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- Jan 24, 2004
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Here Come the Domainers
The next wave of the competitive internet has arrrived, and itâs driven by the Domainers. No, not parked pages, and no, not typo squatters. Domainers as publishers.
If youâre in SEO and you havenât met a domainer yet, you need to get out more. If youâre a web designer without a job, thereâs likely a domainer-placed ad waiting for you. Infrastructure guys (PHP developers, server adminsâ¦) they want you, too. While domainers used to be bad for the web (all those ugly parked pages, all those probably-illegal typo domains, domain tasting and back-office pre-buying of expiring domains) now domainers are poised to drive the web publishing industry. Domainers are expected to be good for economic circulation too⦠they know what they want, and have the money to buy it. While some have criticized them for driving up the prices of aftermarket domains, they have the cash to go after web-based publishing in a serious way. Buy a domain, and publish on it to build a network of visitors. Yes, for the ads, but more importantly, for the media empire it builds.
Domainers are quick and decisive. Yes means now, and no means forget it. Literally. None of this web 2.0 get-the-transparent-logo-perfect stuff. They may be paying huge prices for domains, but oddly, pennies matter to these guys. I thinkitâs kinda like a franshisee who pays way to much to a franchise to âget inâ but then has to scrape nickels to become profitable. I guess itâs a reflection of that decisiveness. It seems to work, no?
The best thing, which I admire the most about domainers, is the way this business model insulates against search engine efforts and market swings. Too dependent on type-in traffic? Worried about legal challenges to typo domains? Too much reliance on search rankings for traffic? Build a content network of mammoth proportions, and become a media player. Arbitrage while it works, community building when it matters, list building, lead generation, or heck even banner ads might make a come back. Wherever the money goes, you can go. Itâs the same thing weâve said for years, except when done over thousands of domains overnight, the word âmashupâ starts to glow like it never did before.
Those who can read my mind might remember a post I half-wrote long ago⦠âwhere the real money is in SEOâ. The real money is in the empire you build along the way as you SEO. Real SEO is execution on opportunity, which may exploit assets held (domains) but may also address traffic flow (redirection) or strategic market knowledge. Monetization. Working within the system, but along the edges. Competing.
Publishing is not for everyone. Conventional publishing is tough⦠it takes time, staffing.. but when you view it as a massive media building effort across thousands of domains, it scales a bit differently. Where the domainers are going, is where the good SEOs are now. Tools tools tools. Hack like itâs 1997, monetize robustly and watch the metrics. Donât worry too much about the look⦠you can clean it up later. Source
-------
Peace,
Dan
The next wave of the competitive internet has arrrived, and itâs driven by the Domainers. No, not parked pages, and no, not typo squatters. Domainers as publishers.
If youâre in SEO and you havenât met a domainer yet, you need to get out more. If youâre a web designer without a job, thereâs likely a domainer-placed ad waiting for you. Infrastructure guys (PHP developers, server adminsâ¦) they want you, too. While domainers used to be bad for the web (all those ugly parked pages, all those probably-illegal typo domains, domain tasting and back-office pre-buying of expiring domains) now domainers are poised to drive the web publishing industry. Domainers are expected to be good for economic circulation too⦠they know what they want, and have the money to buy it. While some have criticized them for driving up the prices of aftermarket domains, they have the cash to go after web-based publishing in a serious way. Buy a domain, and publish on it to build a network of visitors. Yes, for the ads, but more importantly, for the media empire it builds.
Domainers are quick and decisive. Yes means now, and no means forget it. Literally. None of this web 2.0 get-the-transparent-logo-perfect stuff. They may be paying huge prices for domains, but oddly, pennies matter to these guys. I thinkitâs kinda like a franshisee who pays way to much to a franchise to âget inâ but then has to scrape nickels to become profitable. I guess itâs a reflection of that decisiveness. It seems to work, no?
The best thing, which I admire the most about domainers, is the way this business model insulates against search engine efforts and market swings. Too dependent on type-in traffic? Worried about legal challenges to typo domains? Too much reliance on search rankings for traffic? Build a content network of mammoth proportions, and become a media player. Arbitrage while it works, community building when it matters, list building, lead generation, or heck even banner ads might make a come back. Wherever the money goes, you can go. Itâs the same thing weâve said for years, except when done over thousands of domains overnight, the word âmashupâ starts to glow like it never did before.
Those who can read my mind might remember a post I half-wrote long ago⦠âwhere the real money is in SEOâ. The real money is in the empire you build along the way as you SEO. Real SEO is execution on opportunity, which may exploit assets held (domains) but may also address traffic flow (redirection) or strategic market knowledge. Monetization. Working within the system, but along the edges. Competing.
Publishing is not for everyone. Conventional publishing is tough⦠it takes time, staffing.. but when you view it as a massive media building effort across thousands of domains, it scales a bit differently. Where the domainers are going, is where the good SEOs are now. Tools tools tools. Hack like itâs 1997, monetize robustly and watch the metrics. Donât worry too much about the look⦠you can clean it up later. Source
-------
Peace,
Dan
