When you want to know how many extensions a term is registered in, many investors turn to dotDB. This is a helfpful metric to gauge interest in a term. The dotDB site has been frequently mentioned in various analysis and research articles on the NamePros Blog over the years.
I used dotDB for many years without really thinking about who developed it. So I reached out to developer Ken Lin, and what an interesting story indeed.
dotDB – The One Minute Introduction
In the off chance you are reading this article, but have never used dotDB, here is a short introduction to using the free version. To perform a search, simply go to dotDB.com, enter the term you want to research, then press the Search button. Yes, it’s that simple.
For example, say I was interested in the term ‘cobotics’, that comes from collaborative robotics, and refers to hybrid human-machine work. When I search dotDB it lists two key numbers – Exact Match is the number of extensions registered for the exact term, sometimes abbreviated EMD for Exact Match Domains, while Domain Count means the total number that contain the term, including for example names like ‘AppliedCobotics’ as well as all of the EMDs.
Output from the free version of dotDB.com. It shows that the exact term ‘cobotics’ was registered in 45 different extensions, while the total number of registrations that include the term was 216 the day I checked. Which extensions are registered are listed, starting with the exact match. Only the top of results are shown in this image.
So why is that important? In my NamePros article from 2020 on Free Domain Research Tools, I explained it this way “This is an indicator of popularity. Also, some of the owners of these names might want to upgrade to your domain name. Generally, better names have been registered in more extensions.”
As well as the exact match and domain count numbers, the actual domain names registered appear in a list on dotDB.
If you search dotDB as a guest, you are limited to 10 searches per day. However, if you register as a free member, that increases to 30 per day. If you subscribe to a dotDB plan, it provides a wealth of additional resources and features. I introduce those late in this article.
But first let’s get to know the developer, Ken Lin.
Involvement With Domains Started at Age 12
I started the interview by asking how he first get interested in domain names.
My mother has been running a small printing company since I was born, so I grew up with a computer at home that my mother used for typesetting and printing documents.
At age 12, I began learning HTML and using tools to create websites. As a junior high school student in Taiwan, I created an online classified site, similar to Craigslist, but on a free subdomain. To my surprise, it quickly gained around 3,000 daily visitors within just a year, and even started generating profits. I still clearly remember earning my very first income from ads through this site—it was $20 dollars, an unimaginable amount to someone so young. The website was even featured in Taiwan’s IT magazine, which greatly encouraged me.
Starting With a Not Great Domain Name
As the site grew, Ken realized that he needed a unique domain name, not just a free subdomain.
I noticed that most well-known websites, like eBay, Amazon, and Yahoo, used .com domains. Unfortunately, by that time, most of the ideal names were already taken. As a result, I chose a less-than-ideal option: TW-No1.com. The “TW” represented Taiwan, and “No1” reflected my aspiration to become the top classified site in Taiwan. I added a hyphen because the version without it had already been taken. This choice, however, led to confusion—people often needed me to explain the hyphen, and many mixed up the number “1” with the letter “L,” making the web address difficult to remember.
Through that, he came to realize the value and worth of good domain names.
I tried to find a better domain name, but without luck. The prices they quoted were always far beyond what I could afford.
This experience taught me the value of domain names, especially .com domains. I became deeply interested in domain names and began seeking opportunities to invest in them.
Santa Claus Gave Him His Start
It was not his first sale, but a pivotal early sale was SantaClaus.info for 10,500 Euro at Sedo in November 2005. As he related,
That sale funded my university tuition, and gave me the capital to seriously start my domain selling business. Every Christmas, I remember this moment with gratitude. It was Santa who helped me kickstart my journey!
Over the years he has sold a total of about 300 names on the Sedo marketplace, in addition to sales on other marketplace and direct sales.
Parking Helps Pay The Bills
While he has sold many domain names, and is a very active developer, he has also been highly successful in domain parking. Over approximately two decades, he earned more than 220,000 Euros in parking at Sedo alone. He explained why parking was important, especially early on.
In the early 2010s, I left my job as a pharmacist to fully focus on online entrepreneurship. For about two years, domain parking was my main source of stable income. While I don’t have strong emotional attachment to domain parking, I understand how to generate revenue from it.
