Single-word .COM domain names continue to be some of the most valuable digital properties in existence. Used by a wide variety of companies to better their online identities, these names can sell for significant fees, although we rarely hear about their sales.
One name that I certainly didn’t see sell was Develop.com. According to Archive.org, in late 2019, the domain was up for sale using a Buy Domains landing page but fast forward to April 2020, and the domain was hosting the website of a newly formed company, aptly named Develop.
According to WHOIS history, the domain name may have been sold around mid to late November 2019 in anticipation of the launch of Develop in 2020. The company also managed to secure the @Develop Twitter handle. Develop.com was previously owned by the Californian company, Digital Age Learning.
Seemingly founded in April 2020, Develop is an e-learning platform that offers on-demand courses for in-demand skills in return for an annual fee.
Develop is all about developing essential career skills with an emphasis on digital and tech industries. The Develop brand name captures everything that the company is aiming to offer.
Securing the exact-match domain name so early in a company’s lifecycle is a relatively rare move, but it can help the company hit the ground running. The Develop.com domain offers early adopters a sense of trust, permanence, and longevity vital when developing an e-learning platform in particular.
Of course, the content offered by Develop is the main attraction, but would you be more inclined to spend $399 per year on educating yourself with a service called LearnWithDevelop.com or Develop.com?