Some Domaining Pet Peeves

Some Domaining Pet Peeves – I’ve accumulated some of these over the last year and thought it was worth a post about it. My first domaining pet peeve involves GoDaddy. Don’t get me wrong, a happen to like GoDaddy a lot and I’m a regular customer, but I do have a GoDaddy pet peeve that I’d like to air out today in hopes of getting them to change their ways a little. How many domainers out there have registered a typo domain accidentally. It happens all the time to newbies who don’t realize their mistake until after they have paid for and own the name. We have all learned that lesson at one time or another, or likely will if it hasn’t happened yet. In fact, just the other day, I attempted to hand register a name at GoDaddy, but inadvertently misspelled the name. It was obvious to me and I immediately made the correction before registering the name I was really after.

This is where my domaining pet peeve kicks in. Two days later, I received an e-mail from GoDaddy, indicating that the mispelled domain name that I had originally typed-in a couple of days earlier, was still available to register. No sh*t Sherlock, of course it is still available to register, as it was an accidental misspelled typo that I really had no intention of registering. While I realize that GoDaddy has an automated system to send out these e-mails in hopes of generating more business, in my opinion, the practice stinks, especially when it involves an obvious (and worthless) typo. I can only imagine how many newbies actually respond to these e-mails and go ahead and register the mis-typed name, not realizing they had originally provided a typo domain name. While I’m sure the percentage is small, it really gets under my skin, as this is at least the third time this has happened to me over the last year. It leaves a taste in your mouth that they are trying to capitalize and prey upon the unknowing, non-English speaking and/or vulnerable newbie for a couple of extra bucks. While some of you may say some people register these names on purpose and therefore GoDaddy is going after potential business, I still say it stinks. I’m not aware of other entities doing the same thing out there, but I’m sure there are. Regardless, every time I get one of these e-mails, my toes curl.

The next domaining pet peeve I’d like to discuss involves the US mail. I happen to be a philatelist for over thirty years, so I also love the US Postal Service, US mail and all of the stamps that go with them, but I digress. Ever since becoming a domainer, the amount of junk mail that I receive is pretty wild, as it all has to do with domains I’ve acquired or registered. Now, I’m not talking about spam or junk e-mail, although we all get plenty of that too. I’m talking about hard mail into your mailbox. Just yesterday, I received an offer for a Gold card from American Express. The offer was sent to my address and sent to ToysAway. I happened to have registered ToysAway.com last year, so it is pretty obvious where they got there information. This kind of mail comes frequently and includes credit card offers, trademark service offerings and even product catalogs. It truly is a waste of paper and resources and yet another domaining pet peeve that make my toes curl.

I’m sure we all have some domaining pet peeves that deserve airing out. Please take the time to leave a comment and share your biggest domaining pet peeve. Perhaps it will make you feel better!

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Some Domaining Pet Peeve

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Some Domaining Pet Peeves

Domain auctions are something the great majority of domainers participate in frequently. Many domain names that are expiring can be back ordered and won at subsequent auctions at places like Namejet, Snapnames and others. There are domain name auctions ending almost every minute at auction houses like GoDaddy, Sedo, Bido, Flippa, EBAY and many others. There are exciting domain name auctions that take place live at domain conferences like T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Some people like the thrill of being in an auction, whether it be live or just on-line, constantly refreshing the screen as the auction winds down to determine if they are the winner. Many domainers get involved in auctions, but some really have no intention on winning the name. They just want to participate, perhaps to have some insight into the final result. Lately, there are many great names that appear in domain auctions all of the time, making it a real exciting part of being in the domain name business at this time. However, like anything, there are some good things, some bad things and some down right ugly things associated with domain name auctions, depending on whether your a buyer or seller, and they are discussed here from my point of view.

Domain Auctions – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

GoDaddy recently changed their auction rules by extending the time added to the ending of each auction, anytime there is a bidder in the last 5 minutes of the auction. They have been operating for quite some time with just a two minute time extension and then recently changed it to 10 minutes. Within 24 hours of making that change, due to an outpouring of complaints, they changed it to 5 minutes, where is currently stands now. Many auction houses do this, in hopes of driving up the bidding and perhaps e-mailing those that have been outbid with a warning so that they can revisit and perhaps provide a higher bid. Flippa adds an entire hour each time there is a bid within the last hour. Most buyers hate the time extensions for several reasons. Some domainers like to “snipe” names, providing a last second bid in hopes of winning the name, while not drawing attention to the name. Time extensions really don’t allow for “sniping” in its purest form. Domain buyers are also busy people and time extensions only eat more time that a domainer could be spending on many other things. If they like the name, they need to be active in the auction and if someone else likes it too, you can have a bidding war that can go on for hours. I find it crazy when those that know how the extensions work still wait until the trickling seconds to provide another bid, only wasting valuable time! Like most, as a buyer of domain names, I hate the time extensions for domain name auction bidding. On the other hand, as a seller of domain names, time extensions are awesome, especially when there is a bidding war for your name. Time extensions allow you some time to really hype up the ongoing bidding war by using social media, like Facebook or Twitter. Like I said earlier, many like the thrill of an auction and bidding wars provide the perception of demand, although it’s not really a perception, it’s realty at that point.

