Non-targeted hard to identify type-in reasons but good traffic has dubious values

[David G]

Bomb.com is on auction at eBay for a minimum bid of $25,000
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2031282908

It's a a good dictionary word and its first thought is likely that it appears to be very valuable, but so far no bids. Perhaps the reason is what usage could the name be used for. The owners description on eBay perhaps sums it up best with the quote below:

"...registered since 1994, this domain name is now available to the highest bidder by its original owner...In that time www.bomb.com has consistently maintained monthly unique visitor counts averaging...around 300+ per day. Based on my initial efforts to have the domain appraised, I have been able to assess a value of as high as $170,000 for this domain. You might ask, "If the traffic is so good, why haven't you done something yourself?" Well, that is a good question. The truth is that we haven't had any good ideas for a killer app to put at the URL... and we haven't been able to justify putting up something stupid just for the sake of doing it when we have had other projects consuming our time. We have had ideas from time to time to launch an online game at the URL, but those ideas never worked out and other demands over the years have kept that from happening."

Isn't it surprising how open he is in admitting that's a big problem. His statement alone would be enough to turn-off some possible bidders. What an honest guy he is in saying it.

Think about it, what possible use is this name? I can't think of any good usage to benefit from the traffic. Can you think of a good use? There are many other names like this which get good traffic but the traffic is non-targeted by its nature so can not be used properly.

Similar names which comes to mind are names like Assassin.com and also its misspell name Assasin.com (a domain connected to one of our members here). These are domains I would equate with Bomb.com as far as their general category goes. All 3 of these names get good type-in traffic but its mostly wasted as the type of traffic is almost impossible to target. I too have a domain like that.

In fact, I have a name which consistently gets 100 or more 100% type-in hits a day. However, I can't really benefit much from it as the traffic is almost impossible to target or even know the reason it was typed-in? An interesting note on his good type-in name is that the seller only wanted $100 for it (which I paid), for that very reason in that he could not figure out ways to benefit from the traffic.

This is a serious problem with names like these. You could always send the traffic to affiliate programs but they seldom pay or result in any revenue. This is why I estimate the value of Bomb.com at only $500., far less than the $25,000 to $170,000 the owners says its worth.

A value of $500 is 5 times what I paid for a similar name (a name which I can't figure out a way to make money from), but the name only gets 3 times the traffic than my $100 name/website so I think its a reasonable appraisal.

Any ideas here on how to benefit from type-in traffic on names like these?

Originally posted by RealNames


The truth is that we haven't had any good ideas for a killer app to put at the URL... and we haven't been able to justify putting up something stupid just for the sake of doing it when we have had other projects consuming our time.

This is a serious problem with names like these. You could always send the traffic to affiliate programs but they seldom pay or result in any revenue. This is why I estimate the value of Bomb.com at only $500., far less than the $25,000 to $170,000 the owners says its worth.

Any ideas here on how to benefit from type-in traffic on names like these?

realnames, you're absolutely right about the owners statement, I read that auction description myself a few days ago and I must admit the first think I though when reading that was "yeah can't do much with that name", it would put many off.

As far as value goes; these types of names still have value it's just that the traffic isn't perhaps as valuable as a name in a more specific category. The problem is that its not really worth the $15,000 opening bid, if the reserve was lowered to under $10,000 I think he'd be able to sell.

Its unforunate that you haven't had much luck with affiliates, but that not the case for many members here. It really is a matter of researching the good programs, particularly the ppc search engines, examples of reputable programs include findwhat/befirst, 7search, targetwords, overture etc.

If you don't know anyone who is using a particular affiliate its probably not worth trying; 95% are sharks, so its a matter of finding out about the other 5%.

[David G]

Never has any success at all with affiliate programs, having tried hundreds of them over the past 6-yrs. involving different web-sites.

They always seem to report few click-thru's, or no sales, or else small sales less than their minimum payout level to get a check. Sometimes they have a high minimum check level of say $50 to $100., almost impossible to reach.

Other programs I tried had smaller minimum payouts of $25. but several times when I approached it with about $20 in income they terminated their program with no warning, and cancelled the earnings. Even Google did that to me, having $22 in my account when they closed their affiliate program and voided any monies which were under the $25 payout level so thousands of affiliates lost.

An interesting note on this is once I was so determined to get a check due to my acct being just under the minimum payout level that I actually placed an order myself for the product using my affiliate code so I would get above the min level. The minimum payout level at the time was $100 and my order pushed it above $100. Guess what, the firm amazingly reported no record of that sale so I never did get a check from them.

Pay per click services I consider of little or no value unless you have a rare high traffic name. I don't mean 100 or so uniques a day (which is actually good and more than average), I am talking about tens of thousands of hits a day needed to achieve lots of click-thru's to earn some real money.

P.S. Which program do you consider the best?

unless you have very high quality targetted traffic, you need volume to make anything like decent money from affiliates.

ppc is a good method as you can track it and ensure that what you get paid matches what you should get paid - not something thats easy when its pay per singup/pay per lead/pay per sale.

realnames, 7search might take you if its a hundred or so uniques per day, not sure though. You may also want to check out searchprograms.com - its seems to summarize the main programs fairly well.

[MattyP]

Hi Realnames.

As you know I have stated that I have never had any success with affiliates. You are well and truly on record as having as much luck as I with affiliates.