He went on to provide specific numbers,
My parking revenue used to reach as high as $20,000 per month, but now it’s shrunk to about one-tenth of that—around $2,000 a month. Unfortunately, this is not enough to cover my annual renewal costs, which are around $50,000, given that I currently own around 5,000 domains. To maintain profitability in my portfolio, I need to keep generating domain sales. Fortunately, over the years, I’ve never had a year where my overall domain profits were negative. There’s always been some positive return, which has allowed me to continue expanding my portfolio.
About the current status and future of domain parking, he had this to say:
In recent years, various factors—such as Google’s dominance, the rise of mobile apps, and changes to AFD (with ads now appearing in a second layer)—have led to a significant decline in natural traffic and parking revenue. Despite this, I continue to explore new opportunities in domain parking. Although the income from this area has greatly diminished, at least it is still operational, and I am constantly brainstorming ways to improve it. I remain hopeful that there’s still potential for growth.
Particular Interest in Geo Domains
I asked what sectors or niches within domain investing he concentrated on.
When it comes to domain investing, I have a strong personal preference for pure geo .com domains. I’ve always loved the idea of owning a .com domain for a city or country, because it feels like I’m claiming a piece of that geographical area on the internet.
He also invests heavily in domain names related to India, and of course names that are suitable for development or parking or development.
I started focusing on domains related to India about 10 to 15 years ago. I saw the country’s huge growth potential, similar to China’s development over the past couple of decades. Over the past few years, I’ve already seen some solid returns. For instance, I sold domains like BharatExpress.com and RaipurHomes.com, both for $15,000 USD each. Many of my Indian-related domains continue to get high offers, but I’m still holding out for even better opportunities to sell.
The Joy of a Domain Sale
While he prefers development to domain selling, that is not to say he does not feel that moment of joy with each sale.
While domain sales aren’t as fascinating to me as development, I still enjoy the moment of selling a domain. It feels like my investment judgment has been validated by the market.
He went on to comment on the question of whether to sell a domain name that had been slated for development.
I usually keep domains for sale, parking, and development separate. For example, if I have a development plan for a domain, I won’t list it for sale. But occasionally, I do receive offers from brokers, sometimes with offers I can’t refuse, leading to the sale of such domains. The reason I sell is that I can use the proceeds to acquire a more suitable domain for development. That’s how I weigh the decision.
First Domain Was A Country – That Ceased Being A Country
There is an interesting story behind his very first domain investment for resale.
My first domain investment was actually a country name, which I registered when I was around 12 years old, back in 1997-1998. I remember using an old yellow pages book from 1993 that had a list of countries and their codes, and I went through checking if the country names were available as .com domains.
The first one I grabbed was Bophuthatswana.com, and I can still recall the excitement of that moment. Later, I found out that the country had actually ceased to exist in 1994, when it merged with South Africa. So, my first domain investment ended up being for a country that no longer existed.
He Currently Owns 5 Countries in .COM
His interest in countries and cities continues to this day.
For me, investing in pure geo .com domains is like buying virtual land in the metaverse—except this “land” is real in a way because you can use it to build websites, set up email addresses, and watch its value grow over time.
These domains are really scarce—there are only about 200 pure country .com domains in the world. I own about five of them, plus around 10 for country capitals. If the opportunity arises, I’d definitely keep adding more of these types of domains to my portfolio.
A Development Focus
During the interview, I commented on how impressed I was with the breadth of his interests – domain name sales, parking, development, and creating one of the top domain data services. I asked which he found most rewarding.
I find domain development to be the most rewarding, not for the financial rewards, but for the sense of achievement it brings. When I first started investing in domain names, I would carefully consider each one, imagining how I could potentially develop it into a service or application. I thought that if I could envision a development opportunity for a domain, it meant others would likely have similar ideas. Even if my development plan failed, the domain would still retain value, allowing me to sell it and at least break even. This thought process guided my decisions when purchasing domains.
He went on to mention a couple of role models.
I particularly admire Peter Askew, the “onion guy,” for his approach to domains. A few years ago, I read an article he wrote about how he discovered DudeRanch.com from expired domains. Despite never having visited a dude ranch, he poured all his energy into developing the Dude Ranch business, building relationships with ranch owners, and attending related events and fairs. This is the kind of domain development I aspire to—his journey was incredibly exciting to me. Later, he applied a similar approach to create VidaliaOnions.com and Onions.com, becoming a well-known figure in the industry as the “onion guy.”
