There's a concept I've been analyzing for some weeks now, and it boils down to this: Industry-specific beats generic. Everyone says it, maybe not in those exact words, but in some form. But I'm not sure most people actually understand what it means in practice. It just becomes another thing people repeat on forums.
I want to break down what I think this really means. Why it matters. How you can actually use it. Dynadot just released survey data that lines up with what I've been saying for years about your day job being your biggest edge.
What Industry-Specific Actually Means
Here's the thing. Demand comes from buyers. Buyers don't buy generic names for search volume anymore. They buy names that fit their business, their industry niche, their actual audience.
Dynadot surveyed 75 active investors. Thirty percent now prioritize industry-specific domains over broad generic keywords when they're buying names. That's not a small number. That's the whole game changing.
But what does industry-specific really mean?
It's not just slapping a business category onto a keyword. It's not BusinessConsulting.com or MarketingSoftware.com. That's still way too broad.
I work in enterprise software consulting. I specialize in cloud implementations specifically. Over 10 years now. And every industry has vocabulary that nobody outside of it understands or cares about.
Procurement specialists talk about "tail spend." HR teams obsess over "time-to-fill metrics." Finance departments need "journal entry automation." These aren't sexy terms. They'll never trend. But companies will actually pay for domains that speak their language.
That's what industry-specific means. The actual terminology people use when they're solving real problems in their jobs.
Who's Actually Buying Domains
Tech startups account for 44 percent of all domain purchases according to the survey. More than double any other category. Local businesses came next at 20 percent, brand agencies at 13 percent.
But here's what jumped out at me. Fifty percent of domain purchases are for starting a business or brand. Only 8 percent are buying to flip.
Your buyers aren't other domain investors. They're founders building actual companies who need a domain that immediately tells people what they do.
When I'm working deals or talking to other investors I always ask one question first. Who is the end buyer? If it's someone launching a SaaS product then something like SaaSMetrics.com is going to work way better than some generic phrase that might show up in search results.
Industry-specific domains speak to what that buyer is actually looking for.
Your Day Job Is Your Best Asset
Every industry has its own language. Business people know what "change orders" are. Medical practices deal with "prior authorization." Manufacturing folks talk about "lot traceability."
When you work somewhere for years you stop noticing how weird the vocabulary is. You think everyone knows these terms. They don't. That's your edge.
I can spot a valuable ERP domain because I'm in those meetings every day. I know which features clients constantly ask about. I know which problems cost companies serious money to fix. I know what people are searching for late at night when they're trying to figure out if there's a better way.
You can't get that from keyword tools. You get it from actually doing the work.
Where To Actually Find These Domains
The survey showed that domain marketplaces and expired domain services are the tools investors use most. Thirty-seven percent said they use them constantly. That makes sense because that's where industry-specific terms actually show up.
I've been using Dynadot's marketplace for years now. Not because they're sponsoring this post but because when you're managing a serious portfolio you need tools that don't get in your way. Their expired auctions are where I've found some of my best industry-specific pickups. Domains that dropped because the original owner didn't renew but that have real value to someone in that specific field.
The difference between hunting on a marketplace versus hand-registering is you can see what's already been validated. Someone registered it before. It had enough value that it existed. Now it's available again and you can grab it if you understand the industry.
The Long Game
Forty-eight percent of investors hold domains for three years or more according to the survey. Only 8 percent are flipping quickly.
Industry-specific domains take time to find the right buyer. But when they do the sale actually happens. The buyer isn't comparing your domain to 50 generic alternatives. They're looking at it thinking this is exactly what I need.
Sixty-five percent of investment is still going into .com domains. Five times more than any other extension. Businesses want credibility. They want what people remember. They want a domain that clearly says what they do.
Put those together. Industry-specific .com domains. That's the opportunity.
The survey showed 59 percent of investors manage portfolios of 200 domains or more. Thirty-five percent hold over 500. That's not hobby stuff. That's focused buying where people are deliberately targeting specific keywords in industry verticals they know will attract real users.
When you're managing that many domains you need a registrar that makes bulk management actually work. I've moved most of my portfolio to Dynadot over the past few years because their bulk tools don't make me want to throw my laptop. Small thing but it matters when you're dealing with hundreds of renewals.
A Real Example
A few years ago I registered a domain about audit trail automation. Super specific. Super boring to most people. But for companies implementing enterprise software? That's critical. That's something their compliance team actually loses sleep over.
Haven't sold it yet. But I'm not worried. The buyer is out there and when they find it they'll know immediately why they need it.
Compare that to something like BestSoftware.com. Sure it's got search volume. Sure it's easy to understand. But it's competing with thousands of other generic alternatives. And the companies that could afford it are building a brand, not buying a description.
Why Similar Names Have Different Values
This explains why two domains that look similar can have completely different values.
Say you own CloudSecurityTools.com and SecurityTools101.com. Both have security in them. But one speaks to the cloud security industry which has massive growth and funding. The other could be anything. A hobby blog. A YouTube channel. Generic advice content.
Buyers in actual business categories gravitate toward domains that signal where their product fits.
How To Find These Domains
Start with your day job. Write down every specialized term you use regularly. Not the obvious stuff. The weird terminology. The acronyms. The things that would make your friends' eyes glaze over.
Then look at what problems your industry is solving right now. What keeps coming up in meetings? What are vendors pitching? What are clients asking about?
Those are your domains.
Look for names that match those verticals. Use marketplace data to check if there's interest. Be patient. Nearly half of investors hold domains three years or more because this stuff takes time.
The Mistake People Make
They think industry-specific means narrow. They worry there aren't enough buyers.
But think about it. How many Cloud ERP implementation firms exist? How many companies use cloud software? That's not small. And they're all dealing with the same problems, using the same language, searching for the same solutions.
Same logic for almost any industry. Blue-collar businesses, healthcare specialties, financial services, manufacturing. These aren't tiny markets. They're massive markets most domain investors ignore because the terminology doesn't look impressive in a spreadsheet.
Why This Matters
We're in the era of niche domain investing. Industry-specific beats generic not because it's trendy but because the buyers changed.
Entrepreneurs want names that help them tell their story. That's what industry-specific domains do. The Dynadot data backs this up.
Generic keyword domains might still have value if they're perfect one-word .coms with clean history. But those are disappearing fast and they only work if you can tie them to actual buyer intent.
Industry-specific names naturally attract buyers who already know what they want to build.
What You Should Do
Stop chasing generic keywords. Stop trying to predict trends. Stop competing with thousands of other investors for obvious terms.
Look at the industry you already know. The one you work in every day. Where you understand the real problems and the actual language and the urgency behind solutions.
That's where industry-specific domains come from. Not keyword research. Real experience.
Thirty percent of investors are doing this now. Seventy percent aren't.
If you're serious about building an industry-specific portfolio check out Dynadot's expired auctions and marketplace. That's where the real opportunities are hiding. Names that already got validated once and are ready for someone who actually understands the industry they serve.
Use what you already know. Nobody else has that.
This post is sponsored by Dynadot. I've been using their platform for portfolio management and domain acquisition for years. All opinions and strategies here are mine.