How To Sell A Domain Name For Profit Step By Step (2024)

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Wondering how to sell a domain name profitably?

It’s not as hard as you think. You just need to have the right process in place and exercise some patience.

Here’s the problem:

Many people undervalue their domain and sell it for far less than it’s actually worth. Just because they have no idea:

Selling your domain name doesn’t have to be difficult.

I’m going to show you how to sell a domain name and make sure that you get a good price step by step.

How To Sell A Domain Name

Selling your domain can be a lengthy process.

You might not get any takers right away and that’s ok. It’s just part of the game. The most important thing is that you find the right buyer for your domain name.

Let’s say you have two potential buyers:

Who would you want to sell your domain name to?

Clearly, it’s the second person.

Why?

Well, because they want it for a specific project which means it’s worth more to them. The first person is just interested in getting the cheapest deal possible.

So, here is my 6x step process of how to sell a domain name to the right buyer.

Step 1: Determine The Value Of Your Domain

Before you can list your domain for sale you need to know how much it’s worth.

The biggest mistake I see people make is listing their domain for sale without knowing how much it’s actually worth. They either end up:

Here are some questions to help you figure out the value of your domain.

Spoiler: If the answer to each of them is yes, you have a very valuable domain.

Does The Domain Name Receive Any Traffic?

If the domain name is receiving traffic the value of it just went up. A lot.

If the domain comes with a pre-existing audience, the new buyer gets extra value from that traffic. They can immediately leverage that traffic to grow their site quickly.

If you buy a domain with zero traffic, it’s hard to get it off the ground hence it’s valued less.

Click here to learn how to check your domain ownership history & historic domain authority.

Does The Domain Name Generate Any Income?

This is one of the biggest factors to consider.

In most cases, the goal of any website is to generate money in one way or another.

When you buy a domain that is already generating some income it produces immediate value for you.

Domains that generate income are often sold for 20x-40x monthly profits.

That means if your domain makes a $1,000 profit each month, it could be worth as much as $20,000 – $40,000.

Does The Domain Have Any SEO Authority?

Domains with an SEO authority from backlinks are worth much more.

Getting quality backlinks and building the authority of a domain costs a lot of money. Reputable link building services charge $170-$220 to build just 1 link.

People hunt for aged domains that still have backlinks for this exact reason.

See how many quality backlinks you have pointing to your domain name and price each link based on what a link building agency would charge to build that link.

This will help you determine the value of your backlink profile and by default your domain.

Is Your Domain Name A Popular Top Level Domain?

A domain name’s top-level domain (TLD) plays a big role in its value.

The top-level domain (also known as a domain extension) is the end part of a domain such as .com. Some of the more valuable top-level domains are:

Your domain name is worth more if you have a more popular TLD.

And the best one…

.com is by far the most popular TLD and should be valued at more than any other TLD. But there are always emerging TLDs that become popular over time.

Is Your Domain Name Brandable?

It’s difficult to define exactly how brandable your domain name is. But it’s also very important that you value how brandable your domain is for the right buyer.

Think about it:

Many of the most popular websites in the world have domains that are:

If these three factors apply to your domain name, then you have something brandable. This makes it much more likely to be popular with buyers.

Is Your Domain Name Relevant To A Specific Niche?

Domains that appeal to a specific niche often go for much higher prices.

According to Godaddy, the top three highest selling domains of all time are:

You can see that each of these domains are specific to a niche. This is exactly what made them valuable.

They are all easy to remember domain names and just from looking at them you know what to expect on the site.

If your domain is very relevant to a niche, ensure it is reflected in the asking price.

Is Your Domain Name Search-friendly?

SEO keywords in a domain name increase its value.

A lot of the top sites have high-quality keywords in their domains.

So, do a quick search and see if your domain name is also a keyword with a good amount of searches each month.

If it is, you can price it a little bit higher.

Were you able to answer yes to all of those questions? Well…Kaching!

Step 2: Fix A Price Based On Your Domain Name Value

Now that you have a better idea of your domain’s value, it’s time to put a price on it.

Getting to a fixed price is more of an art than a science.

I like to start off by seeing what other domains have previously sold for that are similar to the one I am selling.

You can then add to the price based on the value that you calculated in step 1.

Head over to Godaddy’s domain appraisal tool to get a quick appraisal of your domain.

Godaddy’s algorithm uses machine learning and real sales data from similar domains to give you a price estimate.

Knowing what buyers are already paying for similar domains gives you a lot of information on what yours is also worth.

Word of warning: Don’t just take Godaddy’s appraisal price and go with that.

Godaddy‘s algorithm doesn’t take into account things like:

That’s why we need to add your calculated value on top of the Godaddy price estimate.

If you just take Godaddy’s estimate, you will likely be underpricing your domain by a good chunk.

With both of these things in place, you should be able to come to a specific price.

Step 3: Tell The World Your Domain Is On Sale

Your domain isn’t going to sell if you don’t tell anyone about it.

To do this effectively you need to list it in the right places. There are a few things you can do to get maximum exposure.

Create A Dedicated Landing Page Indicating That Your Domain Is For Sale

One of the first things a buyer will do when interested in your domain is type it into their browser to see if it’s available.

