Zhou Wenhan, founder of NameMaxi.com, is a seasoned entrepreneur starting his career in the mobile application space in 2009. His earlier companies were acquired and other than NameMaxi, he has a current company in the Walkie Talkie App space as voicepingapp.com.
He had been blogging since 2004 and got into the domain space as an amateur with his first domain sale in 2010. Since then, he is also active in ENS (Ethereum Name Service) and currently focuses his efforts on NameMaxi which is in the tokenized domain space.
Sully: Can you share the story behind the founding of NameMaxi.com and what inspired its creation?
Wenhan: As a domain investor myself, it has always been a challenge to find the best and most profitable domains to invest in. A lot of digging led me to the conclusion that, while there are multiple resources for investors to appraise their names or research for the best possible investments, there isn’t a consolidated platform that helps users make informed decisions.
From my ENS experience, I also saw the trends in web3 space with tokenization and categorization in ENS domains – with categories like 10k club, 3 letter club etc. and wanted something similar for .com domains. So I set out to build NameMaxi.
Sully: What are the core services that NameMaxi.com offers to its clients?
Wenhen: NameMaxi is essentially a platform for domain investors to discover and decide on the best possible domains to invest on, make valuable purchases, price their domains according to market standards, and sell them for most profit.
Our distinguishing features include –
- Categories – We provide categories of high valued domain names. These categories are like 3N, 4N, one word dictionary etc. Categories make it easy to compare prices across similar names.
- Domain Appraisal and Generator – Lets you discover and register the best domain names according to current trends and how to price your domain based on other similar domains
- Price Drop – We monitor prices of domains in high valued categories and alert our users daily with deals on exclusive domains.
Sully: Can you discuss some of the most notable domain sales facilitated by NameMaxi.com?
Wenhen: We don’t do domain brokering yet, neither do we do acquisitions, but outbounding domains on scale is in the works. Many of our users have also reported successfully selling domains brought through our platform, some even within a week. We have also facilitated sales of multiple tokenized domains through our marketplace listings.
Sully: What trends are currently shaping the domain market, and how is NameMaxi.com adapting to them?
Wenhen: We have quickly adopted the futuristic appeal of tokenization and provide a platform for investors to list their tokenized domains and build landers for them. We have partnered with the giants in the space like Unstoppable, 3DNS, and NameFi to ensure our users don’t miss out on the wider domain market.
AI is also becoming vital in domain valuation and management. At NameMaxi, we leverage AI to provide accurate domain appraisals by aggregating data from multiple sources. We also offer AI-powered name generation and domain suggestions to help our users find the perfect domain names.
Sully: How does NameMaxi.com assist clients in managing their domain portfolios?
Wenhen: As I mentioned, at this point we aren’t a domain management platform; but we do provide bulk listing of tokenized domains with NameMaxi.
Our tools and resources are geared towards all those who’re looking to invest in domains. We help domainers keep their portfolios up-to-date by providing access to detailed market data, including recent sales, price drop alerts, and trending categories with comparable sales. Our state-of-the-art appraisal lets users make informed decisions on what to price their domains, and whether to renew them or not.
Sully: How do you approach the valuation of a domain name, and what factors are considered?
Wenhen: We provide a comprehensive valuation tool that aggregates appraisals from different sources like GoDaddy, Estibot, Humbleworth, and Atom to allow the domainers to compare estimates and get a holistic picture of what their domain is worth.
Along with automated appraisals, we also combine keyword sales history from NameBio to show how names with similar keywords have performed in the market and their average sell-through rate.
Quite different from other appraisal tools, is that users can compare their domain with average listed prices of similar domains, and see alternative available domains. This lets them price domains according to current market standards and probably allow for a more accurate price.
Sully: Can you discuss the importance of a strong domain name for businesses and their branding efforts?
Wenhen: Any business worth their salt these days needs an online presence, and for a solid online presence, the best thing you can do is to secure a brand. It all starts with a strong name – one that accurately reflects a company’s values, and its dedication to serving its people right. Imagine how far Google would have come if they were still called Backrub?!
Investing in the perfect name will help you build a solid digital presence, give you organic traffic and business by letting people find you online. Online credibility equals real life credibility these days, and spending on marketing ensures you achieve just that.
Sully: Can you share your thoughts on the impact of blockchain technology on the domain industry?
Wenhen: The domain market is recently abuzz with the possibility of tokenized domains, which lets domain owners purchase domains with a smart contract. While many domainers still approach it with apprehension, NameMaxi has been very receptive to the bright future of domains in the web3 space.
Tokenization gives so many added benefits, especially to investors – reduced transaction cost, instant transfers and increased visibility in the web3 space. Even the possibility of fractionalized ownership is interesting as domain owners.
Sully: Can you discuss any upcoming projects or initiatives that NameMaxi.com is excited about?
Wenhen: Our ultimate goal is to help domainers invest better and sell for higher. We want to make selling more transparent and increase the sell-through-rate of our users by providing the tools and resources to market their domains to the intended audience. A few such plans are in the works to make this happen and we will be sure to do another update as soon as we are ready.