Not every auction platform has time extensions. A great example is EBAY. I have sniped many items from EBAY sellers by bidding at the last seconds, but also lost many items to somebody else doing the same thing. The majority of auction houses do have incremental bidding, which means that each bid are provided in certain pre-defined increments, so that someone is not constantly outbid by a penny. If they really want the item, they need to be willing to up the bid to at least next increment, which is always set before the auction begins. My favorite domain name auction feature is proxy bidding, which allows you to place the maximum amount you are willing to bid for a given domain name. The auction platform will then enter a bid on your behalf against other bidders in the smallest required increment and up to your set maximum amount. It is a great feature, especially for a part time domainer like me, because it let’s me do my day job and not have to closely follow the domain auctions as they are happening. I know what I’m willing to pay and I set that amount. If I get the name, I know I got a deal and know I can sell the name for a higher price. While its my favorite feature, I kick myself often, as I’ve lost many domain names by somebody winning the name for one bidding increment above my maximum bid. I always seem to grind my teeth when it happens, but one should always set limits and stick with your guns in the end. I don’t know about you, but I’m in this to make some money. If you watch any of the auction hunter shows out there, they all operate the same way. That’s why they are successful and have their own show! I wonder who will have the first reality domaining show?

A controversial point among domainers with domain name marketplaces like SEDO, 4.cn and others is that once a seller receives an offer on their domain name, they have the option to kick it into public domain auctions, where the bidders offered price is utilized as the reserve price for the domain auctions. After reading several threads on the subject within domain forums, it is apparent that some domainers really despise this practice. On the other hand, there are many sellers who love the idea, as it provides a chance to get the name into a public auction, where there are many more eyes and possibilities for a higher priced sale. A seller does need to be comfortable with the initial offer, however, because the auction results in a sale for at least that initially offered amount.

Another good and bad point about auctions, depending on if you are a buyer or a seller, are the reserves, which we’ve touched upon already. A seller can set a reserve price for their name at most auction houses, thereby insuring that they will get what they want for the domain name (at a minimum), assuming there are bidders for the name. Most auction houses charge an additional fee for setting a reserve and sometimes the fee is dependent on the reserve amount set.

Having participated in many many auctions over the years for a variety of different things, it is very apparent that the most ugly side of auctions is the non-paying high bidder. Nothing is more annoying that a high bidder backing out of the deal and not paying for what they have won, other than a seller not sending the merchandise because they feel the auction did not command enough money from the winning bidder. I’ve experienced both and neither will get you in a good mood. It is a real waste of time for the seller and/or buyer and is always a real loser for the auction house. The domaining industry is a small world and what comes around goes around. As such, think twice before backing out of a deal, whether a buyer or a seller, as your reputation will be tarnished and you’ll have a harder time getting deals done. Many domain forums and blogs have name and Shame posts, whether deadbeat buyers and sellers are called out and identified. You’ll never see me on these lists and I better not see yu either!

Thanks for checking out some of the good, the bad and the ugly associated with domain name auctions!

Domain Auctions – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Domain Auctions – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
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Using Google AdSense

Using Google AdSense is a smart idea to make money online, whether you have developed a website or blog that is generating some traffic. While there is some controversy among domainers as to whether or not using Google AdSense on their domain selling portfolio site is smart idea, I’ll leave that for a future post. Most domainers park their websites and generate some income from parking companies, who basically populate your domain name landing page with relevant Google AdSense ads, allowing you to get paid per click. There is nothing difficult involved with parking your names and it is as simple as registering with the company, adding your domain names and changing your domain name servers associated with the name. That’s why most domainers park their names, there is little work and they can collect some residual income. It’s no secret, however, that they are leaving money on the table and that developing your domain name into a relevant website and populating it with quality content and your own Google AdSense ads, can be a much more lucrative proposition. It takes a little work, but it really is worth it. Like many forms of advertising, there are always proven tips and tricks that you can utilize to maximize the revenue generating potential your website or blog has while using Google AdSense. This article has been written to share some tips and tricks that have proven successful in boosting my income while using Google AdSense, including a recent lesson I learned through a Google warning notification. Let’s start there.

