Google Parking Changes

[fab]

An important read:

What effect will Google’s changes in domain parking have on domainers?

Over the weekend Julia Mackenzie scooped that Google was planning changes to domain parking.

I reached out to Sedo and DomainSponsor to find out when these changes will be implemented and any details. DomainSponsor declined to comment. Sedo CEO Tim Schumacher said:

“While we cannot discuss the confidential nature of our relationships with partners, Sedo generally welcomes any change which is aimed at increasing the credibility of the domain parking network for advertisers. We also always encourage Google to seek a dialogue with us and other partners in the domain space before any change to the domain parking product is made, in order to ensure that any solution will benefit all parties in the space, meaning domain owners, advertisers and Internet users.”

In general, domainers are in favor of changes to domain parking that improve the overall stature of the business. That includes making sure advertisers get a bang for their buck.

So what do these changes mean for domainers, if they are implemented as Mackenzie suggests?

1. Parkers that depend on residual backlinks to their domains may be hurt. It’s unclear if Google’s algorithm will weigh conversions or likelihood of type-in traffic higher. I don’t see why Google wouldn’t want traffic from residual links (since most traffic to Adsense-monetized sites is from backlinks and search), but this could be one of the side effects.

2. Parkers with lots of .ws, .info, etc. domains may find that ads are no longer being served.

3. Anyone still using a Google feed on arbitraged pages is toast.

Frankly, I don’t mind point #3. It was painful when Yahoo nixed arbitrage earlier this year. I didn’t do arbitrage, but it turns out I referred many people to parking companies who were. It was a major revenue hit for me. But the more I’ve learned about arbitrage the more I understand how most of it was bad for advertisers (and thus bad for domain parking in the long run).

I wrote about some of the “trickery” behind arbitrage last year. One form is making bogus claims in ads that send traffic to parked pages. For example, suggesting that you’ll find 0% mortgages on the page, or that the site was featured in USA Today.

Source:

http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/24/update-google-parking-changes-and-arbitrage/

 

[Theo]

Time for people to consider development of domains, alongside alternative sources of income such as direct advertising and affiliate networks.

As a web developer, I raised that question in May at TRAFFIC, only to be told to "hush" It seems that parking companies must now up the quality of their templates, creating full-fledged portals with custom content. Parked.com is almost there.

 

[HuntingMoon]

more like a few bad apples spoiling it for the rest of us if you ask me. the organic (non-backlink/non traffic dump) type-in is one of the best converting types of traffic.

 

[Theo]

Definitely, arbitrage made some people a lot of money in a short time. Some were pulling $50k a month from this Yahoo/Google hotswap. When Yahoo ended this, things changed. But there are still other feeds that can be used. However, the practice of using non-organic domains to fake organic-looking results must stop.

 

[A D]

I wouldn't believe everything posted on the internet.

-=DCG=-

 

[fab]

I wouldn't believe everything posted on the internet.

-=DCG=-

Does this mean you know something we don't, Seems like the article got at least one reliable source.

 

[Biggie]

I already had moved one of these threads to gold cafe -

Does this mean you know something we don't, Seems like the article got at least one reliable source.
a27

a second party news source talking to a second party feed supplier, who cannot disclose anything is not news....only rumors.

when someone talks to Google and gets definitive answers, that's news!

 

[EM @MAJ.com]

I know this parking business will come to an end, it just a matter of time. If some domainers still enjoying parking, well that's good.

I started moving them out since last year, slowly but moving.

 

[tonyfloyd]

I know this parking business will come to an end, it just a matter of time. If some domainers still enjoying parking, well that's good.

I started moving them out since last year, slowly but moving.

i keep hearing within 2 years....is this true??

 

[scottle]

Time for people to consider development of domains, alongside alternative sources of income such as direct advertising and affiliate networks.


My experience has shown that unless you have a high traffic industry/conversion rate the roi hasn't been there. Affiliate programs are geared for sales & not the affiliates --------The affiliates do a lot of the advertisers marketing for a small %age + the new prospects that affiliates generate at the affililates expense is huge. Consider a 5% conversion. That means 95 out of 100 clickthroughs at no charge.

This model will either have to change somewhat or only larger affiliates will be able to get decent returns IMHO.

 

[Theo]

That's because we currently have alternative means of monetization in the form of feed links. Once you take that model away, the old school banner impressions method becomes the main revenue generator.

 

[MacyT.]

This 'story' doesn't exactly make sense in terms of generic names on the cutting edge...meaning what about a domain that gets very little traffic today, but gets a surge in natural traffic tomorrow? I've had that happen with several of my science specific domains because of a news story or a new product release and many times the traffic continues to trickle in.

Unless Google has a crystal ball, they can't know the future about all names that mean little to them now, but have potential in the future.

 

[cashads]

I saw a store some were about a Google advertiser suing Google over too much percent of the traffic coming from parked pages and not converting. It was a law company they got lots of clicks but not many clickers filled out their form to request more info so they sued.

This probably has something to do with this

 

[HarveyJ]

Said it before, and I'll say it again.
Parking is for lazy chumps with no imagination...
Want to make money, get into affiliate marketing that allows for redirects.

I've got some nice stuff going for people that have entertainment media related domains.