$5000 to spend - how would you do it?

[markus]

I have been investing in domains for a couple of years now as a hobby business. I have invested part of my profits from my other consulting business in this and now I have about $5000 to spend before the end of the year. I am ready to take this hobby business to the next level and would like your input/advice/ideas how to do it best?

Background:

A portfolio of around 250 domains ranging from the "oh-I-wish-I-had-not-bought-that" kind of learning experiences in domaining to some two-word .com:s and one-word international TLD:s with 10000-40000 searches a month for the specific term. About 40 of the 250 have mini-sites set up on them and 2-3 of them more extensive websites.

I am more prone to building cash flow through buying domains and developing them (am well familiar with web design and good as SEO), more than buying-parking-selling. So unless you convince me other wire, I will continue on that strategy.

The Goal:

Today I have Google Adsense on the 40+ plus mini-sites + sites and they generate about $20 a day. My present/next goal is to elevate this to $333 a day (odd number I know, but it works out well with the overall yearly plan/goals).

Options:

So which option would you choose with this background information and the amount above to spend to get me on the path to my new goal stated above, and why?

A. Buy 1-2 quality domains for the money and then develop them (and others in the portfolio) slowly as money comes in

B. Put the whole sum towards hiring copy-writers, designers and link-builders to develop a good number (maybe 20-30) of the existing domains.

C. Put the whole sum into developing 1-2 of the exisiting domains in to full feature web sites.

D. Another option not listed here or a combination of the above

If you want any more information/background, feel free to post and I will answer as best I can. Any help/input you can provide will be highly appreciated. If you have the time/energy to write a small explanation of your thinking as a background to your choice, I will cherish it, if not, I will be happy to receive the short reply too.

[biggedon]

to me, you should just stick with your OP (original plan).

it looks like a solid model to build on, especially when you compare it to what others may be doing....or not doing

so why let one of us deter you from your path?



put half of your budget ($2500) back into that plan and the rest in the bank.

there are some good domains that pop-up every now and then and it's good to have reserve cash to snap those bargains.

Good Luck!

imo...

[chrisb72]

I couldnt agree more. Develop what you have, double or triple up your mini adsense sites, and put the cash in the bank and wait for someone to offer a nice one word generic for $6k-$10k, offer them $4k now and eventually you will get lucky and get one for a reasonable price. Domains seem like a last resort sale sometimes where someone is hurting for cash. They may let a more valuable name go just to get the fast cash.

[stock_post]

Go with Option one.

Instead of mini sites go for Extensive sites, it is the best way.

[draggar]

500+ shares of F (Ford)
Oh, from your list? Option A - quality over quantity.

[tekz999]

Buy LLL.biz/net/com

[mediawizard]

lll.biz? Are you sure?

Buy one good .com from a domainer - flip it for $100k to an end user, rinse and repeat.

Good Luck

[axeman]

I would suggest if you have domains that you admit you wish you didnt register or buy, sell them, you are paying around $2000 a year in reg fee as is.

Consolidate your domains you realy like and develop them. Keep the money aside for development or one big "killer name" purchase.

[myst woman]

build a content niche nobody can steal from and get clicks.
i see kids all day long doing the 'research" thing. Build a great online property that makes great real estate the quality nobody can match.
It won't cost you $5K either.

[Banned: broe-foe]

I have been investing in domains for a couple of years now as a hobby business. I have invested part of my profits from my other consulting business in this and now I have about $5000 to spend before the end of the year. I am ready to take this hobby business to the next level and would like your input/advice/ideas how to do it best?

Background:

A portfolio of around 250 domains ranging from the "oh-I-wish-I-had-not-bought-that" kind of learning experiences in domaining to some two-word .com:s and one-word international TLD:s with 10000-40000 searches a month for the specific term. About 40 of the 250 have mini-sites set up on them and 2-3 of them more extensive websites.

I am more prone to building cash flow through buying domains and developing them (am well familiar with web design and good as SEO), more than buying-parking-selling. So unless you convince me other wire, I will continue on that strategy.

