In 1997, a Web entrepreneur Rick Schwartz bought the Web domain name Men.com for $15,000. In 2003, he sold the same domain name for $1.3 million. Schwartz is one of hundreds of entrepreneurs that have capitalized on the success of the Web, buying domain names low and selling them high. The most expensive domain names on the Web have all been sold for more than $5 million; they demonstrate how an investment in a Web site can really pay dividends.
Insure.com
In late 2009, an Internet marketing firm called QuinStreet bought the domain Insure.com for $16 million, making it the most expensive domain name of all time. Before the page was purchased, it was a collection of over 200 insurance companies which allowed visitors to purchase health, life, home, auto, travel and business insurance. The site changed little after its purchase, though it went through a redesign which featured fewer and more attractive advertisements.
Sex.com
Sex sells on the Internet, making it no surprise at all that Sex.com is one of the most pricey domains on the Web. The domain name sold for $12 to $14 million in 2006. The site then consisted of text-based ads for many different sex-related pages Since the purchase, the site was redesigned, with links to sex-related articles and fewer advertisements. The site remained essentially a collection of advertisements after the sale.
Fund.com
Fund.com was sold in 2008 for $9.99 million, showing that financial keywords have major importance on the Web. The site was founded in 2004; it provided visitors with various articles and suggested reading links about hedge, mutual and exchange-traded funds. The site still provides information about these types of funds, but there is a lot more information on portfolios; users also the ability to sign up for a Fund.com investor account.
Porn.com
Another clue that sex sells was the high selling price for Porn.com: $9.5 million in 2007. Before the sale, the site linked to picture galleries, erotic stories and other porn-related links. Afterward, the site contained links to many different videos of various types of pornography.
Business.com
While the domain name Business.com sold for $7.5 million in 1999, the company that ran the domain was also sold, making the official sale price over $300 million in total. Before the sale, the page was more or less bare, containing only links to Network Solutions and IP Lawyers services pages for a company called Network Solutions, Inc. After the sale, the site was changed to a business-related search engine that allows visitors to ask questions and perform research on various aspects of business.