Valuate.com tool brings new blood to the automated domain evaluation table

[Luc]

Seems to be far too heavily slanted toward Alexa, the extension and possibly domain length too.

Hey guys. Thanks for your feedback!

Esa and I have been working on a new version of EstiBot for the last few months. It's coming along well and we have launched a private beta a few days ago. Many existing users have been notified. The new algorithm differs greatly from the old, but is still in very early beta.

We feel very privileged to be working with Francois. We consider him a great friend and a true asset to the domain industry. His tools and services help us all stay connected and informed.

Now, to address some of your concerns (these apply to both valuate and estibot).

• Alexa is not at all considered as part of the valuation. It is provided as "bonus" indicator for your convenience but is not used in the formula.
  
• Valuate / Estibot do not appraise sites or businesses. We have received many "it doesn't work, look at what it appraises estibot.com as". We simply appraise domains.
  
• Parking revenue is not factored in unless the domain receives high traffic. This is done for many reasons, but mostly because parking revenue is based on keyword optimization, parking company, payout percentage and many other factors, the key one being listed below.
  
• Our new focus will be to help you sell YOUR domains to end-users. Features on Valuate.com and EstiBot.com will soon reflect this. We have created several very powerful tools that will help you liquidate your portfolios in a fast and efficient manner. We recognize that over the years domainers have mostly sold domains to other domainers and the industry is dry on outside money. Over the next few weeks/months we will introduce many new tools and services that will help everyone solve this problem. As a result, appraisals will start to reflect prices that end-users are willing to pay for domains instead "potential" or PPC revenue (end users generally don't care if a domain makes $20/month on PPC because they can monetize it much more efficiently).
  
• Work in progress guys. ccTLDs still don't work. Non-english domains still don't work and org/info/us/net still need an adjustment on the scales.
  

Nonetheless. we're getting closer and we're very excited to be partnered with Francois and Valuate.com.

I'll be sure to update you guys when we launch a public beta so I can get your feedback. Esa and I take your feedback VERY seriously and so does Francois.

Thanks to all and shoot me, Francois or Esa a PM with questions or suggestions!
Luc Lezon

 

[Gerry]

research, learn, read, invest, make mistakes, dont repeat them, repeat process and rinse over the years and you're close to getting there

the pred

Worth quoting.

 

[JuniperPark]

[*]Our new focus will be to help you sell YOUR domains to end-users. Features on Valuate.com and EstiBot.com will soon reflect this. We have created several very powerful tools that will help you liquidate your portfolios in a fast and efficient manner. We recognize that over the years domainers have mostly sold domains to other domainers and the industry is dry on outside money. Over the next few weeks/months we will introduce many new tools and services that will help everyone solve this problem. As a result, appraisals will start to reflect prices that end-users are willing to pay for domains instead "potential" or PPC revenue (end users generally don't care if a domain makes $20/month on PPC because they can monetize it much more efficiently).

I (and many others here) have been relentlessly spammed by users of your DRT problem, and I was not happy to see Estibot 2.0 already listing me as a spam target.

I hope that you'll consider allowing domain holders to put themselves on a DO NOT CONTACT list to avoid this in the future. Making yourself part of a spamming operation will result in a lawsuit (perhaps many of them) if we have a repeat of the spam flood.

 

[Luc]

I (and many others here) have been relentlessly spammed by users of your DRT problem, and I was not happy to see Estibot 2.0 already listing me as a spam target.

I hope that you'll consider allowing domain holders to put themselves on a DO NOT CONTACT list to avoid this in the future. Making yourself part of a spamming operation will result in a lawsuit (perhaps many of them) if we have a repeat of the spam flood.

Well, as I've said we'll be helping domainers LIKE YOU, sell their inventory to end-users. I noticed that you sell a lot of your inventory here, on DNF, and if I remember correctly, I just bought some domains from you a few days ago. This is exactly the problem we are trying to solve. Instead of making $23 on a domain selling to another domainer like me, you should make $1300 by identifying and selling it to a business that actually has a use for it.

In regards to your concern. I recognize there is an annoyance factor that comes into play anytime people have access to bulk email tools. We're taking steps to ensure that end users are not spammed by our tools and that only the leads with the highest probability of success get contacted.

Additionally, there already is a "do not contact" list and I'll be happy to add your email to it if you PM it to me.

Thanks

 

[JuniperPark]

Well, as I've said we'll be helping domainers LIKE YOU, sell their inventory to end-users. I noticed that you sell a lot of your inventory here, on DNF, and if I remember correctly, I just bought some domains from you a few days ago. This is exactly the problem we are trying to solve. Instead of making $23 on a domain selling to another domainer like me, you should make $1300 by identifying and selling it to a business that actually has a use for it.

