Google's Annual Rev. From Typosquatting Put At $497m

[DNBA]

interesting insight about typos

________________________________________________
Most people regard typos as nuisances, just inconsequential mistakes that cause them to lose a second of time hitting the backspace key. But for Google, typos may equal big business, as Benjamin Edelman and Tyler Moore have estimated that they make the search giant $497 million per year.

Edelman and Moore, who both call Harvard their home, coauthored a paper titled "Measuring Typosquatting Perpetrators and Funders." In a blog post summarizing it, they presented several sets of statistics and wrote, "According to our analysis, 57% of typo sites include Google pay-per-click ads."

Then they made a rather more interesting comment regarding the effect of Google's connection: "Combining our observations with financial reports and others' estimates, we conclude that Google's revenue from typosquatting on the top 100,000 sites is $497 million per year."

Also, Google's pretty much the only search engine they point a finger at, since not nearly as many ads from Yahoo and Microsoft appear on typosquatting sites.

Now, it's necessary to mention that Edelman is involved in a lawsuit against Google ("arising out of Google's use of typosquatting domains to display advertising"), so he may not be the least biased person in the world. The numbers he and Moore presented are still stunning if true.

UPDATE: Ben Edelman was good enough to drop by in the comments section, and he wrote, "Surely it's not Google's fault that some people misspell. But our study [shows] that typosquatters register more domains targeting companies in sectors with high PPC prices. That tells us that PPC funding is *causing* and *exacerbating* typosquatting. Without PPC payments, there would be fewer typosquatting registrations -- much less reason for squatters to register these domains. Google's payments put the system in motion; squatters register domains exactly in anticipation of getting paid by Google. Google knows where it's showing ads. (Example: Google shows Expedia ads if you misspell Expedia, but Travelocity ads if you misspell Travelocity!) So it's natural to look to Google for resolution of these problems."

>> Click to read the rest of Edelman's comment ...


http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/02/17/googles-annual-revenue-from-typosquatting-put-at-497m

 

[radioz]

'Typosquatting' on obvious trademarks is just plain wrong. On the other hand, I see nothing wrong with typos of generic terms leading to links for the proper term. This separation should be made. That is often missed when outsiders look at any type of domain monetization. It is all looked at as cybersquatting!

Personally, I've more than once told someone that I buy, sell, and monetize domains and had them either be in awe or act like they've just met a wanted criminal. One even once said 'Wow, you're a cybersquatter!'. That one was in awe, at least.

 

[Tenkk]

what?

 

[radioz]

so these douchebags are trying to do away with domain parking huh?

That is probably extreme but you never know.

their packing in typosquatting with generics as well, 500 mil per year is probably size of whole google feed parking market.

I am always amazed what it assumed that is being made on a domain. I had an overreaching TM owner who has decided that he owns 'THE' trademark to a generic term. He only owns the right to a part of its uses, of course. He also assumed that I was making God knows what from HIS Goodwill (another problemed TM term in its own right - see post elsewhere here). Amongst other things I let him know that I had made 60 cents on the name over the past year! You seldom own 'THE' trademark unless you made up the term ie - 'Pepsi' or 'Xerox'. Unfortunately, many TM owners think that single dictionary words are THEIRS!!

 

[Deleted member 111831]

Wow and G only takes a cut of the proceeds - this means $1b+ per year is being made by parking typo's - big business.

I estimate I have a .001% share of the market

---------- Post added at 07:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:35 PM ----------

P.S. Somebody tell those douche bags that I parked a YouTube typo on a Google feed for over a year and never heard a peep from them about it (have since sold the domain). So they aren't just profiteering off of other people's TM's, they allow it for their own as well.

 

[Tenkk]

what?