I have written several times that there can be a large difference in values of domain names based on if the domain name is singular or plural. Sometimes the plural version of the domain name is more valuable and sometimes the singular version is the likely the highest valued. The value is often higher based on the more popular term.
Here is another example of the potential large difference between two domain names that hold the basic same meaning, but clearly show that one is much more valuable than the other.
In late December 2006 the domain name Vodka.com sold for $3 Million USD to Conglomerate Russian Standard Co. who was looking to expand their brand in the US market.
This past week in March 2010 the plural version of the domain name, Vodkas.com sold for $9,999 EUR (about $13,500 USD).
A difference of about 2,986,500 USD.
In this case the plural version barely reached the five figure range in US dollars compared to the singular version that grabbed a strong seven figures in US dollars!
There are clearly several factors in "price" that can make the difference but many are clear. Finding the right or also known as "end user" buyer can make a huge difference in price paid for a domain name. A lot more people search for the exact term Vodka on the internet, compared to those who search the plural term Vodkas, so search volume makes a big difference. Branding makes a lot more sense with the singular version if you sell / make vodka because that is what it is! Direct navigation traffic is much more likely to the singular in this case, because it is more of a common term than the plural.
So $3 Million was paid for Vodka.com, so that must mean it ranks # 1 on Google for the exact search term of the generic product vodka by now right?
Well, let’s just say because you spend $3 Million or have $3 Million to spend on a domain name, doesn’t mean you have the knowledge of using the domain CORRECTLY! The short answer is YES, Vodka.com should rank # 1 in natural search results for the search term vodka due to the exact match of the domain name and development of the site by a Vodka company. But you also have to "do things right" with the domain name to get you there! Vodka.com does not appear to be doing things correctly because they rank on Page 3, in the 9th spot for vodka on Google.com.
The interesting thing… they do not really rank in that spot with Vodka.com, they rank in that spot with another domain name they own, Vodka.ru using meta and titles of the .com. Vodka.ru is considered a Country Code Top Level Domain Name or ccTLD for short. The .ru is Russia’s ccTLD.
Based on looking at the source code for Vodka.com, it appears they are using a java script style redirect with Vodka.com in some sort but something appears to be amiss! Although Vodka.ru redirects to Vodka.com, search engines like Google are ranking the Vodka.ru domain name and NOT the more powerful and more widely used .com for the search term. In Russia, the .ru domain name likely ranks (can but not likely used as a redirect) better but in the US, a .com will likely rank much better than a ccTLD in most cases.
Vodka.com does hold 9 indexed pages at Google and Vodka.ru only 1 but it is still very interesting to see the ranking above!
The Vodka.com and Vodka.ru is really a different story all on its own, but I wanted to be sure to share what I found because of the high dollar sale and sorry that I got a bit off track on the plural vs singular.
In a perfect world, it is always best to own both versions of the domain name so you do not lose traffic to the other version of the domain name. Secondly, it is always best to use the more popular of the terms as your flagship domain name. It really depends on the domain name… Girls.com is IMO a better domain name than Girl.com . Beer.com is a better domain name than Beers.com etc.
The plural or singular versions may also not be a single word used in your domain name. I wrote about PaulJrDesigns.com . The last term Designs can often be forgotten that it is plural, so it is best to own both versions as some will include the s and some will leave it off. Not owning both and redirecting them to the same place will lead into missed traffic.
You can read a further breakdown I did with the Payment.com and Payments.com domain names sales and the value of S as well. Those were much closer in price range but still $100K difference.
Here is yet another article I wrote about the price difference of one letter for domain names and provide another set of domain names that sold.
Nearly all of the time it appears that higher values are placed on the singular as opposed to the plural and in many instances the differences is huge. However, often times I find the plural to be more brandable, particullarly if you are selling a product.
It would further be an interesting case study to see how the the spread in prices between the two names is closed with the singular is parked and the plural is developed. If one elects to develop the plural and the singular sits as is, the plural all of a sudden has the upper-hand in addition to unlocking the real potential of the business. At that point in time the plural becomes a much more valuable piece of property than the singular.
March 23rd, 2010