Animal domain names such as Orca.com have a significant value to both domain investors and end-users. Animal .COM domain names can range in value from the low four-figure range ($1,000-$9,999) up to the seven-figure range.
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Why is Orca.com valuable?
Why are animal .COM domains such as Orca.com valuable? Well, let’s take Orca.com as an example here. Orca.com is one of just a concentrated number of exact match, animal .COM domain names that are in existence. There are over 134 million .COM domain names registered, which means Orca.com and the other exact match animal .COM names represent a very tiny percentage of all .COM domains. Rarity makes Orca.com a highly valuable name, especially to investors who pay top dollar to own the world’s rarest names.
There’s also the question of trust and stability. If you’re called Orca, then you need to own Orca.com for your brand. By owning Orca.com, you are displaying a sense of trust to your customers or clients. As a consumer, would you trust Orca.com or GetOrca.com more? The right domain name gives an instant sense of trust in a brand to anyone who visits the domain. A sense of stability and permanence also comes from owning a domain name like Orca.com. It shows a long term investment in a brand.
Unfortunately, animal names such as “Orca” are popular brand names. Because they’re commonly used, instantly recognizable names, it makes the equivalent .COM (Orca.com) valuable since so many companies are interested in using it. That makes it an expensive prospect for a brand to acquire.
An exact match domain name such as Orca.com for a company called Orca can also offer that company some security from data and traffic leakage that is commonplace amongst longer domain names.
These factors, and more, are why Orca.com is a domain name that has retained its value for more than two decades. The factors listed above are fine in theory, but let’s take a look at some examples of animal .COM sales to back up the overall value of Orca.com and animal .COM’s in general:
Case Studies
We have compiled a series of small case studies that give examples of companies that have purchased animal .COM domain names recently. If several companies spend six or seven-figures on an animal .COM domain name, it demonstrates clearly that exact match animal .COM’s play an intrinsic value in the online brand of savvy businesses. Read our case studies:
1. Penguin.com
The Penguin.com name is owned by Penguin Publishing Group, a multi-national book publisher founded in the UK in 1935. The name is a vital part of their online identity, with the name hosting the company’s corporate site and book shop. There are several other famous brands that using the “Penguin” moniker including Penguin, the clothing company. The fashion brand is using OriginalPenguin.com, but interestingly the company does own Kangaroo.com.
2. Shark.com
This marine based domain name shows precisely the wide range of uses for animal/wildlife names. The Shark.com name is owned and operated by a former golfer. Australian Greg Norman, nicknamed The Shark, spent 331 weeks as the world’s number one golf pro. After retiring, Greg created the Greg Norman Company, formerly known as Great White Shark Enterprises. Shark.com houses Greg’s multiple ventures.
3. Gorilla.com
In October 2019, it was reported by DNJournal that the domain Gorilla.com had been sold by broker Monte Cahn (RightOfTheDot) for a total of 6,320. The name was acquired by a Russian online casino, and as of writing, the name is being used in conjunction with the brand’s online betting division.
These are just three examples of animal .COM domains that have been acquired and put to use by brands willing to invest significant amounts of money into their online identity.
Another means of getting a face-value appraisal for Orca.com is to take a look at verified domain sales data.
Recent Sales
Thanks to NameBio, we have been able to produce a list of animal .COM domain sales from the past:
Snake.com – $135,000 (2019)
Walrus.com – $55,000 (2018)
Gorilla.com – $496,320 (2019)
Bird.com – $200,000 (2005)
Pig.com – $125,000 (2010)
Coyote.com – $65,000 (2011)
Pug.com – $61,000 (2016)
Hornet.com – $60,000 (2017)
Further Reading
I wrote an article for NamePros in 2019 about how certain animal domain names are being used. You can read that here Some of the content here is quoted from that article.
Conclusions
Working out the intrinsic value of the Orca.com domain name (without any attached content, IP or other considerations) is a difficult process. Automated appraisals cannot be relied upon, and ultimately it comes down to the circumstances surrounding the acquisition or sale of the domain (with associated factors including motivation to buy or sell, the need for the domain, funding available, and current circumstances).
However, it can be easily proven that domains such as Orca.com are highly desirable, and previous sales data indicates that this type of name routinely sells for five ($xx,xxx) or six ($xxx,xxx) figures. In some cases, this will be higher.