2018: A Domaining Odyssey - Predictions from the Pros

[DotSauce]

Reposted from DotSauce Magazine in Full.

Original Article: 2018: A Domaining Odyssey - Predictions from the Pros

The December edition of Modern Domainer print magazine has an excellent article entitled “Through the Looking Glass” by Julie Green. Six of the most influential figures in the domain industry are questioned on what they foresee the future holds for domainers.

I have found myself browsing through this article several times in my spare time just to get everything to sink in. Because Modern Domainer is a new publication I know alot of you probably have not had a chance to subscribe, for a limited time they are offering 3 month free subscription.

For those of you who have not read the article, I have highlighted here some quotes which stood out for me. Please enjoy and click through for more from these brilliant minds’ companies and blogs.

Tim Shumacher, CEO of Sedo.com says…

“…over time parking will continue to trend upwards as parking results become more sophisticated, transparent and measurable. Parking may evolve and have a different name in the future, but it will be the same concept as it is a very legitimate and lucrative use of a domain name.”

Monte Cahn, CEO of Moniker.com says…

“The media coverage that domaining has recived in the last few years has really opened the eyes of the general population. Now, people know domains are an alternative investment product. I got a lot of validation at the mose recent domain name auction. We’re selling something you can’t really see for millions of dollars!”
“Last year we saw a 32% growth in domaining.”

Bob Parsons, Founder of GoDaddy.com says…

“I’ve heard people say all the good .COM names are taken — that’s just not the case… We’ve only scratched the surface.”
“If you have doubts, consider this: GoDaddy registers, renews or transfers a domain name every 1.3 seconds. That is almost five times faster than the registration rate recorded just five years ago.”

Frank Schilling of SevenMile.com says…

“Oh no, .COM is not dead at all! The bar of entry is higher, but it’s still significantly better ‘hunting and pecking’ for a good .COM bargain than starting another real world business. Today, getting a good domain name may be pricier than it was in the early days of domaining, but dollar for dollar you are still far better off investing in .COM domains because .COM is a global brand.”
“Overt and deliberate cyber-squatting will always be out there, but through natural attrition it will fade — or reinvent itself. I predict the Typo business will be taken over by the mark-holders themselves in due course.”

Rick Schwartz, founder of TRAFFIC says…

“What will be in 50 years, I don’t know and don’t really care. Looking down 10-20 years, .COM will still be king and that is a more important focus.”
“The next big thing may be the transformation of domains from parked pages to active marketing pages…. modules complement each other and the result is earning 5x greater than today’s payouts and then 50x greater and beyond. Being able to build a business from enhanced marketing pages. Capture email addresses. Interact with the surfer. Build brand loyalty while still retaining a focus on sales.”

Ron Jackson, editor of DNJournal says…

“Americans are still largely unaware that their country code is available for open registration (until 2002 it was reserved for government use). I think there is a big growth opportunity there as U.S. citizens learn it is an option and start following the pattern used in other parts of the world.”

Ron recently published his annual “State of the Industry” report which quoted several more lead domain industry figures. Here are some excellent predictions as quoted from the DNJournal report.
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Michael Mann founder of WashingtonVC says…

“More wealthy domain leaders stepping out from years of shadows and becoming business and community leaders and role models; including building and managing technology and marketing teams and non-domain web assets; and leading more on and offline social and nonprofit activities.”

Mike Zapolin of Internet Real Estate Group says…

“There will be continued validation that domain investing is extremely risk averse and continues to have massive upside for speculators and business builders.”

David Castello of CCIN says…

“Domain name development will continue to be the most important trend for domainers. In the past, parking was considered the end game for most domain names. Now, it is being seen as a temporary first step to monetizing a name before it is developed.”

Michael Castello also of CCIN says…

“…we need to work together to allow the positive properties of the internet to naturally unfold. We need to be smart in how we position ourselves. We must protect from being labeled as cyber-squatters which is being perpetuated in large part by those trying to make a buck profiting off of legitimate trademarks such as typo-squattering.”

Jay Westerdall, Founder of DomainTools says…

“The domain market will start becoming more mainstream and in simpatico with internet/web industry blending the line between them. Companies based primarily in web hosting and connectivity will begin to take stronger interest on the domain name market as it is the foothold of the industry.”

Michael Gilmour of WhizzBangs Blog says…

“There will continue to be an increasingly greater number of domain auctions both on and offline. At the moment we have a huge supply of domains wanting to receive exposure in the auctions and millions of dollars swapping hands within the industry.”