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2011 Will Be a Big Year for Mike Berkens & WorldWide Media, Inc.

Elliot Silver
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7

WWMII was checking out Facebook yesterday, and I saw that Mike Berkens had updated his website information on his profile. Now listed on Berkens’ profile is  WWMI.com, the recently launched corporate website for Berkens’ WorldWide Media, Inc.

I had a chance to speak with Mike, and it looks like his company is gearing up for a big year. “WWMI will be part of a new company that will be announced early in January that will specialize in helping those seeking new extensions into making their extension successful.”

With the introduction of gTLD domain names expected in the next couple of years, Berkens will be in a great position to offer his professional advice in this area.

Berkens was able to offer some additional insight into his company’s gTLD consulting business.

“Generally  the new gTLD consulting will be a big story next year as hundreds of millions maybe billions of dollar will pour into the domain channel to obtain, market and sell domains ending in hundreds of different extensions,” said Berkens. “Up to now domains have all been about left of the dot, that is all the keywords that precede the extension.  After the new gTLD process is approved there will be huge money pouring into developing out extensions, brands and concepts all to the right of the dot.” The truly exciting part is much of this activity will come from those that haven’t invested heavily into the domain channel before.  This will credit a lot of new interest in the domain industry in general.”

Corporate domain consulting and domain sales will also play a prominent role in Berkens’ business in 2011. His experience and expertise will certainly be beneficial to clients looking to acquire high value domain names or sell them.  WWMI will “broker third party owned domains and advise companies on domain acquisition and sale strategies,” said Berkens.

WWMI owns close to 80,000 domain names, has sold over ten millions of dollars worth of domain names, and has one of the most popular domain name media outlets in  TheDomains.com. With the launch of WWMI.com, Berkens is positioning his company for some big moves in 2011 and beyond.

Special Thanks to Domain Boardroom

Elliot Silver
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11

A few years back, I was accepted as a member of Rick Schwartz’ private domain forum, and I felt that it was a huge accomplishment. Some of the most highly respected domain investors (who didn’t necessarily prefer to stay under the radar) were members, and it was a great place to learn and share.

After Rick’s Board closed a couple of years ago, a new private domain forum was started by Donna Mahony at DomainBoardroom.com. Today, it’s my favorite place to learn and share with  like minded  people, which includes well-known domain investors, SEOs, web designers, lawyers, marketers, webmasters, and other complementary professionals.

DBR is very lightly moderated, and it’s a place where some of the smartest minds involved with the domain industry meet and talk “shop” as well as socialize.

I am  privileged to be a member at Domain Boardroom, as I have learned a considerable amount from its members and met a number of people with whom I am friends and do business. There’s very little BS that’s often seen on the public forums, and it’s a great venue for learning. I appreciate all that Donna has done and continues to do daily, especially with her busy schedule caring for horses and other animals.

Because of some comments recently on a marketer’s blog about DBR (who is not a member), I wanted to show my appreciation with a public blog post.

I do hesitate to post this if only because I know it will invariably lead to additional membership requests, although I warn you that there is a strict membership policy (need to be trusted, known and vouched for by a few members, and a professional that gets along with the membership – which may be just as important as the other aspects of membership).

I was honored when Rick Schwartz accepted me among his peers on his private forum, and I am proud to be a contributing member of Domain Boardroom, which in my opinion, is the best place to learn and share in a supportive environment.

Funny Christmas Story

Elliot Silver
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5

I am spending some time away with family, and it always seems that when a piece of domain name news makes it to mainstream media outlets, I am always asked, “did you hear about…”

This morning at breakfast was no different. I was asked if I heard about Bank of America defensively registering domain names with the CEO’s name. For instance, BOA registered BrianMoynihanSucks.com, BrianMoynihanBlows.com and many others. Of course the humor is that my friend Andrew’s article on Domain Name Wire was the impetus for the mainstream news, and it was funny to hear the store referenced by non-industry people.

It reminded me of the time one of my best friends emailed me an article written on CNET about the Sex.com foreclosure auction. Ironically and unbeknownst to him when he forward it to me, the article’s source was an article I wrote!

Merry Christmas to You and Yours

Elliot Silver
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7

I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas (or a great weekend if you aren’t celebrating). I hope you enjoy some time off and you’re spending the holiday with your family and friends.

If you are traveling anywhere, I hope you have safe travels and good weather.

Here’s to happiness, good health, and lots of cheer as 2010 winds down!

Case Study: The Value of Content

Elliot Silver
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25

I’ve written about TextBroker.com before, and now I want to give you an example of why it’s very important to have unique content on your websites.

I pay around $4.70 for most unique articles I have custom written for some of my websites. The articles are around 200 words in length, and I proofread each of the articles, add some personal insights or ideas, and write additional commentary based on my experience. I also generally add a related photo from Flickr, a stock photo website, or from one of my photo albums. These articles drive great (targeted) traffic that would be expensive for me to purchase.

Here’s an example.

A few weeks ago, I realized that many people would be searching Google and Bing to see if they need to give a tip or a Christmas gift for their dog walker. I had two articles written by TextBroker, and I also used my own experience to add more information.

One article was written about tips for Christmas gifts for a dog walker and the other article was about Christmas tips for dog walkers, and I posted them on DogWalker.com. I also did some minor SEO work with the help of the All in One SEO plugin.

These articles have received over 500 visits from search engines, and the cost was under $10 and about 30 minutes of my time. Had I paid for this traffic with Adwords (which I also use), the cost would have been much more. Additionally, once a particular campaign ends, the traffic stops. With custom content, traffic will continue to come as people search in the future.

Whether you write your own content, hire a third party, or do a combination, it’s important to have unique articles on your websites, which will help drive traffic to your sites.

End of Year Recommendations

Elliot Silver
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4

It’s getting close to the end of the year, and although things appear to be quiet, I think there are a lot of people focused on internal things right now, like closing out their books.

With the year coming to an end, here are a few things you might want to do with regards to your domain business. As always, consult with an accountant and/or attorney for tax and legal matters, since I have no experience in either category.

  • Go through financial records now rather than April to make sure you’ve accounted for everything
  • Take a look at your domain holdings and ensure auto-renew is enabled on the names you want to keep, and disable it on the names you want to drop
  • Be sure all of your parked domain names are resolving and showing relevant ads.
  • Compare revenue, CTR, and RPC across parked domain names and websites with Adsense.
  • Optimize your domain names and websites that need it
  • Ensure that all of your websites are resolving and don’t have error messages on them
  • Upgrade your WordPress websites if needed
  • Back up your websites
  • Back you up your data and financial records
  • Determine if you need new business supplies, computers, or office equipment, and order them before the year ends to expense them in 2010.
  • Book 2011 travel and hotels in advance to expense what you can.
  • Seek out the people who made offers to you this past year to see if you can close any last minute deals. Some people need to deplete budgets and buying domain names could be beneficial.
  • Reach out to domain owners who may not have been willing to sell domain names in the past. Maybe something has changed.
  • Renew domain names you plan to keep for as many years as is feasible.
  • Make sure your credit cards on file are still valid and didn’t expire yet.
  • Pay your trusted designer/programmer in advance for upcoming projects.
  • Reach out to advertisers and get commitments for the next year.
  • Thank the people who have advertised this year whether they plan to continue or not.
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