What metrics do you use to value domains? The best way to value domains might be based on your gut sense of what is brandable. Rick Schwartz famously uses his gut instinct to assess value and has had great success. He said: “No metrics. Few give accurate stats even tho they have them so you MUST know so the ONLY tool I use is my gut” (link here).

If “gut” is the primary tool one should use, checking PPC payout rates and monthly search rates for domain keywords are common practices, and might offer helpful secondary support. The number of searches for your keyword per month lets you know the degree of search interest in your name, and gives you a rough sense of the traffic volume you can expect. When trying to verify an IDN translation, native translators and top notch dictionaries are great, but checking exact search volume is one more very helpful translation verification tool.

You can have a great deal of traffic coming to your domain, but how easy is your domain to monetize? That is where PPC rates come in. Finding out how much advertisers pay for PPC for your domain keyword gives you a sense of how marketable your domain is for advertiser links. For instance, finance and medical keywords are traditionally high PPC and contribute to high domain values in those niches.