The Goal:

Today I have Google Adsense on the 40+ plus mini-sites + sites and they generate about $20 a day. My present/next goal is to elevate this to $333 a day (odd number I know, but it works out well with the overall yearly plan/goals).

Options:

So which option would you choose with this background information and the amount above to spend to get me on the path to my new goal stated above, and why?

A. Buy 1-2 quality domains for the money and then develop them (and others in the portfolio) slowly as money comes in

B. Put the whole sum towards hiring copy-writers, designers and link-builders to develop a good number (maybe 20-30) of the existing domains.

C. Put the whole sum into developing 1-2 of the exisiting domains in to full feature web sites.

D. Another option not listed here or a combination of the above

If you want any more information/background, feel free to post and I will answer as best I can. Any help/input you can provide will be highly appreciated. If you have the time/energy to write a small explanation of your thinking as a background to your choice, I will cherish it, if not, I will be happy to receive the short reply too.

Domainers better wise-up and quit depending on other companies like parking companies for income, honesty, and transparency. Domainers better wise-up and figure that most (if not all) auctions are fixed or rigged to the advantage of the auctioneer, as recent history has proven for Snapnames.

This industry is full of pond-scum waiting to screw you out of substantial $. Keep your domains, don't park them with any parking company, don't jeopardize your registrant rights by parking which provides TM infringing search results.

Develop, and try not to put the fate of any of your domains in the hands of domain auctioneers, parking companies, and registrars. The auctions have proven to be dishonest and/or fixed (Snapnames and GoDaddy TDNAM auctions come to mind here). The parking companies screw you out of most of the parking revenue.

[dejanlesi]

Well since you are developing your domain names there is no need for you to buy expensive .com domains.. Get other TLDs or maybe a ccTLD for fractions of the .com costs and build a website on it. Get domains that dont have much competition and rank well on those..

Implement other monetization methods beside adsense(which i use less and less). Go for affiliate programs or CPA offers which pay a lot per customer and build websites that can support them.. I think you can get to $333 per day much faster with these methods then with adsense..

Good Luck!

[hnh]

Well put. This industry, which is already ridden with a lack of transparency, can change at any time for the worse.

Domainers better wise-up and quit depending on other companies like parking companies for income, honesty, and transparency. Domainers better wise-up and figure that most (if not all) auctions are fixed or rigged to the advantage of the auctioneer, as recent history has proven for Snapnames and GoDaddy (at least Godaddy employees, including Godaddy VP Adam Dicker, who won SPYWARE.US at a TDNAM auction while he was a Godaddy employee Vice President).

This industry is full of pond-scum waiting to screw you out of substantial $. Keep your domains, don't park them with any parking company, don't jeopardize your registrant rights by parking which provides TM infringing search results.

Develop, and try not to put the fate of any of your domains in the hands of domain auctioneers, parking companies, and registrars. The auctions have proven to be dishonest and/or fixed (Snapnames and Godaddy TDNAM auctions come to mind here). The parking companies screw you out of most of the parking revenue.

[Bionic]

D/ buy 50 shares in Camgirls.com and retire in a few years

[furca]

B. Put the whole sum towards hiring copy-writers, designers and link-builders to develop a good number (maybe 20-30) of the existing domains.

With 5,000$ you can create approximately 200 decent minisites.

[RustyK]

A and C is your best bet. Development is where the money is

[Jilo]

I'd say option C is the best plan. Choose 5-6 potential domains to develop, and find out which ones would be most popular, most useful etc. Do some research!

and also don't buy any of the domains that are inevitably going to be PMd to you because of this thread

[UpMarketDns.com]

I'd visit my dnf brokerage thread and fine a great bulk deal

http://www.dnforum.com/f118/some-nic...ad-257807.html

[hnh]

With 5,000$ you can create approximately 200 decent minisites.

That's exactly what the everyone and web needs more of.

[myst woman]

hnh,

yep i'm doin it and the energy is fabulous. Once a website is built the the owner sees all the possibilities behind the actual site as action items, not pie in the sky.

[John Baron]

i vote option A , the safest way and the quickest way to get decent ROI