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As everybody likes to learn something new each day, let’s start with the recent lesson learned, after I received a Google Warning notification relating to a violation pertaining to using Google AdSense on one of my websites. For those of you who may have not seen such a message before, here is what is looked like:

Hello,
This is a warning message to alert you that there is action required to bring your AdSense account into compliance with our AdSense program policies. We’ve provided additional details below, along with the actions to be taken on your part.

Issue ID#: XXXXXXXXX

Affected website: XXXXXXXXXX.com

Example page where violation occurred: http://www.XXXXXXXXXX.com

Action required: Please make changes to your site within 72 hours.

Current account status: Active

Violation explanation

AD MISLABELING: Publishers may not implement Google ads in a manner that disguises the ads in any way. For instance, publishers may not place ads under misleading headers or titles as this may confuse users into thinking the ads are actually site links related to that header. To avoid this issue, we ask that publishers use only “sponsored links” or “advertisements” to label ads. More information about this policy can be found in our help center at ( https://www.google.com/adsense/support/as/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=115985 ).

How to resolve:
If you received a notification in regard to page content, please either remove the content from your site or remove ads from the violating pages. If you received a notification in regards to the way ads are implemented on your site, please make the necessary changes to your implementation. We will automatically review the site again after 72 hours. You do not need to contact us if you make changes. Please be aware that if changes are not made within the required time frame, ad serving will be disabled to the affected website listed above.

Additionally, please be aware that the URL above is just an example and that the same violations may exist on other pages of this website or other sites that you own. To reduce the likelihood of future warnings from us, we suggest that you review all your sites for compliance. For more information regarding our policy warning notifications, visit our Help Center: https://support.google.com/adsense/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1378153&ctx=topic.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team
end

It did not take me long to correct my issue and I was very happy that Google reached out to me to let me know how to correct my issue, so that I could continue using Google ADSense on my website. My issue was simple, I had one of my Google AdSense headings titled “My Sponsors”, which is actually against Google’s policies, as explained above. As Google explains, you can not disguise the ads in any way and to avoid this issue, they suggest that publishers use only “sponsored links” or “advertisements” to label ads.

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I have seen this common mistake on many websites and I’m pretty sure DNForum also suggests using this language in their DNFCollege, which I highly recommend!

Okay, now that you have learned something, let me roll into some other tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way using Google AdSense.

Using Google AdSense Tips and Tricks

The first tip is to be sure and show both image and text ads. Image ads using Google AdSense compete in the same auction for your ad space that text ads do. As such, choosing to display both image and text ads will certainly increase the competition for ads to appear on your website or blog, and most likely will also increase your earnings. Instructions on how to enable image ads on your site can be found in Google’s Help Center.

The next tip is to really make your first ad unit count: Google AdSense loads the highest paying ad on a page first, so if you want to improve your revenue, you need to make sure that your best performing ad unit is the first in your HTML code. The neaty gritty of how you can really make your first ad unit count by using Google AdSense can be found here.

Another great tip is to ensure optimal ad placement, which is really important. The placement of your Google AdSense ads plays a significant role in revenue earning potential and user experience. While Google often recommends placing an ad above the fold, they also suggest that it is just as important that users can easily find the content they are looking for. Additional tips on Google AdSense ad placement can be found here.

Always remember, you can also add a search box (or two). A publisher can put up two AdSense for search boxes (along with three standard Google AdSense for content ad units and three link units) on each page of your website. Google AdSense for search lets you place a Custom Search Engine on your site to provide users with web search, and it is a free product. You’ll also earn revenue from relevant ads on the search results page, so it is a no brainer.

Lastly, although it seems like common sense, most forget to really focus on ensuring that your site has a positive user experience! It should be obvious that user experience can make or break your website. With so many other sites offering similar services and information, it’s extremely important to differentiate your site in the eyes of your users by providing a better experience. The attention of most users is limited, so you really only have a few seconds to provide a good experience and quickly guide the user to what they’re looking for.

Using Google AdSense is really how you can make some good money on-line, but you need to follow the rules and you need to maximize the potential of your site as much as you can. Hopefully some of these tips and tricks using Google AdSense are helpful to you. As I have another list of additional tips that I have found very profitable, I’ll be sure to write another post to follow up this one soon! In the mean time, good luck using Google AdSense!

Using Google AdSense

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