Appraisal Methodology

How We Value Domain Names

Every domain on NameKnow is priced by one purpose-built AI appraisal model, and the reasoning behind each number is shown on the listing itself. Here is exactly how that model works — what it weighs, what the numbers mean, and where its limits are.

GL By Geoff Langenderfer Updated 2026-09-03 Read the buyer's guide →

The catalog right now

These figures come straight from the marketplace and update as the inventory does.

Domains for sale: 513
.com share: 96%
Average appraised value: $9,506
Buy-Now from: $300
Buy-Now up to: $29,999
Highest appraised value: $45,000

Inventory last updated 2026-09-03

What a valuation looks like on a listing

Open any domain page and you'll see a value panel with five consistent parts, produced for every name by the same model:

Retail Range — the band we expect an end buyer to pay, e.g. "$2,500 – $7,500".
Verdict — an overall grade: strong, moderate, or weak.
Brandability — a 0–10 score for how easily the name works as a brand.
Summary & rationale — a plain-English write-up of the strengths, likely buyers, and risks.
Generated date — when the appraisal was produced, so you can judge its freshness.

The six things the model weighs

When the model appraises a name it is asked to consider these factors, and each one is reflected somewhere in the output:

Length & memorability

Short names are easier to type, remember, and pass on by word of mouth. The model scores memorability and notes how the name sounds.

The extension

.com remains the most recognizable extension for a business, so names on .com carry a premium. Today about 96% of our catalog is .com.

Brandability & commercial potential

Can a company build a product, service, or media brand on this name? Pronounceability, spelling, and how the words combine all feed the brandability score.

Keyword & SEO value

A name containing a real, in-demand word has built-in relevance and search value. The model lists sample keywords and rates the SEO potential for each name.

Demand & monetization

Which industries would want this name, and how could it make money — as a SaaS product, a marketplace, a directory, a lead-gen site? A focused but motivated buyer pool still justifies a strong price.

Risk

Trademark conflicts and negative or double meanings can sink an otherwise good name. Each appraisal records a trademark-risk level and any connotations to watch.

Retail vs. wholesale — what the two ranges mean

Every appraisal produces two price bands, not one:

Retail range

What an end buyer — a startup, a business, an individual — should expect to pay to buy the name for their own use. This is the band shown on the listing, and the Buy-Now price sits inside it.

Wholesale range

The lower band at which investors and other domainers trade names to resell later. It isn't shown on the public listing, but it explains how much room sits between an investor's buy price and a retail buyer's price.

When a Buy-Now price ever falls outside the published retail range, we reconcile it back inside the band — that check runs as a routine part of keeping the catalog clean.

How the appraisal is produced

Each appraisal is generated by an AI model configured to act as a professional domain appraiser. Its output is constrained to a strict, structured format, which is why every listing carries the same comparable fields — the model cannot skip the verdict, leave out a price band, or free-form a half-finished thought. The model and prompt version that produced a given valuation are stored with it, alongside the date it was generated.

We review the output for coherence, and the Buy-Now price on each listing is checked against the published range before it ships. That combination — structured output plus a human sanity check — is what separates a NameKnow listing from an unedited AI guess.

What we don't yet do: we do not pull live traffic, backlink, or authority metrics into an appraisal. Where such data hasn't been verified the listing says so explicitly (for example, a backlink profile of "unknown"). The model draws on its own knowledge of the market and comparable sales — please run your own diligence, including a trademark search, before you build or buy.

Two worked examples

Here are two real listings side by side, so you can see how the factors translate into numbers.

MedMoot.com Verdict: Moderate

Retail range

$2,500 – $7,500

Wholesale

$300 – $1,000

Brandability

7.1/10

Buy-Now

$2,999

A seven-letter, two-word .com built for a medical debate and conference community — the "moot" in the name is the point. The alliteration and double "oo" make it memorable, and the buyer pool (medical educators, CME, event organizers) is real but focused, so the model grades it moderate rather than strong. It also flags that "moot" can read as "irrelevant" in U.S. usage — a risk a buyer would need to position around. The Buy-Now of $2,999 sits inside the retail band.

See the full listing

ToothMap.com Verdict: Strong

Retail range

$12,000 – $35,000

Wholesale

$2,000 – $6,000

Brandability

8.3/10

Buy-Now

$14,999

Two crisp, common English words — an 8-letter .com with a clear dental keyword that is broad enough to brand software, a provider directory, or an educational site. Informational SEO (tooth charts, numbering systems) is strong, and the buyer pool of dental SaaS vendors and practice groups is motivated, so the model grades it strong with a low-to-mid five-figure retail value. Buy-Now at $14,999 is deliberately near the lower end of the band.

See the full listing

What a valuation is not

A valuation is an estimate, not a promise. It reflects the model's view of the market at the date printed on the listing — a market that moves as demand, comparable sales, and the economy change. It is not professional, financial, tax, or legal advice, and it is not a guarantee of resale value: domain prices can go down as well as up (see our Terms §11).

Because valuations age, each listing shows the date its appraisal was generated. If you are seriously considering a name with an older date, ask us — we're happy to run a fresh appraisal so the price reflects current conditions.

See the model in action

Every listing in the catalog shows its retail range, verdict, and rationale.

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