Dog.com | H2O.com | Brain.com | Dude.com | Boxing.com | & more!
| Asking Price: | $5,000,000 |
| Established Year: | 1990 |
It all starts with THE Category Defining .COM domain name!
Why are generic terms so valuable? Whether it is in search or domain names, a generic word carries immense opportunity since it often defines categories of information, products and experiences. Consumers using generic terms to seek content often haven’t decided which brand to choose, which presents a huge upside.
Category-defining generic .com domains can be just as valuable, if not more valuable when used optimally. Mostly, these got gobbled up over 20 years ago, but many still trade on the aftermarket.
Though some are expensive, generic .com domains can produce a substantial return on investment. They can justify high price tags in the form of customer acquisition, new sales and the ability to reach customers in segments where you are not allowed to go direct. Consider Abbvie's ownership of RA.com, informing potential customers about rheumatoid arthritis and how it mitigates the direct-to-consumer marketing regulations for pharma. Also, generic domains represent tremendous brand recognition and leadership. HubSpot acquired connect.com for $10 million in 2022 and has since utilized the domain to reinforce its core brand message of connecting people.
One of the most legendary stories in generic domains history is relatively recent: X.com. Billionaire Elon Musk originally owned X.com, initially the name of an online bank he co-founded. In 2000, X.com merged with competitor Confinity, and in 2001, the combined company became PayPal. Musk eventually left PayPal, but the company retained the domain after his departure.
In 2017, Musk repurchased X.com from PayPal, likely expecting to use it for SpaceX or Tesla brands. Then, in 2023, X.com was used for Twitter features as it was rebranded as X. And the rest is history: X is now one of the most talked-about brands in the world, and everyone knows where to find it online. There are virtually no misspellings when the domain only has one letter!
The Benefits Of Using A Generic Domain
For another example of premium generic domains at work, look no further than the competitive flower delivery business. The generic domain flowers.com resolves to 1800flowers.com, while florist.com leads to FTD.com. Clearly, the top merchandisers in the floral delivery industry have realized the value of generic domains, and both are capitalizing on searches for generic keywords to bring traffic to their commercial websites.
Generic names hold value like generic keywords do because they drive customer and prospect traffic to websites. Like keywords, generic .coms apply to a wide audience of people who may or may not be aware of the brand yet.
Also, generic .coms can psychologically signal marketplace dominance, transmitting a ubiquitous message that the company is a power player in that category. When a company owns a generic domain like flowers.com, the message they send is, “We not only play in this category—we own this category.”
Similarly, owning a generic .com is a strong defense. Even though 1800flowers and FTD own flowers.com and florist.com respectively, they don’t market with those specific domains heavily. Instead, both companies redirect those generic domains to their main sites, effectively blocking their competitors from owning those domains and selling flowers using them. By owning the generic domains, these companies leap ahead, leaving competitors lagging behind.
Generic category defining .com domain names show authority, and are memorable. This cannot be duplicated by mere ad buying.
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