Exact Match Domains Can Be Brands

Elliot Silver
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22

I was reading Aaron Wall’s SEOBook.com article discussing the embedded  video from Google’s Matt Cutts regarding keyword domain names and the rankings they achieve in Google. Aaron is one of the more forward-thinking SEOs, and it’s a good article for domain investors to read.

Firstly, I think Aaron should note that there is a BIG difference between “keyword domain names” discussed by Matt Cutts and exact match domain names (EMD) discussed by Aaron. To me, keyword domain names are names like BestCarInsuranceQuotes.com or WatchMovieTrailersOnline.com, and exact match domain names would be names like SkiHelmets.com or SoccerCleats.com. Anyway, more on that below.

At the conclusion of the article, Aaron posed the question, “What happens to the value of domain names if EMD bonus goes away & Google keeps adding other data sources?”

From my perspective, strong descriptive domain names will still have the same value before and after because those domain names can be brands on their own. I think long tail keyword names, ugly keyword names with lots of hyphens, non .com, and nonsensical keyword domain names could take a hit in value, assuming they had any intrinsic value prior to the algo change.

Let me explain what I mean for a minute.

Domain names like Hotels.com, Ski.com, Golf.com, Cars.com, Insurance.com, and even my own DogWalker.com**, have become brands after development and marketing. Even Aaron Wall’s own domain name (SEOBook.com) is an example of a EMD, “SEO Book,” turned into a brand. These domain names say what they are and people bypass Google to visit those sites because they know what they’ll get.

Similar but yet to be developed domain names like Cats.com, or thousands of other EMDs can be bought and built into self-branded companies that have similar brand recognition as a branded company like Catster. If a local pet shop with big aspirations buys Cats.com and invests significant time and expense into building a helpful portal that people benefit from visiting, wouldn’t Google want to reward its efforts with a strong ranking, allowing it to compete with larger brands like Petco or PetSmart? Isn’t that one of the best things about the Internet?

Many domain investors (like myself) purchase and value domain names based on the potential for brand development, weighing that higher than current traffic / revenue. I didn’t buy DogWalker.com because I thought I could game a search engine, but rather because it’s easy to remember and I saw the potential it had to become a brand in and of itself.

As I mentioned, I do think that longer tail and nonsensical domain names with keywords will suffer. For instance, a name like Best-Car-Insurance-Quotes.info, which wouldn’t make for a good brand, shouldn’t get ranked higher in Google simply because the owner bought a name with keywords in it. Similarly, a nonsensical domain name like QuotesInsuranceCar.com should not get any EMD bonus simply because the name has a random assortment of meaningful keywords.

I do think Google’s algorithm change impacting keyword domain names will be felt by some. From my perspective, it’s likely that the biggest impact will be felt by domain registrars, since there will be far less incentive for someone to register long tail and nonsensical keyword domain names.

I happen to think that EMDs can be easily made into brands and that there is quite a bit of difference between a EMD and a keyword domain name, and Google is smart enough to know the difference.

**For my DogWalker.com site, it received around 100 visits/month before development about 16 months ago.  Today, traffic is around 10,000 visits a month with 20-25% of it being direct navigation. To me, this indicates that people have learned about the brand and visit DogWalker.com in lieu of a search engine.

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Please help me raise funds for the  Ronald McDonald House

Kyodo News, Top Japanese News Site, Needs to Forward WWW to Website

Elliot Silver
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1

KyodoNews.jpI am sure many of you are watching this sad and scary news that’s unfolding in front of us in Japan. I know of a few domain investors and friends who are either in Japan or have friends in Japan, and I wish them all the best during this terrible time.

One news website I have been reading quite a bit for Japanese news updates is Kyodo News. This news outlet has a comprehensive English translated section, and it’s frequently updated with new information. As one might expect from a Japan-based news site, Kyodo News can be found on a country code domain name, KyodoNews.jp.

On one visit, I accidentally went to KyodoNews.com instead of .jp, and I was surprised to see that Chrome took me to the standard error page it displays when there isn’t a website. I assumed they own the .com and it was just some sort of error.  I checked to see if it was a redirect issue, and sure enough, www.kyodonews.com resolved, but the site didn’t resolve without the www.

I know Kyodo News has a lot on its plate right now. However, with a world audience likely numbering in the millions, it would be very smart if a web administrator turned on www forwarding on KyodoNews.com. Chrome makes it easy for people to navigate to the correct site, but other browsers and ISPs may serve up sponsored links to other sites. It takes just a minute, but it can mean a larger audience.

Don’t Be The Decision Maker

Elliot Silver
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8

I handed someone my business card at a conference, and it identified me as the President of my company. In talking with him a bit, he recommended that I lose the “President” title on my card, and I think he has a very good point that I want to share.

Although it might feel “cool” to hand out business cards to identify yourself as “the main man,” “head honcho,” “big cheese,” or whatever nickname you see fit, it may actually be to your detriment. Whether you are dealing with a vendor, or if you are negotiating a domain purchase or sale,  being the decision maker has drawbacks.

When you are dealing with a vendor or a potential vendor, the last thing you want is to be hassled while you are trying to make an important decision. Endless emails and phone calls seem de rigueur, and if the vendor knows you are the person that can decide the fate of a significant agreement, you will continue to be pestered until a decision is made.

