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Update on Another Mini Site: CabCompanies.com

Elliot Silver
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11

While providing mini site updates, I figured I would provide an update on CabCompanies.com, another mini site I launched last year.  I bought CabCompanies.com on Snapnames in August of last year, and I used the services of Kevin Leto from Big Ticket Domains to build a database driven “mini site” with cab companies listed from around the US.

I believe I paid around $65 for the domain name, and I paid an additional $250 for the website, which includes the graphics, data, and the Adsense placement. Kevin has also been good about adding listings when companies have contacted me during the past year asking for a listing.

From October 12, 2009 to today:
Total Traffic: 2,853 visitors
Average Monthly Traffic: 238 visitors

Approximate revenue: Between $100 – $150 in revenue. It has also earned a bit more revenue from paid listings I added.

I think this is a great success for a couple primary reasons.

First, it’s earned somewhere in the ballpark of a 50% return on the development costs in a year. I believe I got a good deal on the domain name, but it wouldn’t have made much (if anything) as a parked domain name this year. The revenue isn’t much in the scheme of things, but if it can make $100 with no effort, it can certainly earn much more with added content and promotion.

Second, it’s set me up to where I could legitimately sell listings like I do on DogWalker.com, since traffic has been good without any publicity, link building, or other traffic driving tactics. If I was inclined to do more work, I could begin to offer upgraded listings with coupons, website links, email addresses…etc. Right now, I am not inclined to take on additional work.

I could also probably change tactics and sell leads instead of doing a database listing site – or I could add a lead gen form to each page and sell leads in an automated fashion.

One of my friends and colleagues runs a successful airport car service referral website, and he’s going to be the first person I email about this. Perhaps he’d be interested in buying the site to better monetize it since he’s already got the infrastructure in place.

Update on WannaDevelop Websites

Elliot Silver
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9

In September of 2009, I wrote about the development of four websites, using Mike Cohen’s WannaDevelop.com for the project. Almost everything I do with my business is either a test or is in response to a test I’ve done, and I want to share the results of this test. Cohen’s company developed DubrovnikVacations.com, JerusalemVacations.com, EasternCaribbean.com, and ParabolicSkis.com.

Since the first article, I sold EasternCaribbean.com and ParabolicSkis.com, so those traffic results are not included below. The two sites I still own did not receive much (if any) traffic before development. I also only used one Adsense code for the two sites, so the revenue number is combined for both. The results from the last 12 months (October, 2009 – October, 2010) are below, although per Adsense TOS, I am not posting the number of clicks or the exact revenue number.

DubrovnikVacations.com
Total Traffic: 1,467 visitors
Average Monthly Traffic: 122 visitors

JerusalemVacations.com
Total Traffic: 1,423 visitors
Average Monthly Traffic: 119 visitors

Approximate Total Revenue (can’t disclose exact # due to Adsense TOS): $70 – $90

As you saw from the initial article, the cost was $99 per 5-page mini site, and I did not add additional content . I also didn’t do any testing of Adsense placement, which would have been smart had this been a bigger or more important test for better domain names.  The total revenue also includes a couple months with EasternCaribbean.com, which ParabolicSkis.com was never monetized.

All in all, I think the traffic numbers are pretty decent considering that traffic was non-existent at the start. Could I have done more with these two domain names? Of course, but they would have been at the bottom of my development list and probably would have earned nothing. I could also convert these into more comprehensive sites, but I will probably wait for a buyer to come around.

Did I yield a good return on this $200 investment (not considering the price of the names)? I think I had a decent first year return since I didn’t spend money promoting the sites, although the revenue has not yet paid for the development. The % return is strong compared to the stock market, but of course stock investments are liquid where you can get your initial investment back and I don’t know if i could get my investment back.

Later on I will post some advice about mini site development that I’ve learned over the past year. I’ve tested several different providers and done some on my own, so I think I may be able to offer some insight.

Who Else Received This Email Today?

Elliot Silver
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22

Just wondering who else received this same email today and for what domain names. I received one for my company’s “corporate” website, which I personally think has little resale value. It would be interesting to see if there’s a pattern with these inquiries.