You, in your rather open handed slap in my face, post, of last week said that you have your own affiliate program operating.

I was wondering if you have resolved your lack of affiliate income through 3gTrading.com.

Is it profitable? Would you encourage other members to join as you felt I should have?

Matt

[David G]

Originally posted by MattyP Hi Realnames. As you know I have stated that I have never had any success with affiliates. You are well and truly on record as having as much luck as I with affiliates. You, in your rather open handed slap in my face, post, of last week said that you have your own affiliate program operating. I was wondering if you have resolved your lack of affiliate income through 3gTrading.com. Is it profitable? Would you encourage other members to join as you felt I should have? Matt

My own affiliate program is not connected with it in any way. That program is on a different website. It's is a small 1 page website and is no where close to being one of my better web-sites.

Also, I think you are misunderstanding the issue. My own affiliate program does not bring affiliate income to my own web-sites, the reverse is so in that it can bring income to 3rd party sites, not to my sites.

The type of type-in traffic Assasin.com gets may result in orders for products such as "Kill the markets with a trading system on how to make money daytrading" but that is far from certain. (P.S. Kill = Assasin).

However, I do feel you would be much more likely to get income from that type of a product compared to your usage of the online dating service you now have assasin.com redirected to.

P.S. Sorry you construed that post as being "an open handed slap in your face."

if you're running an affiliate program realnames, I would think you'll need to get used to people backing out of general agreements - its no reflection on the person changing their mind as thats a right we have unless there are binding contracts at play.

[David G]

Actually, I have many affiliates signed-up and really do not recall any of them backing out on first signing up after agreeing to join plus discussions and emails. Of course, a number left after joining for various reasons, but none agreed to join and never did from what I remember, though it could have happened and perhaps I was not aware.

The discussions we had with Matt were amazingly long winded and time consuming. I would estimate approx' 50 or more emails and other contacts too, including Chat and 3rd parties involved. At one time I was so tired of it all I was the one to first back-out, then I reconsidered but later on he changed his mind too, but never telling me so.

All of that time and work was for an absolutely FREE affiliate program paying 25% commission on higher priced products ranging up to $500., where one sale at 25% equals over $100 in commissions, with no work or effort involved, only traffic redirection.

I may be wrong but do feel the traffic (and potential income) from a name like Assasin would be better suited for the type of product we had in mind vs a dating service.

you're very lucky if you're not getting people changing their mind because thats part and parcel of the affiliate world and is the cost of doing business within it.

dating programs can convert general traffic in the same way that gambling and jobs affils can - as you can create interest rather than servicing targetted traffic.

...

Originally posted by RealNames



The type of type-in traffic Assasin.com gets may result in orders for products such as "Kill the markets with a trading system on how to make money daytrading" but that is far from certain. (P.S. Kill = Assasin).

However, I do feel you would be much more likely to get income from that type of a product compared to your usage of the online dating service you now have assasin.com redirected to.

I would have said the exact opposite, dating affiliates tend to convert ok for general traffic though not ideal. However I can't imagine a very specialised product such as stock trading software converting well at all. On what basis would someone typing in "assasin.com" be looking for stock trading software?

[David G]

I was referring to the "kill the market" saying and also the value of each sale, involving a $500 product at 25% commission vs a FREE Dating Service. It's also so someone typing in the word assasin would also not be looking for an online dating club.

Since it offered free signups and a lack of apparent income to the website, it seems like there could be very little if any affiliate income from it.

As far as targeted traffic goes neither one is that good but I can't think of anything else that would be any better.

[beatz]

"I have even been pointed to over 40 companies on-line right now using "Bomb" as part of their name, and while I have sent e-mails to their contact addresses, who knows if those e-mails ever actually got to a warm body. (eg, Bomb Magazine, Bomb Records, Bomb Films, Bomb.co.uk, Bom.com, etc...) "

You might wanna call up the companies instead of emailing them.
This way you can get hold of the decisionmaker whereas emails often go to the trashcan unread.

Plus i'd suggest you call up some big recordcompanies like Universal or BMG, ask to speak to the marketing director and offer them your name as big recordcompanies have hundreds of different sublabels that might find your name interesting for a record label.

Originally posted by RealNames
I was referring to the "kill the market" saying and also the value of each sale, involving a $500 product at 25% commission vs a FREE Dating Service. It's also so someone typing in the word assasin would also not be looking for an online dating club.

Since it offered free signups and a lack of apparent income to the website, it seems like there could be very little if any affiliate income from it.

As far as targeted traffic goes neither one is that good but I can't think of anything else that would be any better.

I still don't see how the traffic would convert well when sent to a site a selling stock market related software. That kind of product is highly specialised and I can't imagine general traffic working well with it at all.

My point was that dating on the other hand generally does ok for general traffic, doesn't matter if people are looking for it or not, its a product which appeals to a broad range of people, and very popular on the internet, so it will usually still convert even though its untargetted traffic. I'm not sure what kind of payment are involved in the assasin example, I'm just saying that the chances of making money from dating is far better than making money sell stock software with difficult to target domains.

On the commission front its doesn't matter if a program is paying $125, $10,000 or 20 cents per sign-up, thats unimportant, what counts is the revenue earnt per visitor, everything else is just puff. What the point of joining a program earning $125 per sign-up if the program never converts for you?