Premium Domains: Why the Price Isn’t Always What It Seems

When you're searching for the perfect domain name, it's exciting to find something that fits your brand perfectly. However, there’s often a surprise waiting for buyers when it comes to premium domains—the price you first see isn’t always the price you’ll end up paying.

This confusion arises because many registrars do not have the functionality to identify premium domains, they are sold at a regular price during the initial search, but when you proceed to registration, you see a much higher price.

For example, you might see something like $10 or $15, which is a typical cost for a standard domain registration. It looks like a great deal, so you click to proceed. However, once you try to register your domain, you’re informed that the domain is “premium,” and suddenly, the price skyrockets - sometimes into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars! 

What Is a Premium Domain?

A premium domain is a domain name that is considered to have high value due to certain factors, such as:

• Being short, memorable, or containing popular keywords (e.g., bestdeals.com).
• Having a high potential for SEO or branding purposes.
• Belonging to a highly sought-after domain extension like .com or .net.

How to Avoid Price Surprises

To avoid this situation, we recommend doing a few things:

1. Pay Attention to the Domain's Popularity: Pay attention to the domain's popularity: If a domain name seems too good or something that is very popular in your industry, there is a good chance that it is premium. 
2. Check Domain Availability on Trusted Platforms: Check the availability of the domain on reliable platforms: Not all registrars work with premium domains in the same way. Platforms like Namecheap are transparent about premium domain prices and availability. When you search for a domain on Namecheap, they clearly label premium domains and show the actual price.
3. Be Aware of Premium Triggers: Be careful of premium triggers: Premium domains often contain highly competitive keywords, generic terms, or short names. 
4. Always Double Check Before Checkout.