Want to create a website on a domain name that uses your most sought-after keyword? Then be prepared to pay a pretty penny, especially if you’re aiming for a .com address.
Just how much?
Well, if you wanted to buy VacationRentals.com when it was on sale a few years ago you would have had to shell out $35 million! As of writing this, VacationRentals held the record for the most expensive website address ever purchased purely for the name and with no existing business assets. It was bought by Brian Sharples, the founder of HomeAway, in 2007.
What drove up the price? Firstly, Sharples admits buying it purely to keep it out of the clutches of his main competitor, Expedia. Secondly, with a name like VacationRentals he gains a massive headstart in any internet searches for vacation accommodation, a billion dollar global industry.
While .com domains typically cost only a few dollars to purchase straight from a domain registrar, most of the really desirable ones have been snapped up by speculators and investors hoping to sell them at a huge profit. A recent example is 399.com, which traded hands for just over $821 000 last year.
The moral of the story is that if you want a top domain name, be prepared to shell out some hefty cash. Alternatively (and perhaps more sensibly) think up a catchy name that nobody else wants, but the domain for $9, and build something insanely valuable on it. If Google can do it, so can you.
For more mindblowing prices, see the article The Most Expensive Items in the World.