Creating a landing page to display when someone visits your domain is a great way to generate leads.

Make sure that you include all of the important benefits that make your domain valuable.

This includes:

You want to highlight the benefits of your domain which helps increase value in the buyer’s mind.

Register Your Domain On Domain Listing Sites

When selling your domain name, you never want to put all of your eggs in one basket.

Most people start looking for a quality domain name through domain listing sites. A good strategy is to register your domain on a popular domain listing site.

The best domain listing sites are:

It’s not uncommon to use both domain listing sites and person-to-person sales through your landing page to sell your domain name.

In some cases, a buyer will see your domain on a domain listing site and end up contacting you through your landing page.

You have to meet the buyers where they’re at.

List Your Domain On Domain Auction Sites

Using auction sites is a great way to generate interest in your domain name.

Here’s why:

You can set the price of your domain much lower than its actual value.

This attracts a lot of potential buyers and entices them to place bids. Once you have some interest, it’s much easier to sell it.

And there is no risk of selling it for a low price.

With most domain auction sites, you can set a reserve price. That means you can set the reserve at the actual value of your domain name.

If it doesn’t reach the reserve, you don’t have to sell.

The two best domain auction sites are:

1. GoDaddy Auctions
2. Flippa

While auction sites take a commission from the selling price, the benefit and exposure they bring are worth far more than the fees.

Most domain auction sites also give you the ability to negotiate after the auction if the domain doesn’t reach the reserve price.

This means you can work with interested buyers and potentially sell your domain after the auction ends.

Step 4: Find The Perfect Buyer For Your Domain

After some time you will start to get offers for your domain.

Note: This doesn’t always happen immediately. In most cases, it can take over a month to find the right buyer.

You don’t just want to sell your domain to the first person who enquires. You need to make sure that the person is honest and ready to buy it now.

Here are a few things to consider:

These last two points are important.

I have had experiences where someone really wants the domain but said they will need a few weeks to get the money together.

This is a huge red flag.

You should never hold a domain because you’re waiting for someone to pay.

If a person sees your domain and wants to buy it right now without asking any questions, tread carefully… Particularly for bigger transactions.

Almost every legitimate buyer will ask for evidence or at least a few questions before they buy. Domain name fraud and stealing do happen. Just ensure the buyer is trustworthy.

Step 5: Use An Escrow Service To Secure The Payment

One of the best ways to make sure nothing dodgy happens when securing payment for your domain is to use an escrow service.

An escrow service is just like a broker between you and the buyer:

The escrow service will notify you once they receive payment and will release it to you once you have transferred the domain.

If either party fails to deliver, the escrow service has all of the contract details to help sort it out. Most domain listing and auction sites have their own escrow system in place. If so, they will handle the entire sales process for you.

If you don’t end up selling through one of these services, use your own escrow for added security.

Trust me, it’s not worth the headache to go without escrow.

Step 6: Transfer The Domain Name To Its New Owner

Once the escrow service has notified you they received payment, it’s a green light to transfer the domain to the new owner.

Each domain transfer process will be slightly different depending on who you are selling the domain through.

It can take up to 1 week to successfully transfer the domain depending on how responsive you and the buyer are.

Your domain service will have documentation of how they handle transfers or you can contact support.

That’s it! Congrats, you have successfully sold your domain.

If you need help with buying and/or selling a domain name, consider hiring a domain broker.

Can You Make Money Selling Domain Names?

The process of how to sell a domain name can take a while.

So is it really possible to make money buying and selling domains?

Answer: Yes You Can Make Unlimited Extra Income…

There are lots of people that make good side and full-time incomes from trading domains and domain flipping.

The key is to have patience.

That means taking the time to find the right domain names to invest in. You certainly don’t want to be buying every domain name that you come across.

The other key is to find the right buyer.

When you buy a domain, it will take time to find the right buyer who values the domain name at the right price.

If you do both of these things well, you can make very good money from trading domains.

To help you do this, there one domain marketplace I can recommend: TB Solutions.

Both of these marketplaces help you find quality domains that already have a lot of value. Use these to find great domains for really good prices.

…But It Is Not A Quick & Easy Way To Make Money

Here’s the truth:

Selling domains isn’t a get rich quick scenario. You can definitely make money selling domain names, but it takes time and patience.

You have to think of domain names as real estate.

A quality domain name is like buying a better house. Just like buying and selling houses is a long game, so is trading domain names.

Make sure you’re investing in domain names that will grow in value.

And in case you might be asking yourself:

“Is the profit you make from selling domains taxable?”

Yes, it is. It’s just like buying a stock and selling it for a higher price. You still have to declare the profit as a taxable benefit.

Wrapping It Up

There you have it.

How to sell a domain name step by step.

Whether you are selling a domain name with traffic or even huge SEO authority – you are armed with the knowledge you need to get a good, profitable price.

Don’t forget:

Make sure that you have a safe process in place to collect the payment when selling your domain name. After all, this is key to having a hassle-free domain transfer and payment.

And if you’re wondering where to find domains to sell for a profit, take a look at my expired domains guide.