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A Logo is Important

Elliot Silver
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I’ve seen quite a few logo-less mini sites (including one of my own), and as a person with a marketing background, I believe a logo is essential for a website. While search engines should bring a well designed website a large percentage of its traffic, it’s important to remember that a logo will help visitors remember your website’s name, making it easier for them to find it again in the future. Just about all of my websites have nice logos (at least in my opinion), and there are a variety of options out there for finding a good logo.
If you look around at brands from around the world – both large and small – almost every one of them has a logo to stand out from their competition. Some might be plain logos, while others are more elaborate, but the purpose is for customer recollection, brand positioning, and general marketing of the company. The same should go for your websites, as a logo makes the site – even a mini-site, look like its an official company rather than just a traffic-driving website built to generate revenues from PPC advertising. I received several compliments from people in the birding industry when I introduced TropicalBirds.com, and this allowed me to establish link trades of relevant websites. Without a logo, I doubt this site would have been taken seriously.
I have a web designer that created my geodomain logos, incorporating a variety of elements from each city. My other logos were designed by a company called LogoJeez, which has pretty quick turn-arounds. I always get the least expensive package knowing that they will re-do a logo if I am not satisfied with the initial 4 concepts. I’ve also used 99designs.com for a logo design contest, which I used for my blog’s header and my company’s corporate look/feel. There are plenty of options out there for logos that range in price from $100+.
As my track coach used to tell me, if you are going to do something, don’t do it half-assed. If you are going to build a website on a nice domain name with good content and SEO, you might as well pay a bit more and make it look even more professional.

Evaluating the Geo Domain Auction

Elliot Silver
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I was just checking out Moniker’s tentative Geo Domain auction list on Mike’s Blog, and I think there are a few good domain names for sale at reasonable prices. Chances are good that I’ll be bidding on one or more of these domain names, but I wanted to post what I believe are the best values in the auction.
ColoradoRiver.com $25,001 – $50,000
NewRochelle.com $50,001 – $100,000
OysterBay.com $25,001 – $50,000
SanJuan.com $250,001 – $500,000
SantaClara.com $50,001 – $100,000
Secaucus.com $1 – $5,000
Versailles.com $50,001 – $100,000
My best piece of advice for anyone who is thinking about bidding is to do your due diligence and research prior to the auction. Don’t just focus on the domain name, but research the actual geographic area. Try to envision what you would build on the domain name should you win it, and determine if you will be able to turn a profit. As most geodomain owners will tell you, a geodomain needs to be developed to unlock its full value. Have a plan, and be ready to implement it if you are going to bid.
I may be bidding on one of these names, but it really depends on whether or not I think I will be able to manage another project at the moment. Once I return from my honeymoon, I will begin selling ad space in Lowell and Burbank.

SushiRestaurants.com – Category Defining Domain for Sale

Elliot Silver
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SushiRestaurants.com is now sold.

Development Can Be Cost Prohibitive

Elliot Silver
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As the title of this post implies, I think some types of web development projects can be cost prohibitive. Although there are plenty of lower cost solutions for building an informational website (like TropicalBirds.com), things begin to get expensive when a database driven directory is needed. Oftentimes, I find myself looking to sell domain names that should be built into a directory website rather than undertaking the task of building, as the price is expensive.
The first cost you need to consider is for the programmer’s time. While I won’t even delve into the actual hourly fees since they vary so greatly depending on the skill level and location of the developer, I know the cost to be expensive. Even if you are able to secure fair rates for the work, it still takes time (at this hourly rate) to properly convey exactly what it is that you want. If there is a difference in language, you should add some hours in the back of your head since there will probably be some issues that get lost in translation.
In addition to the programmer’s time, you may also need to buy software or coding like phpMyDirectory or eDirectory. The prices on these programs are different, and they may also vary depending on how many licenses you purchase. Customization of the software is what gets to be expensive, as most people have something in mind when they buy a website, and the out of box solution won’t work. If you don’t go with a pre-built solution, you might run into problems as custom software is time consuming to build and can be more expensive to maintain, as you may need to rely on the people that built it rather than a fully staffed company like the folks at eDirectory.
Finally, as I’ve heard many times in many places, you shouldn’t count on your programmer/developer to be able to design your website for you. Most of the time, programmers are good with coding, but not as good with design, and visa versa. Sure, there are jacks of all trades, but if you choose to use one, it is likely that you are sacrificing talent somewhere. In my opinion, the coding is more critical than the design of the site, so if you need to sacrifice talent, it’s probably better to do it on the design side of house.
With all of these elements comes considerable expense. For a directory-based website, I’ve seen quotes of anywhere from $2,000 (not much customization) to much, much more depending on the concept and deliverables.   If you spend $8,000 for a great looking directory website, you need to keep in mind that you are going to have to earn this back – in addition to what you paid for the domain name – just to break even. The problem is that if you expect to earn just a few hundred dollars a month, you may never earn back your investment.
If you have a great domain name, at least your project will help appreciate the value of your domain name, as the content will presumably drive traffic, add links, and generate added revenue. Since you will probably be reliant on direct to advertiser sales, you can leverage your domain name to get business. Try getting the ear of a business owner with a poor domain name – good luck. If you call, email, or write with a category defining domain name (or a top geodomain), I think you will have a much better chance of making a sale. This is all very important if you just spent thousands of dollars building a directory website and need to start generating revenue.
With all the criticism to domain owners for parking their great domain names, criticizers need to realize that development can be cost prohibitive. In the end, it might be worth more to a domain owner to simply park or sell a domain name for a profit than to undertake an expensive and time consuming development project. As I said a few days ago, for those who do criticize, I recommend them ponying up to buy the parked domain name. If their idea is so good, they are the fools for not leveraging their personal assets to acquire the domain name.

