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Should you use a ccTLD?
Although the .com TLD is most buyer’s first choice, especially in the United States, sometimes it isn’t an option, or actually is not the best option. So what should you think about when considering a ccTLD (country code Top Level … Read More
Although the .com TLD is most buyer’s first choice,
especially in the United States, sometimes it isn’t an option, or actually is
not the best option. So what should you think about when considering a ccTLD
(country code Top Level Domain)?
Your Market
Where are your customers? If you are trying to target
customers in a specific country you may find the ccTLD is actually used more
than .com or .net. This should of course also influence what country codes you
consider. If you’re trying to attract customers in brazil, then it probably
doesn’t make sense to register your domain on .de. Before you register a ccTLD
to target customer’s in a country, do some research. You may find they prefer
it, or you may find like .us, it’s rarely used and you may be bleeding traffic
to other extensions.
Your Use
How are you going to use the domain? Are you parking it? Are
you building it out? Who are you targeting? Although it can be cute and trendy
to use a ccTLD as part of a domain hack (when a word or words are split to
incorporate the TLD ie Save.me or quick.ly, nurs.es), your customers might find
it very confusing and find it difficult to find your site.
Additionally, you may find yourself with some search engine
optimization issues. Google’s head of Search Spam, Matt Cutts recently stated that
when a site uses a ccTLD, if it is a popular domain in that country and not
really used worldwide or really applicable, Google is going to assume that the
site’s content very much applies to the specified by the domain and when you
change the intent of a ccTLD that site is doing a disservice to that domain.
(You can watch his full answer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yJqZIH_0Ars)
The Risk
While the restrictions governing gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains)
like .com and .net are set by ICANN, ccTLDs are governed by the local
government. The rules can vary widely and in some cases your domain can easily
be taken away from you because you violated their rules, with your site content
or citizenship/address, or simply because there was a change in regiment and
the new leaders in power don’t think you can have it.
A few years ago, the site vb.ly made headlines because Libya
revoked their domain citing Sharia Law. Libya said that Vb.ly, a url shortner
at the time, was being used to distribute porn which violates Libyan law. What
impact would it have on your businesses to suddenly have your entire online
presence taken down?
The other risk of course is bleeding traffic. If you are using
something that is obscure to your customers, you may be losing them to other
sites that have the more obvious use. So for example, quick.ly would probably
bleed traffic to quickly.com. How much did that lost traffic cost you?
Should you register a ccTLD? Unfortunately, there is not an
easy answer and the answer won’t apply to every situation. Take the time and do
a little research. While the .com might cost your thousands in the beginning,
using something more obscure could cost you much more in the long run.
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Testing is not a Dirty Word
Do you test your domains? On the surface a simple question, but I’ve been amazed over my years in the domain industry at some of the reactions and answers I receive to it. Often people get a look of … Read More
We’re Heading to Las Vegas! Above will be at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Conference
Above congratulates TRAFFIC for continuing their successful run bringing the domain industry together to meet with domain investors. TRAFFIC returns to Las Vegas May 29 – June 1 and Above’s team will be there in support of the industry, and … Read More
Above congratulates TRAFFIC for continuing their successful
run bringing the domain industry together to meet with domain investors.
TRAFFIC returns to Las Vegas May 29 – June 1 and Above’s team will be there in
support of the industry, and to show you what’s new at Above.
Let us know if you will be attending the show. We would like to do a
little something for you.
If you have not yet reserved your space at TRAFFIC, please do so now at
http://targetedtraffic.com/.
Above.com @ ad:tech San Francisco April 9-10
Come join Above.com at ad:tech San Francisco April 9-10. We extend an invitation to you to visit us at Booth #2334 in the Moscone Center West. If you buy, sell, or register domains for your business, talk to our team … Read More
Come join Above.com at ad:tech San Francisco April 9-10. We
extend an invitation to you to visit us at Booth #2334 in the Moscone Center
West. If you buy, sell, or register
domains for your business, talk to our team about your needs and ask about
special promotions for attendees of the show.
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How Domaining is Like Doing a Polar Plunge
On Saturday, February 23, I did a very crazy thing. I willingly jumped into 37’F water. They actually had to cut through the ice to create a place for us to jump. Why in the world would I do that … Read More
Above & Beyond Promotion at Webfest Global 2013
Above.com along with partners, Rook Media and ParkingCrew, will give away 4,000 domains to Webfest Global 2013 attendees. This unique promotion provides 400 attendees an opportunity to snag an account with 10 domains randomly selected from the daily drops that … Read More
Above.com
along with partners, Rook Media and ParkingCrew, will give away 4,000 domains
to Webfest Global 2013 attendees.
This
unique promotion provides 400 attendees an opportunity to snag an account with
10 domains randomly selected from the daily drops that receive traffic and many
of which generate revenue. Some may even be worth thousands on the marketplace!
