Domaining moves fast. With the right toolkit, you can source opportunities from expired auctions, uncover brandable angles, and validate demand before you register — or bid.
Below are 10 essential tools (with quick tips) that I reach for when evaluating names. Start with discovery, then validate value, comps, and demand.
1) ExpiredDomains.net (Discovery)
The best free starting point for expired and expiring names. Use filters: TLD, backlinks, age, DMOZ/DMAS, and price to surface high-signal names quickly.
Tip: Save searches and use negative keywords to clean noise. Check backlinks and history (see tools below) before bidding.
2) DomainIQ (History & Footprint)
Deep historical data: ownership changes, DNS, hosting, and portfolio correlations. Great for spotting previous use or footprint risk.
Tip: Look for patterns in previous owners and historical nameservers; this helps you avoid penalized or spammy histories.
3) NameBio (Sales Comps)
Sales comparables for pricing sanity. Search by keyword, TLD, length, date range, venue, and patterns.
Tip: Sort by most recent and filter by TLD to get realistic comps for today’s market.
4) DotDB (Use Cases & Saturation)
See how widely a term is used across TLDs. High saturation can indicate strong demand (or potential confusion).
Tip: Look for .com and strong alt TLD presence (.io, .ai) with many registered variants.
5) Ahrefs (Backlinks & Organic)
Validate link quality, anchors, and historical organic. Useful for SEO-driven acquisitions or avoiding toxic profiles.
Tip: Inspect referring domains and topical trust; avoid thin PBN footprints.
6) SEMrush (SERP & Keyword)
Cross-check keyword volume, SERP volatility, and traffic trends. Complements Ahrefs for a second opinion.
7) DNSlytics (Tech & Reverse Lookups)
Handy for finding related properties via reverse IP, analytics IDs, and MX. Great for research and outreach.
8) Estibot (Automated Valuation)
Directional valuation and liquidity insights. Don’t treat as gospel, but useful as a quick barometer.
9) Instant Domain Search (Hand‑reg Speed)
Ultra-fast availability checks while brainstorming. Pairs well with your own shortlist.
10) NameMaxi (Bulk & Ideas)
Bulk checks and name idea generation for brainstorming sprints.
Workflow: from scan → shortlist → validate
- Scan: Start with ExpiredDomains.net saved filters.
- Shortlist: Remove obvious spam; group by intent (brandable vs SEO).
- Validate: DomainIQ (history), Ahrefs/SEMrush (links/keywords), DotDB (saturation), NameBio (comps).
- Decide: Register, bid, or pass. Track outcomes.
Looking for the fastest way to sanity-check availability? Read: How to Check Domain Availability The Smart Way.
Want to set up a lean toolkit? See: Best Domain Name Tools for Beginners.