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Domain summit 2024

How does one make money online anymore?

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Maxwell

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I've been making money flipping the odd domain here and there. It's really just a hobby.

And online commerce can take many forms. Not just domain flipping. But also traffic monetization, PPC on content sites, affiliate marketing, and then the purchase and sale of actual goods and/or services.

But this isn't 2003 anymore. PPC is down. Domains that people will pay money for are harder to get. And any niche you can think of that would make noise, be it a speciality online store, or a funny site/video/etc., has already been thought of.

Additionally, consumers have gotten smarter. So they're less likely to buy affiliate-type products such as "how to make money online" guides. And anybody on this forum with half a brain knows that the only people getting rich from writing those books are the ones writing them.

And to top all that off, free services such as plentyoffish and Craigslist have killed what was once a bustling online dating market. I can guarantee you that less than 5% of users who have signed up have so much as thought about actually paying for the service. They're just window shopping.

(though I shouldn't knock craigslist, as I met the most wonderful woman, ever, on there a few weeks ago)

So, that being said, the channels which were once generating sizeable monthly incomes for people who do online commerce have become difficult to penetrate into who are newcomers. And this is essentially what I am, as I started in 2009.

Getting to the point, I've become somewhat frustrated with my inability to make money online, despite having what I would consider to be an above average online commerce acumen compared to the average person.

That being said, short of domain flipping, what has become the "vogue" way of making money online these days?

I'm looking at pursuing this much more seriously, given life circumstances of mine which are requiring me to "step up my game".

My purpose of creating this topic is more of a philosophical discussion with respect to what making money online has become in 2011 (or in 10 days, 2012 D: ), as opposed to addressing my situation specifically.

Any discussion on the topic would be greatly appreciated!
 
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Domain summit 2024

vital

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It was/is always about the same. You need an idea, it must be a good one, hand in hand with good timing. There are plenty people making money online today, and I am sure there will be same amount in the future.
It makes sense domain business won't last forever - you can't register very-good to great domains today, and it becomes harder and harder to get those names even in aftermarket. The reason is pretty simple, you can't repeat any domain, and we are running out of them.

That said, I don't know answer for your question, but someone (maybe you or me...) will surely find another way of getting money from the internet, today or tomorrow.

(sorry for my english)
 

Vincent

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HiGood topic. I'd like to hear this discussion from some of the pro domainers or internet marketers who wouldn't mind sharing.
 

Mark Talbot

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Some pointers (that may be obvious):

1 - Stay away from PayPal. Their merchant fee's are outrageous. Setup for v.me instead.
2 - Dont bother with ebay. Coupled with PayPal this will eat up 20%+ of your revenues ontop of your costs.
3 - Dont try to sell everything. Focus on a Niche and be superior at it.
4 - Do something you like or know well. It's tough to compete, especally if you are not in the loop of the niche.


It aint easy to make a buck anymore online. But if you are considering a startup, find a few people that can be equally dedicated to the effort and after a non-compete contract, go out there and get it done. You wont be holding all the work as these team members will have something to offer that you need. And most certainly, share the profits with them. You might find a small team with a skill set and determination with focus, that reasonable success may be achieved.

2 cents
 

urlurl

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i flip names as a hobby - it has been profitable so far, but nothing to quit your day job over.

i see the real money in a good idea and full web development (the next groupon, twitter, digg, etc.) - the idea doesn't have to be great as long as its good - as long as you can commit to the development and marketing you have a better chance than a person with a great idea who does nothing with it.

i'm currently working on one big one and a couple small ones
 

Vincent

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urlurl good tips. Glad to know people are making profit on domaining and developing. I've been thinking and working on ideas and the development thing. I'm working on different developing projects, but they don't seem to progress much. It's going slow due to inexperience.

In my free time, I'm going to do some begging. Maybe yall will soon see me at Domain Beggar. DomainBeggar.com coming soon.
 

dcristo

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Making money online entails creating value to capture an audience that you can sell to on their first visit or when they return to your website because you had compelling content.

You have a lot to learn my friend if you think consumers are all skeptics and not buying informational products. In fact, it's a growth industry. Why do you think brick and mortar book stores are closing down? It's because of the internet.

I only had to read past your first line in the OP to know how dedicated you are to the business. You are never going to make a ton of money online treating this business like a hobby.
 

urlurl

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i think he was refering to selling get rich books online
 

Gerry

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No matter what you have or what you do, you MUST have a product or service that someone else wants.

Find a void and fill it.
 

Maxwell

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i think he was refering to selling get rich books online

Exactly. I entirely embrace the concept of ebooks and the like, but I'm talking about actual books. Not guides that are sold in a shyster-type manner like the rich jerk, the rich janitor, or any of these other "look at all the money I'm making and I can show you how!" type of books. Ones which completely rely on the ignorance of others.

I think you and I can both agree that these were selling quite a bit better in prior years when making money online was a bit different, and a bit more mysterious, and everybody wanted to know how "I can get in on it too".
 