“Hello,

If you are interested to quickly sell topnotchdomains.com, I recommend you to submit it at:

BargainDomains.com

A marketplace dedicated to sell domains to domainers: 8% sales commission only, and no listing exclusivity!

Regards,

Francois Carrillo

Domaining.com

PS: No idea how much is your domain worth? Visit Valuate.com for a free appraisal.”

Legal Domain Name for Sale: BrainInjuryAttorneys.com

Elliot Silver
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4

I am looking to sell BrainInjuryAttorneys.com, a domain name that has a creation date of November 2001. The net, org, biz, info, and us are all owned by other companies or law firms.  The nationwide law firm of Jacoby & Meyers owns the .net version of this domain name, and the singular is owned by another law firm (the same firm that owns BrainInjuryLawyers.com).

The phrase “Brain Injury Attorneys” has a very high average cost per click , although I haven’t changed the DNS yet to see if there’s any traffic. My guess is that traffic isn’t great on it right now, but I know there are people who own legal domain names who can increase the traffic in short order to drive revenue and leads.

The Buy It Now price is $6,500 for this domain name.  It is registered at Moniker for an easy push to your account.  I am posting this domain name for sale in a few locations, so the first person to post “sold” will have the right to buy it.

IDN Event Agenda Posted & Location Announced

Elliot Silver
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2

There will be a one evening IDN Event held in New York City on Saturday, October 30, 2010. The Event will be held at Haru Sushi, located at 280 Park Avenue in Manhattan, which happens to be a great sushi restaurant.

The organizers are already ahead of what they expected in terms of attendees at this time, so they had to move the event to a larger Haru, which can accommodate more people. I will be speaking at the conference, although my topic won’t be IDN domain names.

The full agenda has been posted online, and it looks like it will be a good opportunity for networking. From what I understand, there will be a number of IDN experts, IDN investors, and other domain investors in attendance.

If you are an IDN investor or you are interested in learning more about the space, I recommend that you attend. Until October 20, the cost is just $99 for a ticket, which is affordable when you consider that it comes with a sushi dinner, which can run you $100 alone in some NYC restaurants. After October 20, the ticket cost jumps to $275.

Is This Reverse Hijacking, or Can Reader Win a UDRP For a 3 Letter .Com Domain Name?

Elliot Silver
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35

I received a comment in yesterday’s post that isn’t really related to the article. I also thought it was deserving of its own post, since there will probably be no shortage of opinions about the topic. Reader LindaM submitted the following question:

“One of my more successful websites, what I would call a ‘real world’ website (ie it sells actual stuff that is posted to customers and is an outgrowth of a long established bricks n mortar) is currently growing nicely. Lets call it “ThreeLetterAbbreviation.com” .

Now then, this website is making some waves in its field and Im currently working to develop it further, it now has an employee and an investor. I was wondering – can I make a move on the 3letter, lets call it “TLA.com” ? Obviously the asking price will be unaffordable but since my company has been trading under the name for years could I fairly win a UDRP? Currently the name resolves to a search portal and ads (not ours), its whois returns a web media firm in USA that own other plum domains, some parked and some developed. Im sure they would fight tooth and claw to retain the “TLA.com” domain name.

Getting the name would give us a shot at world domination, losing a lawsuit could kill us dead.”

In my opinion, even without knowing the domain names in question, this would appear to be a clear cut case of reverse domain hijacking. Just because there’s a better domain name out there that isn’t being used to it’s fullest extent (which of course is subject to one’s opinion), it doesn’t mean that another company has the right to get it via UDRP. In fact, I think that would be a misuse of the UDRP process.

The UDRP was established primarily to protect companies when their brands and/or marks were being used by others who did not have the right to use them. Based on what LindaM wrote, this does not appear to be the case. It’s an attempt to get a domain name at a lower expense than buying it, which I believe is reverse domain name hijacking.

If a company is poised for “a shot at world domination” with this 3 letter com domain name, LindaM should pay whatever it would take to get it, since that cost would almost certainly be lower than the profits that come with world domination.

What do you think?

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