The 5 criteria
- Keyword strength. Does the domain contain a core industry term? Bitcoin, bank, trust, wealth score high. Generic words score low.
- TLD authority. .com greater than .ai greater than country TLDs greater than generic TLDs. Premium category .ai is now near-com pricing for crypto.
- Brand fit. Does it work as a wordmark? Pronounceable in English and key local languages? Memorable after one exposure?
- Comparable sales. Similar names sold recently on NameBio, DNJournal, Sedo public sales. Pricing benchmarks.
- Defensive value. Is it part of a cluster? Solo or set? Is the cluster complete or fragmented?
Score and decide
Use a 1-5 scale per criterion. Sum greater than 17 = strong buy. Sum less than 12 = walk away. The middle range requires negotiation skill — that is where good portfolios are built.
Want the deep version? The full long-form is in development. Reach out — we share working drafts with serious buyers evaluating related domains.