I also have a friend, Allan Hsu, living in Australia, whose approach to domain development mirrors Peter’s. After a long search, he finally acquired Osaka.com about 10 years ago, investing his life savings in the domain. He then focused on developing the Osaka.com website and built strong relationships with many people from Osaka. Allan fell in love with the domain and invested all his energy into its development, finding fulfillment and joy in the process. If one can make money along the way, like Peter and Allan did, that’s absolutely fantastic—something to dream of!
Relationship Between Parking and Development
There can be a relationship between development and parking.
Domain parking does not provide me with personal fulfillment beyond the revenue. I see it purely as a business that can bring in money. The income from domain parking helps cover domain renewal costs and allows me to continue expanding my domain portfolio.
In some cases, domain parking serves as a way to “test the waters” before domain development. Domains with higher direct navigation traffic and solid parking revenue, along with good CPC and RPC values, are usually the ones worth developing. By observing well-performing parked domains, I can select the most promising ones for development, turning them into more sustainable sources of income. This is the part I truly enjoy. So, while domain parking is more of a transitional phase in my process, it remains an essential part of my strategy.
How dotDB Came About
I asked how he came to develop dotDB. It was his interest in domain buying and selling that drove the development of dotDB, although it is also important, especially with recently added features, in evaluating names for potential parking revenue.
Just as with domains and development, the root of his interest in registered extensions goes way back.
When I was in my teens, since my English vocabulary was limited, I built a system to help me identify undervalued .com domains by checking if their .net or .org counterparts were registered. If both were taken—even if I didn’t understand their meaning—it usually indicated that the .com version was likely valuable, as the keyword was in demand and owners of the other extensions might want to upgrade to .com. This approach helped me identify and invest in promising .com domains.
But then along came more general extensions, and the task became more challenging.
In the early 2000s, new extensions like .info and .biz appeared, adding more reference points for research. Since I didn’t know how to build scripts back then, I had to perform searches manually. Fortunately, I later discovered NameDroppers, a search engine that displayed all registered extensions for a given keyword, which greatly sped up my research. This site is still alive today and has been around for 25 years.
The flood of new domain extensions required a new tool.
With thousands of new generic top-level domains being introduced, tools like NameDroppers became outdated as they didn’t include the new gTLDs in their database. I then switched to ZFBot, a better tool that covered the new extensions. But when it became a subscription-only service and stopped updating in 2017, I saw an opportunity.
He started development of dotDB in 2017, although the launch was in early 2018. I asked about the name.
So, in late 2017, I built my own tool for searching all registered domains, with faster and more advanced features that ZFBot lacked. I launched it as dotDB in early 2018, with a name chosen because every domain includes at least a “dot,” and it’s database-driven—hence “DB” for database.
While originally developed to meet his own needs, the decision to make it a service open to others was natural.
The reason I decided to open dotDB to other domain investors is that, compared to domain investment, I find more satisfaction in providing a service. The sense of accomplishment from building a business and generating ongoing income is something that buying and selling domains can’t match. No matter how valuable a domain I own, once it’s sold, it’s gone. However, building a business with continuous revenue allows me to implement my ideas and pursue goals that are much more fulfilling to me.
An Experiment with dotDB
He relayed information on an interesting experiment using dotDB data to pick domain names.
I decided to run an experiment. My goal was to apply my long-standing domain investment strategy but use dotDB to systematically identify valuable niche, long-tail domains that had just expired.
The method was simple: each day, I analyzed a list of around 100,000 expired .com domains available for registration. Using dotDB, I filtered out the domains that had at least one or two other extensions registered. If a keyword was already used in other extensions, it meant the matching .com could be valuable to those who registered these other extensions.
Here is the bold part of the experiment:
Whenever these domains became available, I would register them, regardless of whether I understood their meaning.
I am not sure if I recommend people invest in domains they don’t understand the meaning of, but was interested to see how it worked out for Ken:
In just three months, using this approach, I registered about 1,000 .com domains, investing around $8,000 in registration fees. Later, without doing anything else, I listed them for sale on Dan and Afternic. Over the past two years, about 20 of them have been sold, and many still receive offers—even though I don’t fully understand the meanings of most of them.
He provided an example of a name that he registered without understanding.
For example, I sold PotsDeFleurs.com for over $4,000, only realizing after the sale that it meant ‘flower pot’ in French—and I didn’t even know how to pronounce it!
There have been other interesting sales, like Chilcuague.com, the name of a medicinal plant in Mexico, and Stroopie.com, a nickname for a Dutch dessert cookie.
Until he brought it up, I had never heard the term ‘skibidi’, but it turns out lots of people have.