Mark Talbot

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I only had to read past your first line in the OP to know how dedicated you are to the business. You are never going to make a ton of money online treating this business like a hobby.

Its a hobby or a biz,... but in the end,..... what was the worth of the effort.
 

Maxwell

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You are never going to make a ton of money online treating this business like a hobby.

I 100% agree with this. I'm getting hobby results for the reason that I'm putting hobby effort into it.

I'm just saying that I want to take it more seriously, since, as I had said, I do need to step my game up a bit.

I don't think this is simply a matter of taking what I'm doing now to a larger scale. I want to find a different path to pursue besides just domaining.
 

hugegrowth

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My sites that do best are the ones on either generic domains that get the type in traffic, and you just need to have related ads/products on there to make money. Or, the sites that I spend the most time and effort on for original content (blogs), also get the traffic.

I think you only need to have one idea or site to do well, just make sure it would have a decent size audience and if you do it well and have regular content, it should make money. If you spread your efforts out over too many projects then none of them get done well, unless you have a team working under you.

Or, spend up for a category killer domain (eg: Bobbleheads.com) and sell the product for the category.

Problem with most domainers, myself included, is we have too many ideas and domains to do them all well. Some of us would probably be further ahead if we focused heavily on just ONE or two things, and did them well. It also really helps to have an interest in the subject you pick, because then it wont seem so much like work.
 

Maxwell

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Problem with most domainers, myself included, is we have too many ideas and domains to do them all well. Some of us would probably be further ahead if we focused heavily on just ONE or two things, and did them well. It also really helps to have an interest in the subject you pick, because then it wont seem so much like work.

Absolutely. The "serial" approach will evidently lack the passion that a "blood sweat and tears" approach might.

I've long thought I should have a "main" project, but the question is what? I can get access to the funds to purchase a reasonably premium domain name to build a brand around, but the question is, per Gerry's post, where is the void?

I think Chef Patrick did a great job at this with ScienceFiction.com. He picked a niche which not only was he passionate about himself, but others are very passionate about. And him and his wife make a great team at filling the site with content that get people coming back regularly.

Previously, there wasn't any site which was "the" source for Science Fiction news. And they managed to corner that market.

Having learned this while on dncruise inspired me to do a similar thing myself. But the most important part still remains a question; how do you make money change hands?

This is why I created a thread like this so some ideas can be tossed around.
 

hugegrowth

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Nobody can tell you the void or the project to pick. It has to be something you enjoy yourself and have a passion for. Even if there is competition, the love of the subject and work you'd be willing to do would make you stand out. Now, there might be a few areas I wouldn't get into no matter what my passion, like building a search engine or selling books and music online, because that competition is too far gone. I'm talking along the lines of fly fishing, horror movies, geocaching, small dogs, etc. Cover the topic to death and sell good quality products/services around the topic on the site. Have a newsletter and build a mailing list. I know it's easier said than done, but people who do this on one topic tend to do it well. Check out Santa.co.uk, this site makes six figures per year, and most of it in six weeks leading up to Christmas.
 

Mark Talbot

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Having learned this while on dncruise inspired me to do a similar thing myself. But the most important part still remains a question; how do you make money change hands.

And therin is the requirement of logic. Both points expect responce. Tell us. I expect both points were addressed at DNcruse. No?
 

urlurl

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Basic ways to make money on the internet;

1. Sell something you make or own (your own product(s))

2. Sell something someone else owns (affiliate)

3. Advertisements (adsense, etc)

4. Donations (ex. - wikipedia)

5. Development (build up a site, content, traffic and sell it off)


i think this covers all types of income sources and most would fit into one of these categories
 

Cr3ativity

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One thing that people tend to forgot is that you don't have to come up with something original. Instead, you may be more successful if you partner up with a company/corporation that already has a good reputation. Say you have an interest in socializing (cliche, but bare with me), and wanted to start a socializing platform that is free, user friendly, and offers a different experience without making current technology obsolete. So, you have two choices - keep it to yourself and build it until it flies or drops, OR patent it and propose the idea to Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Not only can they make your idea "fly" overnight, but you don't have to worry financially. You also have the opportunity of investing their ideas into your current project in order to make it even better! It's much harder than it sounds, I know, but no one ever became successful without a bit of hard work :)
 

urlurl

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i think if your idea is good enough you will attract others like the ones you mentioned and private investors - im sure they are all trolling for new investment oportunities
 

EM @MAJ.com

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And therin is the requirement of logic. Both points expect responce. Tell us. I expect both points were addressed at DNcruse. No?

I want to be in cruise not for domain name seminar.

---------- Post added at 02:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:22 AM ----------

Basic ways to make money on the internet;

1. Sell something you make or own (your own product(s))

2. Sell something someone else owns (affiliate)

3. Advertisements (adsense, etc)

4. Donations (ex. - wikipedia)

5. Development (build up a site, content, traffic and sell it off)


i think this covers all types of income sources and most would fit into one of these categories

Just curious, are you using this process?
 
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