The Quickest Way To Monetize Geo Domains
In this article, I want to talk about the quickest ways to monetize geo domains. The reality of the domain industry is that many investors like you and I have other projects or employment that takes up most our time. Quick start revenue streams are the perfect solution for us to build on that long-term retirement plan and expand our networks.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t also have a few larger slower starting projects that require daily attention. Sometimes one big project is all someone needs to get by in today’s economy, depending on where you’re located in the world.
We can talk more about big geo projects later. For now, let’s go ahead and dive into some quick geo domain monetizing options.
Parking – Let’s face it, in today’s domain industry, parking is one of the first things people gravitate to. The reality of parking is that you can’t take any domain name, park it, and expect to make money. Parking is optimally for domains that used to be developed and still receiving traffic. Note: It’s against 99.9% of parking company and ad stream policies to create traffic after a domain is parked. You can have your accounts banned at multiple places instantly trying that. If your domain has no traffic, don’t waste time parking it, find a different monetization method.
(Random article readers bonus: It’s not geo-related, however, as a bonus to my readers I am going to tell what domain I just canceled today and goes into redemption on the 13th. It’s not much to look at, however, it has generated $20 to $65 every year in PPC Adsense until recently. It only receives 10 to 50 visits per month organically, but it might make a good starter parking domain or first network development project for someone since it was established for a few years before dropping. The domain to look for dropping is: BouncingBalls.us – Now practice your drop catching skills to see who can grab it first when it drops. )
Splash Page/Lander – This option is for those that may have a product/service/newsletter to offer within the niche the geo domain is for. A single page is better than no page and you always want to try and convert any visitors your page gets. Whether you want to collect leads, offer a newsletter to subscribers, provide a service, or sell a product, step two is developing the domain to have at least one canvas for visitors to admire. Step one would be having a brand/logo designed for the domain. The development will use the theme of the brand/logo and expand on it.
Mini-Site – A mini-site is generally a 3 to 7-page static website that provides information, a service, or a product. Like with the splash page, whether you want to collect leads, offer a newsletter to subscribers, provide a service, or sell a product, developing is an important step.
Notes On Development – Personally, I suggest that each and every one you start with the basics and learn Html/Css yourself so that you can get some hands-on experience with your investments. The best place to learn Html/Css for free is: W3Schools
Once you learn the most basic of code, you’ll be able to edit templates yourself or even create a static website from scratch. This is a detrimental skill set to have when you’re thinking about building a network or monetizing domain names.
Keep in mind that it’s easier to pitch/sell a domain that you have extensive knowledge in than it is to sell a domain you know nothing about. Developing your assets also helps you acquire hands on knowledge in your niche so that the selling process becomes easier.
Lease/Rent – That’s right, in today’s industry some people are leasing/renting their domains to small start-ups that can’t afford the full price but want the domain for their business. You may want to research this option in depth and try to find a few example lease contracts to see if this is something that could work for you or not. It’s not for everyone and sometimes be a really hard sell if your domain isn’t a category killing premium.
Monetization options with development – Let’s take a look at a few options you may have to monetize a Geo development project you are working on.
- PPC (Pay Per Click) – These type ads allow you to generate some revenue every time someone visits your site and clicks on a strategically placed advertisement that shows relevant ads to your geo site content. There are a few options you can take with PPC; A) Banner ads, B) Contextual Content Link Ads, C) Popups/Popunders, etc.
- Affiliate Product/Service Ads – This type of revenue campaign allows you to select your own targeted ads to accompany your content and you’ll be paid a % of each sale you make. There are literally thousands of affiliate programs out there. Be sure to do some research to find the best one for you. I may write another article on that at a later time.
- Subscription/Newsletter – While this method may not make you any revenue at first, the goal here is to build a mailing list of people that are begging to be your captive and targeted advertising audience. Put together a weekly of monthly newsletter to send out to these subscribers and include an ad or 2 in there. It’s this ads that you want to convert to cash.
- Lead Generator – If you’re like me and you already have a primary local brand name but want to tap into different geo markets, then a lead generator is ideal for you. Here’s a quote from an article I wrote about lead generators: “An example of one of my lead generator long tail geo + service sites would be
SanAntonioLogoDesigner.comandSanAntonioLogo.comthe latter of which is used as a redirect to the former. This long tail geo + service domain is simply a lead generator to feed my primary brand. It only pulls between twenty to fifty visitors per month; however, it converts at upwards of 55% on good months and as low as 24% on bad months. These are still outstanding conversion ratios. Breaking that down with a service that averages $100 to $500 per sale and converting an example of ten out of twenty visitors, that’s $1000+ per month in revenue.” Source: NamePros - Digital Product Downloads – This method of monetization has worked for me for years on some of my small and large projects. I’ve digitally sold items such as, but not limited to; Stock/Clipart packages, eBooks, Information packs, Pre-Made (Only sold once) logos, Software/scripts, etc.
- Services – There are thousands of online services you could offer that you may already have experience in. What do you do for a living now or did for years prior? If you worked as an accountant, why not start a freelance Tax service? If you are a journalist or proofreader, why not offer an article service? Personally, I offer design services on my geo service sites.
- A more detailed article I wrote on NamePros about developing domains can be found here: Why I Develop Every Domain I Invest In
Obviously there is lots more than what I wrote to consider, however, it should get you headed in the right direction on your journey. Always remember, the most successful start-up businesses have this basic fundamental: “Adapt / Improvise / Overcome”!
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Since 1996, Eric has managed companies with 240+ employees, online communities with over 1 million members, attended numerous industry related events/conventions and has personally worked with start-ups, personalities, small mom and pop businesses, corporations, freelancers, news outlets, and a variety of domain investors one-on-one from all over the world. That equates to a lot of years behind the scenes with his fingers firmly on the pulse of multiple industries.
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