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Network Solutions Offers $6.99 Registration Discount Code Promo

Elliot Silver
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One complaint I hear about Network Solutions is that the price of a .com domain registration is way too high when compared to other companies like Moniker, Godaddy, and Name.com.

I just learned that Net Sol is currently offering new registrations for $6.99 when you use this promo code: PCXXX04007. This is a pretty big savings when you consider the regular price of a .com domain name is $34.99 at NS.

I also noticed that Network Solutions offers a 100 year domain registration, something that might be interesting if you have a domain name you know you’ll never want to sell and want to protect. With this discount code, the cost is $999.99.

I don’t think this code is valid for transfers or renewals.

I don’t love Net Sol’s customer support, but I do know a number of companies use them, and this code will bring a pretty big savings.

DNSalePrice Relaunches with Upgrades

Elliot Silver
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Knowing public domain sales prices is one of the keys in making good business decisions when it comes to buying and selling domain names, and it’s also helpful in negotiations. This type of inteligence can be difficult to ascertain, especially when it comes to sales that are just a few thousand dollars or less, which wouldn’t be reported on sites like DNJournal.

One of my favorite domain tools is DNSalePrice because they have a ton of domain sales data from a variety of sources. It’s a no-frills site with a ton of information and quite a few search options. The site was launched in 2006 following endorsements from Ron Jackson, Matt Bentley and other early leaders in the domain industry.

To provide data that is consistently reliable and trustworthy, the site typically uses only data from the major domain channels such as Sedo, Moniker, Afternic, GoDaddy, DNJournal, and a few other trusted sources. Earlier this week, I learned that DnSalePrice recently complete a substantial update, with the additional of $83 million in domain sales from 2010.

DnSalePrice is the largest repository of domain sales and includes over $700 million in domain sales records from 1995 through the present. It’s great to be able to track domain sales that are difficult to find elsewhere and can be helpful in negotiations – both buying and selling, when I find a favorable comp.

DnSalePrice was developed by Richard Wixom, a software architect who has extensive experience in both database and web development. Richard splits his time between domain investing, software consulting, has wife and three sons.

It’s great to have such a useful (free) resource.

Launch of SlipperyElm.com

Elliot Silver
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I promised myself I wouldn’t build any more “mini” sites. I really did, and I’ve basically stuck to that this entire year.

However, a very good opportunity came about the other day, and I had to jump on it. I bought SlipperyElm.com in private via Sedo, and wanted to put a website up ASAP because slippery elm is suppose to be great for colds, and it’s almost cold season.

The term “slippery elm” has 4,400 exact match local searches, which isn’t huge, but when you look at the broad searches, that is people looking for slippery elm products like tea, bark, powder…etc, it’s a much larger number. Even Thayers, the company that produces the most popular slippery elm lozenges, owns SlipperyElm.net.

As I discussed the other day, I used TextBroker.com to write the articles, which I edited a bit where necessary, although there weren’t many edits. I also found a few photos on Flickr (made sure they were free to use). I found a template on FreeCSSTemplates.org, which I modified, and I spent about 3 hours building the new site.

So… now comes a little bit of link building, some SEO work, and hopefully it will rank well. As you can see, it’s monetized with Google Adsense.

When you build your own sites, don’t forget to add a sitemap (freebies at XML-Sitemaps.com or a free plugin for WordPress), add your Google Analytics code, and add the website to your Google Webmaster Tools account.

Guest Post: Could Revised Google Adsense Policy be a Game Changer for Alcohol Related Domains?

Elliot Silver
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Here is a guest post from Pat Quinn of Big Iron Design, LLC.

Will Google’s New Adsense Policy for Alcohol Ads Increase Manufacturer Spending Online?

Last week Google changed their advertising policy on alcohol to allow ads that promote the sale of hard alcohol and liquor.

Will this new policy encourage the adult beverage industry to spend more of their 2-3 billion dollar annual budgets online? They’re not spending much of it online right now, that’s for sure. According to this 2008 report, the top 12 advertisers in this sector spend less than 2% of their advertising dollars online. More than half of that amount probably goes to their own web sites judging by this chart which breaks down the spending by venue. That amounts to roughly 2 million dollars a month for internet advertising aside from the manufacturer’s own sites. By contrast, they’re spending almost 69 million a month for TV, 50 million a month for Point-of-Sale, and 29 million a month for Sports, Sports Teams and Athletes.

In 2008 Google changed their policy to allow ads that promote the sale of beer, but I’m not seeing a lot of beer ads in my daily surfing, are you? I wonder why. It may be because there are myriad local and state laws regulating this advertising, and the manufacturers are just afraid to go there (yet). But, I don’t really get why there would be regulation differences between running ads online and running them on TV. Certainly the football fans among us are bombarded by them, even on the earliest games (Go Steelers!). Are they afraid kids will see the ads online? Give me a break.

What’s this have to do with domaining? There are hundreds of cocktail names and dozens of generic liquor names, with new drinks being created all the time. Obviously, popular drinks will generate searches because people want to try new things. The CPC and Competition on even many highly searched ones are pretty much rock-bottom, though. I think it goes without saying that most domainers are always on the lookout for any product-related terms with high search numbers. But if the potential advertisers can’t advertise because of restrictions that certainly kills any potential value of these domain names.