Sharing Information & Knowledge

Elliot Silver
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Although this has changed in the last couple of years, the domain industry has been a fairly secretive industry. People have been reluctant to give advice, and while that might have benefited individuals and companies, I don’t think it was necessarily in the best interest of the industry. The crux of this was that everyone was essentially a competitor, and it doesn’t make sense to give away a competitive advantage.
One reason why I particularly like the geodomain industry is that people interact and share more than in any other niche in the domain industry in which I have been involved. Instead of treating each other like competitors, most geo domain owners are very happy to give advice and share their knowledge, helping others grow their geo websites. People like David and Michael Castello, Dan Pulcrano, Jess Bookstaff, Rob Grant, and others I am forgetting about at the moment have given me great advice to help me with Lowell.com and Burbank.com.
When I meet with geodomainers, our business conversations are centered around how we can improve our websites and marketing strategies to maximize our revenue. I’ve found that business conversations with people outside the geodomain industry tend to revolve more around making deals, which isn’t a bad thing, but from a learning perspective, geodomain conversations are usually more fruitful. For some people who might not have the time to devote to a geodomain, it doesn’t make sense to jump into this part of the industry. However, for those looking for a rewarding business, it might be something worth considering (BTW, Rick Latona is selling NewRochelle.com, which I think is a great name and growing city right outside of Manhattan).
In a sense, .com city, state, regional and other geodomain owners aren’t competitors of each other. Each of us has a different market and strategy, and it makes sense to share and learn with each other. In my limited experience, I’ve done things good and bad, and I am happy to help others so they don’t make similar mistakes, and I am eager to learn from others as well. Typically newspapers and tourism departments are our largest competitors (and not happy about it), as they didn’t buy these important names before we did.
In this vein, if you are going to the Geo Domain Expo next Thursday in Chicago and we haven’t made plans to meet yet, please get in touch with me. If you are new to the industry, I am happy to introduce you to the people I’ve come to know over the past several months, and I know they will be happy to share with you. This is going to be a great learning experience, and I know it’s going to be fun.   I am still hearing rumors about a Michael Seven concert…

Geo Domain Expo Award Semi Finalists

Elliot Silver
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The semi finalists for the 2008 Geo Domain Expo Awards have been announced, and voting is now open. Voting can be done directly on the Associated Cities website. It’s great to see the leaders of this rapidly growing industry being rewarded for their hard work. When the industry has evolved 5 and 10 years from now, these people will still be at the forefront – they have the best domain names. It’s hard (or impossible) for newspapers and other publications to even compete with these names.
Best Monetized GeoDomain
Which site do you feel is generating the most advertising and/or commission revenue relative to the size of its Geo market?
LosGatos.com
PalmSprings.com
PigeonForge.com
Richmond.com
Most Economic Impact
Which site do you feel has generated the greatest positive economic impact on the local businesses in its Geo market?
PalmSprings.com
PigeonForge.com
Richmond.com
SanAntonio.com
Most Influential GeoDomain
Which site would you say had the most influence on how you have monetized and/or developed your GeoDomain?
PalmSprings.com
Richmond.com
Vegas.com
Best GeoDomain Technology
Which site do you feel has taken GeoDomain technology to the next level?
NewYorkCity.com
SantaCruz.com
Vancouver.com
Best US City GeoDomain
Which site do you feel is the best US City GeoDomain?
NewYorkCity.com
SanJose.com
Vegas.com
Best US State GeoDomain
Which site do you feel is the best US State GeoDomain?
Florida.com
Hawaii.com
SouthCarolina.com
Vermont.com

Best US Destination GeoDomain
Which site do you feel is the best destination-oriented GeoDomain?
Branson.com
PalmSprings.com
PigeonForge.com
Best International City GeoDomain
Which site do you feel is the best International City GeoDomain?
Acapulco.com
Glasgow.com
Vancouver.com
Best Country GeoDomain
Which site do you feel is the best Country GeoDomain?
Australia.com
France.com
Ireland.com
GeoDomain Hall of Fame
Person you believe has done most to promote the Geodomain Industry!
Jessica Bookstaff
Castello Brothers
Patrick Carleton
Skip Hoagland
Dan Pulcrano

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