As I mentioned before, I am in the process of writing a series about geographic domain names (geodomains), and I plan to discuss everything from acquiring geodomain names, developing geodomains, and monetizing geodomains. I don’t know how many posts the series will be, nor do I know how far apart they will be posted, but I hope this series is helpful to people who are interested in learning more about the industry. I welcome and look forward to visitor comments, as I think those will probably be even more beneficial than what I contribute.
I think the best place to start the series is to discuss why I like geographic domain names, and there are several reasons.
1.) People always want information
When people are looking to find a business in a city, take a vacation, go on a business trip, or move to a particular city, they generally do quite a bit of research beforehand, much of which is done online. Often times, these people will use a search engine to specifically key in what they want + the city/region (New York Restaurants) for example. Having the city/region domain name gives you a strong advantage in search engine optimization, especially for longer tail keywords.
2.) No inventory
Geographic domain names do not have any type of product or inventory. People who visit are typically looking for information related to the geographic area, or in the case of keyword geodomains (NewYorkDoctors.com), they are looking for specific information. I live in an apartment and have no space for any type of product. I also don’t have much of a technological background, so I am not comfortable about hosting an e-commerce site using a drop shipper. Because of this, I can provide visitors what they want without having to worry about inventory or fulfillment.
3.) Type-in traffic
I’ve always found that my pure city .com domain names get type-in traffic, and much of the time the traffic is fairly significant, especially when compared to my generic category defining domain names. People are accustomed to typing in the keyword, and they assume the city .com is a developed site. When I buy a geodomain name, my goal is to provide whatever they want that is related to the city.
4.) City Loyalty
People tend to be very loyal to cities of importance to them. This is very similar to specific brands at the supermarket or drugstore. These people care about how “their” city is projected online, and many will offer their opinions about the website. Loyalty is good to drive return visitors to your site. Also, I have found that businesses want to be associated with a geodomain name.
5. Content Galore!
There is a TON of information for just about every state, city, town, and region available online and in local libraries. This information can be used as a research tool to build unique content on your website. There are also a lot of local websites and businesses who are happy to share their unique content to build your site while enhancing their visibility.
There is ALWAYS something going on in a city!
Speaking of Geos, an update’s coming to next week’s Moniker auction/s inventory; including a couple of mine that those qualified to do so may want to consider: Valleys.com & ConejoValley.com
Thanks Elliot.
The locals always know how to spell your website name.
I agree Jessica, as well someone always needs to live, work, travel(Business & Pleasure) etc…. somewhere.
As well GeoDomains have so many different vericals that create so many possibilities and opportunities with just 1 city and it’s surronding areas.
I think a lot of people would find a series as you intend Elliot to be very interesting. Especially with your background on the subject.
I would add one more. Advertiser Connection. If you own TorontoLandscaper.com and you call up a landscaper in Toronto, the sound of, “I’m George from TorontoLandscaper.com” provides an instant connection between the company, the domain, and the advertiser you are trying to sell.
Interested in seeing the series. Though we have some decent affiliate monetization deals that we can implement or are implemented, I am curious what you have found as well. The majority of GEO money for us comes from direct ad sales, which also have high renewal rate which is great as the long term picture is always growing. That is what I like about GEO. The initial work is huge and continuous, but the long term recurring revenue is reliable.
That is what I like most about GEO. Delivering high quality traffic that creates advertiser value resulting in high renewal rates (while acquisition costs reduce over time).
Elliot,
Great points, people are always looking for information about their town and they’re definately loyal to the city.com vs. the mycityguide.info etc etc.
There’s always some news or events that people are searching for, so always keep your city.com updated with fresh info.
For example, Oakville has the only Canadian stop on the PGA Tour coming to town in a few weeks!
I have the same opinion.
The best Tld for the future ( my opinion) is the same of your point 1/