Similarly, if you are negotiating a domain deal, you often aren’t given enough time to really digest the acquisition or sale.  The person on the other side of the negotiation wants you to move fast so he can close the deal. Trust me, I am usually the person on the other end of the phone or email trying to close the deal.

When you bring a business partner into the equation, whether phantom or real, you slow the negotiation and can relieve some of the inherent pressure that comes with being the decision maker. You can tell a vendor you appreciate his candor, but your partner wasn’t interested. You can also buy some more time in negotiations with a line like, “I need to discuss this with my business partner before giving you an answer.”

Having a business partner can be a solid business move, allowing you to get more than one vested opinion. However, even if you don’t actually have a business partner, there’s nothing wrong with operating like you do have one.

** The caveat is that you should never back out of a deal as a result of this invisible business partner, since you’ll sully your own reputation.

The Worst Domain Name Is…

Elliot Silver
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6

There were quite a few bad domain names submitted in the Crappiest Domain Name contest I held on my blog. I selected the 5 worst names (in my opinion), and you guys voted for the loser… ahem… the winner.

Well over 200 votes were submitted, and the winning domain name was selected by a narrow 3 votes. The domain name that received the most votes for crappiest domain name was Free-Dialup-ISP-Internet-Access-Provider.com.

I don’t disagree with the results. Not only does the domain name have 5 hyphens (I don’t even like domain names with a single hyphen), but there don’t appear to be any monthly searches for the term according to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Put simply, someone could build the #1 ranking domain name for this term and not receive a single visit (family and friends aside).

It can be tough to get started in the domain business, and everyone probably owns domain names they aren’t proud to own. Domain investors should use these bad buys as a learning experience.

As for what my plan is for this domain name.  I plan to let this name expire as soon as possible, with the hopes that somebody else doesn’t make this same mistake!

Here are the results of the votiing:

#2: TripDGogglesGlasses.com
#3: Balck-Porn.com
#4: Talebanistan.com
#5: LennyDudes.com

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Please help me raise funds for the  Ronald McDonald House

Domain Development Tip: Become an Expert Before Building Your Website

Elliot Silver
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16

I’ve built a number of websites over the past three or so years. Well, correction, I’ve had a number of websites built to my specifications, and I’ve built just a few small ones. I’ve learned quite a bit from my experiences, and I want to share one important lesson today: know the area in which you are building, and know it well.

Your website will likely be visited by people who know the topic much more than you, especially if you bought the domain name primarily because it was a category defining name. If they see you building a site only as an opportunity to profit rather than providing a beneficial service, those in the know likely won’t return. You may still get traffic from search engines, but it won’t build a community on, or following for, your website.

While this might not seem like a big deal since you can still capitalize on traffic from Google, it really is a big deal, especially if you want paying advertisers. The people who are passionate about the topic may own businesses that would be your advertisers, and they are also the people who would visit your advertisers and give them value for their ad dollars.

I’ve found it very difficult to gain traction with some of my websites where I had little interest and/or involvement. Sometimes it’s better to put up something rather than parking to make additional revenue and get rankings for a domain name, but it will take a lot more time and effort to really grow a domain name into a revenue generating business if you aren’t an expert and/or don’t have experts managing your site. It’s one reason why Burbank.com will have a local salesperson by the end of the year.

The next time you have a great domain name for a topic you have little interest in, you should realize it’s going to be an uphill battle to build it and make money. Either become an expert before you build, or flip it and buy a great domain name in a field in which you already are an expert or have more than just a passing interest.

Can You Flip Vacation Home Domains?

Elliot Silver
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33

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was impressed that the owners of a vacation home in Vermont where I stayed had used StoweVacationHome.com to market its two homes. This was one of the deciding factors for me since there were a few that I liked fairly equally (the home was great, BTW).

That day, I ended up hand registering a few VacationHome.com / VacationHomes.com domain names as speculative investments – and who knows, maybe I will end up using them one day.

This morning, I was looking through the NameJet’s 50 Most Active Pending Delete Backorders email, and I saw MiamiBeachVacationHomes.com listed. I visited NameJet to place a backorder (more to monitor the auction than to bid), and the name has 18 bids and a current bid of $100 prior to the auction. I do not believe this domain name had been developed before, so the bidding appears to be on the name value alone.

It got me thinking about whether there is value in some of these unregistered domain names – and there are many large city VacationHome.com / VacationHomes.com domain names available. This morning I hand registered several names like:

  • ParisVacationHomes.com
  • PhiladelphiaVacationHomes.com
  • TokyoVacationHomes.com
  • TokyoVacationHome.com
  • AmsterdamVacationHomes.com
  • DublinVacationHome.com

I like the singular names (VacationHome.com) for individual home owners to market their homes, and I like the plural names for companies that may broker local vacation homes – or people that own more than one vacation home.

Anyhow, IMO, some of these types of names would potentially make good flip opportunities. VRBO is a great place to start finding potential buyers, as they allow you to email the home owners and many have phone numbers to call. As the HomeAway brand grows, more listings will be added.

People often ask me what types of names I would hand register to flip, and here’s a set of names I like and are available for you to buy if you do your research. I do strongly recommend you do your research before buying because, IMO, an available name like DetroitVacationHome.com would not make an excellent investment. A domain name like DallasVacationHome.com or NashvilleVacationHome.com might be good.

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