GoDaddy Acquires Domain Name Marketplace Afternic

godaddy-domain-namesGoDaddy has acquired Afternic, one of the industry’s largest domain name aftermarket companies based in Waltham, Massachusetts. This domain marketplace has more than five million premium domain names available for sale and is receiving more than 75 million domain searches each month.

GoDaddy plans to keep the Afternic staff in the Boston area. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Afternic’s Domain Listing Service (DLS) displays domain names at more than 100 different registrars – including 18 of the top-20. This gives new TLDs registries and resellers the best chance and easiest way to showcase their aftermarket domain names. As an example, instead of choosing a single registrar to sell an already registered name like Pizza.NYC – the name can be offered across the entire DLS network – giving the seller the most exposure and customers the best experience.

Domain aftermarket

DLS gives buyers a more diverse range of results and affords sellers more exposure to customers searching for domain names. A domain name can be listed at a single registrar and also displayed across the registrar network – without any more work from the domain owner. GoDaddy plans to incorporate the DLS into its domain search results and add its aftermarket domain name inventory to the DLS in the coming months.

“Having the right domain name is vital, no matter your venture,” said GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving. “GoDaddy is working to bring the ‘domain aftermarket’ together with new registrations and make both super-simple to access. Our customers need an easy way to buy the name they want, regardless of whether it’s new or has been registered previously. This acquisition forms a registrar-led process that creates faster and more trusted transactions across the board.”