One of the most interesting findings from this experiment was a domain called Skibidi.com. At the time, ‘Skibidi’ was simply the title of a Russian pop song. However, last year, an animated internet series called Skibidi Toilet used the same name and quickly went viral, becoming one of the most-watched video series globally in 2024. It even became Gen Alpha’s favorite slang—every kid in the U.S. was shouting ‘Skibidi’. With the show’s popularity, I now receive daily inquiries for Skibidi.com.
After I heard this, of course I had to check ‘skibidi’ today on dotDB, showing the exact term registered in 137 extensions, and a total domain count of 830! Not bad for a term that according to this article on NBC ”Skibidi, pronounced like skippity, has no inherent meaning. It can be used as a wacky adjective to mean cool, bad or dumb, depending on the context, according to Urban Dictionary.”
I asked if he used inbound, outbound or a mix for domain sales.
I’ve never used outbound sales for my domain names because I would rather spend my time researching and discovering undervalued domains. Usually, after purchasing a domain, I simply hold onto it and wait for buyers to approach me rather than actively promoting the domain.
When I choose to invest in domain names, I almost always research the potential buyers first, primarily by referencing EMD (Exact Match Domain) values. This means that I typically select domains that already have likely buyers.
Other Business Activities
I asked if domain-related activities were now his full-time work.
In addition to domain-related activities, I also own a digital marketing company, where we help clients run ads on Google and other ad networks. I’ve been in this business for over ten years and am very familiar with the online advertising ecosystem and its key players. This company provides me with a steady income, but compared to the exciting world of domaining, digital marketing feels a bit mundane.
He related that his dream has been delivering a service with a mass audience. He was almost there a few years ago, but now he sees that dream in the dotDB service.
Several years ago, I tried to develop an online broadcasting platform similar to what is now Clubhouse. At one point, it went viral, attracting users from all over the world, and at its peak, it even garnered over 500,000 unique visitors in a single day. Unfortunately, due to users playing unauthorized popular music, my first serious entrepreneurial venture was forced to shut down by the Taiwanese government. That was the closest I ever came to realizing my dream.
Main Focus Now dotDB
While Ken continues to have numerous other involvements, he made clear that dotDB is now his main focus.
As a result, in recent years, I’ve shifted my focus toward domain-related activities, delegating the management of my digital marketing company to trusted partners. With more time on my hands, my primary goal now is to continue developing dotDB and build it into an indispensable tool for the domain investment community.
Developing dotDB to become one of the top domain data services, it is now my most important work. I’ve always dreamed of creating a service that would be used by people around the world.
Now, after about six years of effort, dotDB is slowly gaining recognition worldwide. The part of my day that I look forward to most is tracking the total number of users and subscriptions from all corners of the globe. Together with my team, I continue exploring ways to improve dotDB, delivering more value to our clients, and striving to make it an indispensable tool for everyone. This sense of accomplishment is far more fulfilling than selling domains or earning money from domain parking.
It’s The People and Interactions
Thinking back over your two decades of domain involvement, I asked Ken Lin what he regarded as the most rewarding thing that he has been involved with – his answer:
The most rewarding aspect of my two decades in domain investing has been the opportunity to meet many incredibly smart, creative and like-minded individuals from around the world. Through my interactions with them, I’ve gained valuable experiences and personal growth. Many of these friends I’ve never met in person, yet we’ve been chatting online for over ten years.
For example, last year, I made a special trip to Beijing to meet a domain investment friend I’ve known for almost twenty years. Though we had never met before, he showed me many interesting and wonderful experiences around Beijing. These moments are what I consider the most rewarding, and they serve as a major motivation for my continued involvement in the domain community.
Advice for New Domain Investors
In interviews I often ask for one piece of advice for new domain name investors. Not surprisingly, Ken Lin zeroed in on the importance of registered domain statistics.
My advice to someone just starting out in domain investing is to strictly stick to dotDB’s Exact Match and Domain Count values, as these are the most important metrics to consider when investing in domains. Many beginners tend to register or buy domains based on personal preferences without referring to data. This can lead to overly subjective decisions that ignore the market, and as a result, they may end up registering a lot of domains they like, but in reality, there may be very few or no buyers for them.
A Deeper Look at dotDB
Now that you have met the developer, I wanted to explore a few of the features available with the paid version. There are multiple levels of paid plan, Basic, Pro and Expert, with an Enterprise level available as well. Here is a table with the features of each.
