My domain evaluation list:
Domain name: .com is the best.
GoDaddy appraisal value: the higher, the better, also check similar sales
Length: the shorter, the better. Max. 15 characters. No hyphens, no numbers.
Syllables: the less syllables, the better. More than 4 syllables is generally too much. Ideal count is 1-3 syllables.
Word count: ideally max 2 words (if the domain contains dictionary words)
Number of trademarks: ideally zero, check USPTO and WIPO
Cambridge Dictionary meaning: carefully study the meanings of the words inside the domain one by one, avoid words with negative connotations, and check what a word really means according to the dictionary.
UrbanDictionary meaning: also important
Google text search: search on Google using the whole domain name and using the words from it, what can you see?
Google image search: again, use the whole domain and the words from it, you shouldn't see bad images, and you should see images which are relevant to your domain.
Search volume: the more, the better
CPC (cost per click) and industry: the higher, the better, you need keywords with high commercial intent. The domain should be related to a strong industry with high commercial intent,
see the industries with the highest CPC values here. (taken from
this article where they analyzed CPC values)
TLD reg count (dotDB): check on dotDB
SLD reg count active websites (dotDB): if you have a paid subscription, check the number of active websites with dotDB. SLD is Second Level Domain, so if the domain is
example.com, then the SLD is
example. Check with dotDB how many active websites use the keyword
example in their domain names. The more, the better.
Radio test pass? not super important IMHO, since most people will just click on a link to visit your website
Word order correct? if it is a two-word domain, then the word order should make sense
Words rhyme?
Alliteration?
Google Trends - check the trends of the keywords
Statista trends - you can also check relevant industry statistics
Historical use clean? - use Archive.org for this
Year created - the older, the better
Crunchbase companies - the more companies you can find using the keywords from the domain, the better
LinkedIn companies - same as above
Brandbucket.com, Squadhelp.com and Alter.com domains - the more domain names you can find on these websites using the keywords from the domain, the better
Namebio - check previous sales, the more domains you can find for high prices, the better
Squadhelp previous sales - also check the previous sales on Squadhelp if you have access to this feature (you need a certain number of active domains on Squadhelp)
Common sense and would you purchase this domain for your own company? Finally, use your common sense, is it a good domain or not? Is it short, catchy, memorable, does it sound good? Would you use this domain for your own company, would you print it on your business card?
Although I don't always use every list item when checking a domain.