3 letter domains - why?

[domsaleuk]

Hi

Looking through recent sold domain info etc. and looking at this site at the lack of domains wanted and responses to domains for sale ads it seems to me that at the moment the co.uk domains that appear to be selling most often and for any sort of decent prices are the 3 letter domains

My question is Why? I guess these names have great branding potential if you have a hefty budget to promote them but many people don't have hefty marketing budgets so why do people think these are so much better than other domains ?

I guess they could be used for companies to create a name that shortens the use of the full company name to just the initials but if a company is going to go through all the many changes required to change a domain name then isn't a generic domain just as good if not far better ? .

I have to say I am more than a bit confused as it appears to me that many people involved in the domain industry and buying and selling domains might have lost faith in their core product.

Would be interested to hear general thoughts

 

[ImageAuthors]

During the last year especially, attention was focused on short domains due to the Chinese surge, which lifted prices on LLL.com and then LLLL.com sky high (until December anyway). China wasn't interested in .CO.UK; but British domain investors would have seen that 2015 trend, perhaps feeling their own surge of confidence in British acronyms. In part, that conclusion was justified. After all, .COM acronyms were disappearing from Western markets; so diminished supply left .CO.UK a bit more valuable than before.

Short domains (4 letters or less) have always been more liquid than keywords and brandables. Domains in those latter categories require individual assessments; so values are as uncertain as buyers are inexperienced. Meanwhile, short domains can be traded almost interchangeably; and even novices feel they know where the floor price is.

That's part of the story anyway.

 

[jmcc]

The main attraction of the 3Ls is that they are comparatively rare. A three letter site can also be easier to brand. However new .com registrations in countries where there is a strong ccTLD are been overtaken by new ccTLD registrations and much of the .com domain footprint in these countries is legacy.

Regards...jmcc

 

[martin-s]

Instant credibility for companies using them. Simples.

 

[jaydub]

short and also less chance of TM issues

 

[accelerator]

It's because they are short and can stand for things, i.e. company initials.

 

[Bailey]

No Chance of anybody selling/copying themselves as YOU with a half-decent three letter acronym. Lets face it they've been around for donkeys years As a Company identifier - Mostly with/and due to getting into the public eye as Major/National Companies. If you've seen a Business product that struck a Chord - Your gonna mindset those three initials So much easier than three 'Potential mixed Bag Words' (whatever the Generics).

It's just a case of Second Level businesses following good Primary business sense

 

[Bailey]

Taking-out the "difficult to work with" letters " And "The easy confusable pairings etc" We are into the 16 X 16 X 16 Market limit . Now play that along with either an 'Established' or even 'Word Centric' play (ie side of a Van type Stuff) That Converts to a decent "Establishing" Business Capture.

eitherway I don't remember 'worthwhile' 3 letter .co.uk's being available to hand register (even from drops - unless you were in the capture market) from 'way back' 1997/8

 

[ian]

eitherway I don't remember 'worthwhile' 3 letter .co.uk's being available to hand register (even from drops - unless you were in the capture market) from 'way back' 1997/8

They all have value, even on a very basic level, so you'll only ever see them being caught, never ftr. Having sold alot of them, the value is heavily reliant on the characters of course, especially business centric ones like those ending in l (limited), c (company), g (group), s (services) etc. However, it is a long term game finding a corporate end-user to realise a high price, but equally very easy for a business to be created around 3 words to suit, especially with so many being sold 'trade' at auction (myself included).

 

[Bailey]

Ian - I agree with you - many a good reason why a Domain market gains traction, (Many with obvious connections/awareness for those in the growing/expanding markets,With demand. Some others Not So) Slightly Worrying Though when a 'Domainer' (Original post) poses such a question

interesting to understand the L,C,G,S last letter connect, You'd have thought it disposable in a three letter acronym (apart from maybe in "Son/s") Personally i'd imagine that taken less awareness in the future

 

[Bailey]

Just an added thought . Two worded Company names (Pretty Common) still need to find that third letter usage - So maybe makes sense the L,C,G, S steps in if the business wants to hold/use its acronym