What is domain scoring?
Not all domains are equal. A short, memorable .com with a strong keyword is worth far
more than a long hyphenated string on an obscure TLD. Dotily's scoring engine quantifies this — giving
every domain a 0–100 score so you can prioritize your monitoring list.
The 5 signals
1. Keyword strength
Does the domain contain high-value words — finance, health, tech, legal? We maintain a weighted keyword dictionary covering hundreds of verticals. Exact matches score highest; partial matches contribute proportionally.
2. Linguistic clarity
Is it pronounceable? Easy to spell? Short? We analyze syllable structure and character patterns to score how "brandable" the domain feels. Random strings score near zero.
3. TLD trust
.com is king, but .io, .co, .net carry real weight.
We maintain a trust tier for every TLD — newer gTLDs like .xyz or .click score lower unless offset by other signals.
4. Length penalty
Shorter is better. Domains under 6 characters receive a bonus. Every character above 12 applies a small penalty. Hyphens and numbers reduce the score further.
5. Historical signals
Has this domain had prior registrations? Consistent ownership history can indicate established value. Domains with WHOIS history score higher than fresh registrations with identical characteristics.
How to use the score
Sort your domain list by score descending. Focus manual review on the top tier — these are the domains worth prioritizing when a drop window opens. Low-score domains can still be worth catching for specific reasons, but the score cuts down noise fast.