WEST PALM BEACH, FL - For more than two decades, DNJournal’s weekly Top 20 domain sales chart has served as a conservative barometer of the aftermarket’s highest end. The list is built on verified, reported transactions and has historically been dominated, often overwhelmingly, by .com domain names. That pattern has now been disrupted. A review of recent DNJournal Top 20 sales reveals an unexpected shift: .ai domain names now make up the majority of the list, eclipsing … [Read more...]
When Independent Analyses Converge: How AI Is Rewriting the Value of Domains
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - For years, debates about domain value have largely revolved around traffic mechanics - rankings, keywords, backlinks, and click-through rates. But artificial intelligence is quietly changing the foundation beneath all of that. What’s emerging now isn’t just a new search interface, but a fundamentally different way digital property is evaluated, referenced, and trusted. Recently, two independent articles - published on entirely different platforms and … [Read more...]
Why the SERP.com Acquisition Makes Sense for a Subscription-Based Business
The recent acquisition of SERP.com for $210,000 may look, at first glance, like just another six-figure domain sale. In reality, the transaction highlights how premium domains can function as practical growth assets for subscription-based software companies rather than vanity purchases. The buyer, SerpAPI, operates a paid API service that provides structured search engine results data to developers, agencies, and enterprises. Its business model depends on recurring … [Read more...]
Why the Rams.com UDRP Loss Matters More Than Most Panel Decisions
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - For more than two decades, domain-name disputes have been guided by a widely accepted principle: when a domain registrant attempts to sell a domain to a trademark owner for a substantial sum, that offer is often treated as evidence of bad-faith registration. The Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) expressly identifies this type of conduct as a hallmark of cybersquatting. Yet a recent decision involving Los Angeles Rams and the … [Read more...]
The Domain Nissan Motor Couldn’t Buy, Couldn’t Win, and Still Doesn’t Control
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - If you type Nissan.com today, December 2025, you still won’t end up on Nissan Motor’s website. After 25+ years of lawsuits, filings, injunctions, offers, counters, bad press, and global brand confusion, the automaker continues to operate from NissanUSA.com while Nissan.com remains in the hands of the estate of one man: Uzi Nissan. And remarkably, the story is still evolving. Even after Uzi passed away in 2020, even after hackers tried to steal the … [Read more...]
Prime Loyalty Rebrands as URLs.com; Smartest Rebrand in Recent Memory
NEW YORK, NY – The domain industry saw a notable identity shift recently with the announcement that Prime Loyalty has officially rebranded to URLs.com, a move that, in my view, represents one of the clearest examples in years of a company adopting a brand that truly reflects what it does. The change was revealed by owner Jeff Garbutt, whom I’ve met at several domain conferences over the years. Garbutt announced the shift with the line: “We said loyalty must be … [Read more...]
AI Search May Be Biggest Shift in Domain Industry Since Fall of Exact-Match Boom
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - For more than two decades, the domain-name market has largely moved in step with Google’s search systems. Investors based valuations on keyword demand, search volume, and the longstanding assumption that visibility in Google ultimately dictated what made a digital asset valuable. But the rapid rise of AI-driven “answer engines” - including ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Claude (just saw first referral from it today), and others is creating a new reality. … [Read more...]
Domains, Not Hype: Insights from Andrew Rosener’s Conversation on Miss Understood
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - This week I took some time to watch an episode of Miss Understood hosted by Rachel Uchitel featuring Andrew Rosener, founder and CEO of MediaOptions, one of the best-known domain brokerages in the world. While I’ve been in this business for a long time, I thought the conversation offered a lot of good perspective — especially for people who may be newer to the industry or still wrapping their heads around digital asset value. The episode was titled … [Read more...]
“Ultra-Premium” Invite-Only Domain Marketplace Unveiled by GoDaddy
TEMPE, AZ - GoDaddy has launched a new, invite-only marketplace for high-value domain names at the incredible web address: DomainNames.com, positioning it as a curated showroom for one-word .com and .ai domains, rare two-letter names, and short numerics typically valued in the six-figures and up. The rollout follows industry teasers earlier this month and formal launch coverage this past week. This is a distinct, curated tier within GoDaddy’s aftermarket universe-separate … [Read more...]
Bluehost & HostGator Expired Domains to be Auctioned on NameJet, SnapNames
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - In a notable development within the domain name aftermarket industry, NameJet has announced that expired domain names from two major hosting providers - Bluehost.com and HostGator.com - will now be auctioned exclusively on its platform and that of its sister site, SnapNames. This move expands NameJet’s reach in the expired domain space by adding even more high-volume inventory from some of the internet's largest hosting brands. Bluehost and HostGator, … [Read more...]
Hypothetically: Inflated Domain Name Valuations Driven by AI Tools
WEST PALM BEACH, FL – I recently tested a domain name valuation tool powered by artificial intelligence, and I was struck by how inflated the appraisals were. The estimated values seemed wildly generous—far beyond what the current market would realistically support. It reminded me of a time, 10 to 15 years ago, when domains were often priced based on hypothetical potential rather than actual sales data or revenue performance. It seems like the prices are based more on … [Read more...]
Success Stories: Entrepreneurs Who Scored Big With the Right .Com Domain Name
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - In today’s fast-growing and highly competitive digital landscape, a domain name is far more than just a web address—it’s a critical asset that shapes brand identity, builds trust, and often serves as the first impression customers have of a business. A strong domain name can enhance marketing efforts, drive organic search traffic, improve click-through rates, and establish long-term brand authority. With millions of websites launched every year, the … [Read more...]
Global Domain Name Industry Poised for Growth: Insights from Data Industry Leaders
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - The domain name industry is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating a continued upward trajectory. According to the recently released Domain Names – Global Strategic Business Report 2025 by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global market for domain names was estimated at 378.6 million registered domains in 2024 and is projected to reach 459.9 million by 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% . Regional Growth and … [Read more...]
2025 Digital Real Estate Surge: High-Value Domains Prove Worth With More Big Sales
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - The domain industry is experiencing a surge in high-value transactions, as highlighted in DN Journal's latest report titled "Sizzling Domain Sales Continue to Light Up The Charts With 8-Figure Blockbuster Leading the Way." April 2025 has proven to be a landmark month, with several significant sales reshaping the domain landscape. Among the notable transactions, Icon.com was acquired for $12 million, marking it as the sixth-largest publicly reported … [Read more...]
“A Domain Name Is Born” But Never Grew Up; Reserved at Birth, Forgotten by Time
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Nearly two decades ago, my local newspaper at the time, Newsday, ran a front-page story in its Money & Careers section titled “A Domain Name Is Born.” The article spotlighted a fascinating emerging trend: forward-thinking parents reserving web addresses for their newborns - sometimes before the child was even born. I snapped a photo of the front cover back in 2007, struck by how the digital world was starting to influence even baby names. I grabbed … [Read more...]