for using the Advanced Search function.

To get the best results from the Advanced Search tool, we recommend using the following options:

* Don’t specify a category: Many of the domains listed with Sedo are not categorized, so if you specify a category, you may be missing out on many good domains!

* Consider all extensions: Many good domains are available in "alternative" extensions such as .info or .biz that are not available in .com. If you restrict your search to .com’s only, you should be willing to spend a much higher amount, or settle for a less quality domain name.

* Leave price open: Most sellers have not specified a price for their domain. Even among those that have specified a price, you are often able to negotiate a purchase for a fraction of the asking price.

Confused about what the various options mean? Here is a further explanation:

Keyword: A word or letters that you would like your domain name to contain. You can specify whether the keyword should appear at the beginning, end, or anywhere in the domain ("contains"). à Example: Specifying keyword "domain" and "starts" will return all domains that begin with the word "domain".

Extension: The extension (or "Top-Level Domain" or "TLD") is the part of the domain that comes after the dot: eg. ".com", ".net", or ".info". To maximize the number of results, you should leave the extension open. "All popular" searches only for domains with the most common extensions: .com, .net, .org, .biz. .info, .us, .ws, .tv, and .cc. "All generic" searches only for domains using .com, .net, .org, .biz, and .info.

Max. Price: Specifying a maximum price will exclude all domains with a listing price greater than the specified amount. Don’t forget that you can often purchase a domain for much less than the asking price!

Date Added: Specifying a date added will return only domains that have been added to Sedo’s database during the specified period.

Length: Specifying a length will return only domains of the specified length. In general, shorter domains or more sought-after (and thus more expensive!).

Exclude: Here you can choose to exclude from your search results any domains that contain hyphens and/ or any domains that contain numerals (eg, 1, 2, 3…). à Example: Checking both boxes will return only domains without hyphens or numbers. For example, travel4you.com and search-engine.com would not appear in the results, but travelforyou.com and searchengine.com would.

Search: Checking "domains" will only return listings where the domain name only is for sale. Checking "sites" will only return listings where the domain name and a developed website are for sale together. Checking both options will search all listings, domain names and websites.

Sort by: Here you can choose how you would like your search results to be ranked.

Display: Lets you specify how many search results should be displayed on each page.

Save in WatchList: Checking this option will create a new entry in your Domain WatchList to allow you to continually monitor Sedo’s database and automatically receive an e-mail if new domains matching your search criteria are added for sale.

Why should I buy a premium domain name?

Premium Domain Names (or “secondary market domains”) are domains that have already been registered, but are available for sale from the current registrant. Although Premium Domains are generally more expensive than unregistered (or “primary market”) domains, they tend to be much higher quality. The advantages of investing in a Premium Domain include:

1. Easier to remember: Shorter, catchier domain names will keep visitors coming back to your site.

2. Better Brand Image: Certain domains—such as single-word domains, short two and three-letter domains, generic keyword domains, and .com domains—automatically convey an image of prestige and added credibility. Users are much more likely to place an order with a site named, for example, Shoes.com, than one named cheapshoes4u.net. Successful Internet companies know this, and many purchase multiple Premium Domains to complement their brand names. For example, take a look at who’s using quality generic domains such as PC.com, Books.com, Computers.com or Loans.com .

3. Improved Search Engine Ranking: Domain names that contain search engine keywords are more likely to gain top search engine rankings for those keywords. Try it yourself: Search a keyword on Google and see how many of the top results contain that keyword as part of the domain name.

4. Traffic Generating: Despite the growth of search engines, a surprising number of people still “search” by typing in what they’re looking for and putting a .com on the end. Thus, many generic domain names receive hundreds or even thousands of visitors per day, perfectly targeted according to keyword. What is the value of this much targeted traffic to your business?

5. Investment Potential: A Premium Domain name is an asset that your business invests in and can later resell for a profit. Domain valuations are currently at their lowest point in years, so purchasing now can be a smart investment decision for your business.

The domain I want is not listed for sale. Can you help me get it?

Yes. Sedo is one of the leading brokers in the domain name industry. Our skilled professional negotiators have experience on both the buying and selling side of hundreds of domain transactions. This experience, combined with our reputation as one of the leaders in the domain secondary market, means that we’re able to acquire domains for much less than an inexperienced negotiator.

The complete details of our brokerage service are available on the Domain Acquisition page.

How do I choose a good domain name?

When choosing a new domain name for your site, you may want to consider the following:

1. Country-specific or international: If your business is only active in a single country, it may be adequate to use a country-specific extension such as .us, .co.uk, or .ca. If you’d like to appeal to a global audience, it is best to choose a generic extension such as .com, .biz, or .info.

2. Importance of Keywords: If search engines are a major source of traffic to your site, make sure that your domain includes one or more of your principal keywords—this can help you get a good ranking on these terms.

3. Commercial or informational: If you intend to sell products on your site, it is important to convey a professional image. Usually, this means a short, brandable .com domain name without hyphens or numbers. If your site is informational only, consider a .info or .org extension.

4. Target User Group: Different domain names will appeal to different groups. For example, a B2B site will generally do best with a descriptive domain name so that a visitor immediately knows what the site is about (EX: Naming.com, Corporation.com). A mass-audience B2C site will generally do better with a catchy, brandable domain name (EX: Yahoo.com, Amazon.com, Google.com).

5. Risk for Traffic Diversion: Choosing the wrong domain name can result in thousands of lost visitors due to mistypings. To reduce this risk, avoid hyphens, numbers, misspellings, and exotic extensions. People should be able to figure out the domain’s spelling from the way it is pronounced: eg, “yahoo” or “Sedo” is easy to spell, but Tu-lites.cc or skool4u.net will tend to leak a lot of traffic. If in doubt, register or buy all possible spellings of the name.

6. Length: Shorter domain names are better if the domain name is going to be typed-in often (brandable domains, mass-market domains, major websites). A shorter domain means reduced risk of typo errors, easier memorability, faster type-ins, and more flexibility in promoting the domain. For these reasons, most businesses who can afford it buy a domain of five characters or less. Two and three character domains are the choice of major corporations (GE.com, AA.com, ML.com, AOL.com, MSN.com, etc…), and come with a price tag to match. At the other extreme, an informational site that receives most of its traffic from search engines will do fine with a domain of two or even three words.