So, the question is – will this policy change be enough to drive a few more of those huge advertising dollars to Google, and by extension the owners of these types of domains. I’d love to hear your thoughts, particularly if you have real-world experience in the alcohol names domain (and I don’t mean drunk dialing your ex).

Disclaimer: I own a number of cocktail related names. That’s why this policy change sparked my interest.

Jess Bookstaff Doppelt Adds Sausalito.com to GeoDomain Portfolio

Elliot Silver
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11

I just received word that geodomain owner, Jess Bookstaff Doppelt, has added Sausalito.com to her portfolio, which already includes PigeonForge.com, Durango.com, and TheVirginIslands.com.

The domain name was purchased from Fred Mercaldo and of Scottsdale.com and Red Apple Domains of Scottsdale, Arizona. Although the purchase price was not disclosed, it had been previously on the market for $150,000 in 2008, prior to the site’s launch on Mercaldo’s City in the Box platform.

According to Jess, “2010 has been an incredible year for me. Acquiring Sausalito.com is the perfect ending. I’m looking forward to what 2011 has to bring.”

This certainly has been a great year for Jess. As you can tell from the addition in her name, Jess was married earlier in the year to a dermatologist from Knoxville, where they currently reside with their two children.

Congratulations to Jess on these big acquisitions!

Press Release Below:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –December 9, 2010 –Knoxville, Tennessee based PigeonForge.com, Durango.com and TheVirginIslands.com, leading online advertising websites for premier vacation destinations, added Sausalito.com to their portfolio.

“I’m thrilled to bring Sausalito.com our expertise in promoting this unique and popular vacation destination online,” says Jessica Bookstaff Doppelt, president. “Our success with PigeonForge.com, Durango.com and TheVirginIslands.com again shows an overwhelming and resounding interest in Geo Domains as superior online resources for vacation planning as well as a valuable domain asset. Sausalito.com has the name recognition that is a natural choice for information about Sausalito, CA and the surrounding bay area.”

Doppelt purchased the domain from Fred Mercaldo of Scottsdale.com and Red Apple Domains of Scottsdale, Arizona. “Our CitiesPlanet project of developing 65 City.com brands has taken all of my time and attention, not allowing me to properly focus on one of my favorite cities in the country, Sausalito. Since Jessica has been both a friend and business associate of mine for years, knowing that it is now under her control and ownership makes me happy. Her expertise in developing these boutique destination geo portals is proven, and Sausalito.com fits into her network perfectly. I tend to get emotionally attached to our City.com projects, but knowing that I can still stay somewhat involved with Sausalito.com through working with Jessica makes it much easier.

Doppelt plans to build on the strengths of Sausalito.com by adding the features most popular with other destination domains. The focus will be on providing original and updated content to bring new visitors to the site and keep them coming back for more. “Blogs, social media, eNewsletters, and local events are the most popular features in addition to the directory of local businesses that help visitors plan their vacation.” Doppelt says.

Doppelt, owner of PigeonForge.com, Durango.com and TheVirginIslands.com, has been active in the Internet industry since 1998, managing marketing and public relations initiatives. She is an early leader in promoting vacation destinations through effective site design, social media and content management with the goal to increase overall revenue, visitor retention and satisfaction. Sausalito.com is her fourth Geo Domain acquisition. She is actively involved as a board member of CASA of East Tennessee (Court Appointed Special Advocates), a mentor with knoxAchieves and an instructor with Operation Boot Camp. She resides in Knoxville, TN with her husband and two children.

Comparing A&E’s Storage Wars TV Show to the Domain Industry

Elliot Silver
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Have you seen the new TV show on A&E called Storage Wars? It’s a show that follows several people who are active bidders on storage units that have not been paid for by their owners and are auctioned to the highest bidder.

When a storage unit defaults after a certain non-payment period, a small auction is held outside the unit. A small but active group of people have 5 minutes to look into the unit without touching anything or opening any boxes. They need to evaluate the unit based on what they see and decide how much to bid. Units must be paid for in cash at the conclusion of the day’s auctions.

Sound like something with which you’re familiar?

This is almost like the expiring domain industry (almost). People get lists of expiring domain names, which they analyze using a number of tools. They also have the ability to look within their own portfolio and past experience to guess what traffic and revenue might be like. The almost part is because unlike storage units, parking companies and maybe registrars are able to see what the traffic is like, while the contents inside the storage units should be unknown by all until they are unlocked and opened.

There’s another strong comparison between the people who bid on storage units that is similar to domain investors, and equally annoying to me. At the end of the show, they go over their finds from the auctions that were covered. They meet with experts to discuss the “value” of what they bought.

I always find it amusing when people talk about their $5,000 domain names that they bought for $500, when they should know very well getting $5,000 could take years or a considerable effort – if that ever happens. Similarly, the storage unit buyers talk about how their XYZ is worth $X,XXX, although it’s very likely it will sit in their consignment shop for a number of years. People have the tendency to value their property much more than reality should dictate.

All in all, Storage Wars is a very neat show, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some domain investors (ahem, Rick Latona) get in that business, too 🙂

It actually looks pretty fun… until you realize that you’re bidding on other people’s crap and then actually have to do something with it if you win. I think I will stick to domain names.

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