Estibot 2.0 is a Domainer’s Dream

Estibot 2.0 public beta offers better valuation algorithms and new tools.

Frequent readers of Domain Name Wire know that I’m not always a fan of automated appraisals. It’s not the appraisals themselves that I dislike; it’s how domainers misuse the numbers. The best part of automated appraisals is less the final number, and more the data used to get to that final number.

Consider the time I wrote about a big domain sale, and a reader promptly emailed me to say the seller got a horrible deal because an automated appraisal said it was worth twice as much.

Perhaps the most popular automated appraisal service is Estibot. A couple months ago Estibot started its Estibot 2.0 beta. Today it switched the DNS to unveil 2.0 to all visitors. It’s a huge improvement over the previous Estibot, and goes way beyond the appraisal. Later today I’ll write about Estibot’s “Domain Leads” system for selling domains to end users. It’s incredible. But first, let’s look at the appraisals.

Compared to Estibot 1.0, the appraisal numbers seem quite accurate. I ran a few of my domains in the system today:

Now, do I agree with all of the numbers? Of course not. But that’s why you get to see the underlying data, and that’s what’s important. Take a look at IdentityAlerts.com, for example. This appraises low. As you can see, there are no ads for the term, it has few search results, and basically no searches. It’s a brandable name, though, so of course I wouldn’t sell it for $50. The domains that do have some advertisers and data fall in line with my expectations.

Here’s how I would used Estibot’s bulk appraisal tool:
-Scan auction lists to look for outliers where the appraisal is much higher than the reserve. Investigate to see why this is, and if you’ve found a good buy.
-Scan dropping domain lists to look for potential diamonds in the rough. (Estibot pre-downloads and scans these lists for users.)
-Review your own portfolio to see if there are domains you should consider developing (due to advertiser demand) or should be moved to the top of your sales queue.
-Use underlying data and appraisal as guidance when buying or selling a domain.

When using the service, keep in mind that Estibot 2.0 is still in beta.

Estibot remains free for basic services on a limited basis, with upgrade options for bulk users and advanced tools. One tool that requires an upgraded membership — the End-User Lead Generator — is so powerful you’ll want to spend the money. More on that later today.