A domain name purchase is a complex affair. They can be very cheap, but can still be the result of a careful weighing of a variety of factors.

Below is a list of all the factors I know of and use when buying a domain. For given circumstances, they are weighted in different ways, so while I can’t give a weighted list here, know that there is indeed a weighting suitable for your situation. I’ll try to give examples of this in future posts.

Hopefully mentioning the items in this list will help you think in broad terms, helping you thoroughly valuate a domain name before you buy or sell, really. Click on an individual item to learn more. My goal is to expand on each.

Please, if there are factors I’ve not considered here and do not fall under one of these, do let me know. I want this to be the best possible resource.

• Domain History
  • Age
  • Existing Links & Pagerank
  • Past/Existing Content
  • Traffic
• Name Potential
  • Extension (TLD)
  • Brandability
  • Nicheness
  • Ease to Say
  • Keywords (Searches)
  • Search Results for Its Words (Use)
  • Temporality
  • Size (number of characters)
  • Characters (numbers and dashes)
• Purchasing Circumstances
  • Price
  • Your Budget
  • Urgency