In regards to your concern. I recognize there is an annoyance factor that comes into play anytime people have access to bulk email tools. We're taking steps to ensure that end users are not spammed by our tools and that only the leads with the highest probability of success get contacted.

Additionally, there already is a "do not contact" list and I'll be happy to add your email to it if you PM it to me.

Thanks

I like where you're going with SOME of this, but your tools are not really going to be used by end users. I received several THOUSAND emails from the DRT software, resulting in zero sales.

When I sell domains here or when people look at the WHOIS data, they already know the price and where and how to buy it. The DRT spammers were all lowballers who asked "is this domain for sale" and "what is the price".... some of the same people sent HUNDREDS of the same message, from random proxies, spread over several days. DRT stripped out the message I put in the whois data showing where to buy the domain, so the DRT problem is far beyond the scope of any other bulk email tool. I'm explaining this to make sure you realize this is not a trivial matter and not a small waste of time - it's a major issue.

Again, thanks for the opt-out and I'll PM you the email address.

 

[Luc]

Right, but DRT was never developed to sell to end users. The automated emailer was created to buy domains from people who aren't using them (ex: non resolving domains, parked, etc), and it was very successful with that. I picked up a bunch of domains by contacting people with it. Still, I understand your frustration and concern and as I've mentioned before, we are taking steps to ensure that people are not annoyed with this.

 

[ibydesign]

I think the new beta tool needs serious revision.
It seems to do pretty well with single word domains.
It falls apart with two word domains.
If this is the direction Estibot is going, I won't use it when the new algorithm goes into effect.

I think there are fundamental flaws to start with, in valuing a domain based on a domainer's parking/flip mentality. The old estibot was 80% consistent with at least valuing a domain in a way that seemed to come out with net result of value based essentially on one month's traffic x CPC average, with some adjustment for popularity on number of pages in Google, etc. (even though i'm sure that wasn't the algorithm used.)

But a domain name's value is worth more than a one month snapshot, number one, plus the value of a domain has more to do with the value of a potential sale (profit margins for the owner) by a customer, that is naturally attracted to that site using the built-in natural, meaningful set of keywords.

i.e,. a domain's value is not in the cost it takes to advertise on that term, but on the value/margins each sale represents, from some percentage of buys from the traffic.

Nevertheless, if Estibot goes away from their one month/cpc model, to something even LESS value, it is absolutely a false valuation, and a pandering to bargain basement domain buyers. That's a myopic and incestuous view of domain valuation, imo.

With that said, I appreciate Estibot tackling this problem, and realize that it is not easy. But the new model is "way far off" from my perspective.

 

[DomainingCom]

Esa, Luc and me we have the same vision, we really want to provide you a serie of tools and services that will BENEFIT the domaining community, and yes most of these services can only be possible if we have a robust valuation engine, so this is the begining.

...

To come back to Valuate.com:

Today I will program what I will call "My domains of reference".
I explain:
Everyone is strong of his OWN experience.
When I have to buy a name I like to compare his metrics with domains I sold myself, this reassure me.
I am buying something better, worst?
It's stupid because the valuation algorythm is much more powerfull and reliable ... but that's the way human mind works, we need to have our OWN values of reference.
I want to introduce this in Valuate.com, can easily/quickly add my own domains of reference within the list of valuated names so I can COMPARE!

I will post a note when done.

 

[mulligan]

Are query's on your site / tool stored?
If so what do you do with this data?

It's likely just me but, when people feel the need to use CAPS in their pitch it kinda makes me go hmm..

Esa, Luc and me we have the same vision, we really want to provide you a serie of tools and services that will BENEFIT the domaining community, and yes most of these services can only be possible if we have a robust valuation engine, so this is the begining.

...

To come back to Valuate.com:

Today I will program what I will call "My domains of reference".
I explain:
Everyone is strong of his OWN experience.
When I have to buy a name I like to compare his metrics with domains I sold myself, this reassure me.
I am buying something better, worst?
It's stupid because the valuation algorythm is much more powerfull and reliable ... but that's the way human mind works, we need to have our OWN values of reference.
I want to introduce this in Valuate.com, can easily/quickly add my own domains of reference within the list of valuated names so I can COMPARE!

I will post a note when done.

 

[DomainingCom]

Muligan:

For the moment no, further for efficiency or for more options of the tool that require it, maybe.


...

Sometimes I put caps for words that are important for the understanding so I have the feeling people will better understand what I have in mind.
Sometimes it simply outlines my enthousiasm.

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The promised improvements are up!