Any of the paid plans allow an unlimited number of daily searches.
The paid levels also expand the top keywords report, and indication of the most registered terms, from 500 available in the free plan to 10,000 (Basic), 30,000 (Pro) and 100,000 (Expert).
On any of the paid plans you get up to 100 pages of search results, limited to 10 on the guest or free member plans.
There is also an emerging keywords report, that shows terms growing strongly in number of registrations. On the free plan you only see the top term, but on the expert plan that grows to the top 500.
The Expert and Enterprise plans allow some export of data and bulk search, as well as use of a Search API that I did not try.
Starting at the Pro plan, you can apply various filters to the results.
I illustrate below some of the ways the power of dotDB is increased with one of the plans. That said, even the free member version offers a lot of value for any domain name investor.
Clickable Extensions
On the free plan you get a list of the extensions registered for a term, but you don’t know from within dotDB which of those are developed, for sale, or non-operational.
On any of the paid plans each name is color coded, green for Active sites, orange for Parked and red for Inactive. However, it is really hard for any automated system to differentiate some for-sale landers from developed sites. Under the paid plans each registered extension, or longer name, is clickable. This makes it really easy to rapidly check many of the green Active sites to see which are meaningfully developed.
Output from a small part of the dotDB.com output for the term ‘agent’. Each extension is clickable, as well as color-coded by the automated indication of status.
Registration Add/Drop
Another helpful feature restricted to the paid plans is the ability to see what extensions are bing added, or dropped, in a term. This can be a way to find an available extension in a term, or simply an indicator of interest. If you see a ton of registrations on a certain day it may mean one investor registering many terms.
It seems that everyone is talking about the term ‘agentic’ these days, which means not just an agent, but one capable of making decisions autonomously. According to dotDB, the day I wrote this the term was registered in 331 extensions. I show below a bit of the recent add/drop in registrations for this specific term.
Output from a small part of the dotDB.com output for the term ‘agentic’ showing new registrations and name expirations.
Keyword Trend Registration Graph
Another way to track interest in a term on one of the dotDB paid plans is to check out the keyword trend for that term shows number of exact match domains plotted by date. I show the. results below for the term ‘agentic’, clearly demonstrating the recent interest in the term. You do have a limited number of keyword trend searches per month, 3000 on the Expert Plan. It helpfully shows you how many you have used.
Keyword Trend graph for term ‘agentic’ using one of the dotDB.com paid plans. Note that the graph is interactive, and you can point to any section to get the precise number.
Search Volume and CPC
One of the relatively recent additions to dotDB was the inclusion of search volume and CPC (cost-per-click) data, including ad competition. I used dotDB to check this for ‘agent’.
DotDB output (paid plan) for term ‘agent’ showing search volume, advertiser CPC range from low to high, and Ad Competition as indicated by Google. Note that while the word description is simply Low, Moderate or High, the bar graph provides a finer distinction for Ad Competition..
At the bottom is another new feature providing the definition and language for the term. This can be helpful for unusual or non-English terms.
The search volume, CPC data, and Ad Competition are greyed out if you are using one of the free levels.
I asked Ken about these new additions to dotDB.
Keyword Insights provides global monthly search volumes and keyword bidding prices, crucial reference indicators for many domain investors, including myself. When evaluating a domain’s value, I used to rely on dotDB’s EMD (exact match domains) data but switch to other tools to check keyword search volumes and bidding parameters. I thought, why not bring all these important metrics into dotDB? This way, users can access all critical parameters in one place. This new feature was designed based on my own needs, and I believe it will greatly help many domain investors.
There are plans to integrate these parameters into Bulk Search and the API, although not implemented at time of writing. There are also plans in the works for other additions to the platform.
About how Word Analyze came about, he commented
Word Analyze was created because I often needed to research the meaning behind unfamiliar words or phrases, switching between dotDB and translation websites. During internal team discussions, we thought, why not develop a feature that explains the meaning of any keyword entered by the user?
A most sincere thanks to Ken Lin, both for bringing the powerful tool dotDB to domain investors, but also for the incredibly complete answers he provided to each question that I posed for this interview. He is active on NamePros under the handle @fleaking, and has badges both as a Top member and 20 years+ at Namepros. He is active on X at the handle KenLin1985. DotDB has an X handle dotDBcom and is at dotDB.com.
News Source:Bob Hawkes ，This article does not represent our position.