The 4,000 domains are registered with Above and through their Domain Investor
Platform have been tested and monetized through their promotion partners, Rook Media and ParkingCrew.
Many
parking companies claim to be the best, but without closely monitored testing,
some domains may not be parked at the provider that performs best for those
domains. Above.com’s Domain
Parking Manager, with its proprietary algorithm, automatically
identifies the best performing service for each domain using normalized
statistical information. Traffic is dynamically allocated to maximize the
parking revenues earned.
- We are confident that you will see both the power and ease of use in our “Domain
Investor Platform” -
Test our services FREE and keep the TEN
domains and their earnings!
To participate, get your Promo Card at the
Above.com booth while at Webfest. Limit one coupon per person.
Above.com upgrades Domain Investor Platform by adding a major integration between our Domain Registrar and both the Parking Manager and the Domain Marketplace.
We are very proud of two BIG additions we made to our ICANN accredited domain registrar. We added a STATS button to your “My Domains” control panel, so you can view your domains parking history at the time you need … Read More
We are very proud of two BIG additions we made to our ICANN
accredited domain registrar.
- We added a STATS button to your “My Domains”
control panel, so you can view your domains parking history at the time you
need to know it the most – at renewal time. We connected our Parking Manager database to our
Registrar database meaning that you can manage your inventory with both ease
and precision. That’s smart business. - We added a SELL DOMAINS function inside your “My
Domains” control panel, so you can either list a domain for sale, or submit to
an auction. How did we do that? We connected our Marketplace database to our Registrar
database meaning that you can very easily move domains into auction with a
couple of clicks. Even better, you control with a click, the ability to show
your domain’s parking stats to potential buyers. This gives you more tools to
close sales.
The integration of these
services is part of an overall product development strategy at Above.com, as we
build upon the concept of a Domain Investor Platform.
We are attending WEBFEST GLOBAL 2013, in Santa Monica, California February 5-7, 2013. We’ll see you there!
While it’s never a bad idea to spend a few days in Southern California, these few days at Webfest are going to be a real treat for attendees. This conference always delivers! Webfest Global 2013 will feature hot topics in … Read More
While it’s never a bad idea to spend a few days in Southern
California, these few days at Webfest are going to be a real treat for
attendees. This conference always delivers! Webfest Global 2013 will feature
hot topics in areas such as domain investing, new gTLDs, acquiring and
converting web and mobile customers, mobile monetization, and much more.
Above.com has a very special
offer planned for attendees. It is a secret
for now. Let us know if you will be
attending, so we keep you informed. Be
sure to speak to one of the Above.com agents at the show, to discover the
newest “game changing” enhancements to the Above.com Domain Investor Platform. We are there for you!
Above.com upgrades Domain Investor Platform with innovative Domain Marketplace
We have now fully opened our Marketplace system for business, making the Above.com Marketplace the place to go to acquire or sell domains with traffic. The biggest differentiators between Above.com’s Marketplace and any other similar type system is that Buyers … Read More
We have now fully opened our Marketplace system for
business, making the Above.com Marketplace the place to go to acquire or sell
domains with traffic. The biggest differentiators between Above.com’s Marketplace and any other similar type
system is that Buyers can target their search for domains with verified traffic
and/or revenue history. Buyers can drill
down on a specific domain to see its parking performance over the most recent six-month
period, with a high level of transparency not seen in the market today.
There are two ways to get your domains into the
Marketplace. Either you can submit your domain
to auction, or you can simply list it for sale.
When you list a domain to auction, you set the length of the
auction (3-days, 7-days, 14-days, or 30-days), whether you want to show all or
some of your stats, your starting price, reserve price, and a customized
description. You can also set a Buy It Now
(BIN) price to buyers to bypass the auction bidding in favor of an outright
purchase. There is a submission fee of $1.20 per domain to submit a domain to
auction. During auction, the Reserve
price is not shown, but there will be an indication to buyers when reserve has
been met.
As mentioned, you can alternatively choose to list the
domain for sale. There is no fee for
listing a domain to sale. While an auction
is a specific timed event, the listing is perpetual. You maintain the same pricing
options for listing as you do for an auction.
However, the reserve price is shown in listings. When a buyer places a
bid that meets reserve on a listed domain, that domain automatically moves to a
3-day auction where other buyers have a chance to compete for the domain.
All sales done through the Marketplace include complementary
escrow service. The commission fee for domain sales is only 10%, which is
considerably less than most domain marketplaces. These TLDs are currently supported in the
Marketplace: .biz, .com, .info, .net, .org, .us, .cz, .fr, .pl, .uk, .eu
The addition of the Domain Marketplace is part of an overall
product development strategy at Above.com, as we build upon the concept of a
Domain Investor Platform.
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