How to monetize domains with dashes or hyphens

anim8tr · 03-09-2008, 07:15 PM

I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for how to monetize domain names with dashes (hyphens).

I've got several domains like this, but there seems to be no type-in traffic for them. They contain popular keyword phrases and would probably be great sites to develop to generate traffic, but I don't have a lot of time to develop these.

Thoughts, ideas?

zach · 03-09-2008, 08:28 PM

People do not usually type in hyphens. For example, they usually type UsedCar.com instead of Used-Car.com. I am actually running a case study which tends to show that people more often try other extensions, such as .net, before trying a hyphen.

Because of this, if you want natural traffic, you're only viable option is to rank in search engines for that term. The best way to do this, obviously, is to build a site at that domain. If you do this, be sure to use a good keyword density and generate natural incoming links.

Other options which I DO NOT recommend (because they generally break ppc and parking TOS, but hey, try them if you want lol) are link spamming and
buying traffic.

Remember though, parking is a way of monetizing a domain whilst you wait to sell it. Don't waste your time incrasing your parking revenue. Do something productive. Think about the long term. If you are building a website there, then that can grow and you can profit.

If you want to just sell the domain for a profit, then be sure to sell it based on the popularity of the keywords, and not on the traffic or a multiple of the parking revenue.

Hope that helped you,

Zach

anim8tr · 03-09-2008, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zach

Remember though, parking is a way of monetizing a domain whilst you wait to sell it. Don't waste your time incrasing your parking revenue.

Great info, thanks... Are you saying that parking in general, (with any domain name), is a non-productive activity or are you saying that it's non-productive only for domains with dashes?

zach · 03-10-2008, 01:33 AM

No problem!

Well, I'm saying it's non-productive to spend one's time, day after day, on parked domains in general. Monitoring visitors and where they came from (for those services that provide those statistics), and trying to increase them, is just too unsteady. Even if you do manage to get top search engine rankings with a parked domain (which is very unlikely due to the way search engine algorithms work), if someone develops a site in your niche, they will take your ranking because they have better content.

Im not saying that you shouldnt park them... If you have a domain that you are waiting to sell, then park it!! Do spend some time figuring out which parking service is best for you. Just don't let that be your focus.

Instead build your portfolio or develop it, as you would any business.

Having a large residual income (parked) portfolio is great, I have one myself, but I consider it a bonus.

Zach

zach · 03-10-2008, 01:37 AM

also, on another note about hyphen domains:

some people have suggested that hyphens are better for search engine rankings because the hyphen seperates keywords and makes it easier for the search engine.

anim8tr · 03-10-2008, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zach

Well, I'm saying it's non-productive to spend one's time, day after day, on parked domains in general. Monitoring visitors and where they came from (for those services that provide those statistics), and trying to increase them, is just too unsteady.

Interesting... maybe I need to take step back here and ask a far more general question. I've been doing a lot of research on domaining lately and am right now focused in on how to best monetize domains.

Based on what I've been reading, several people seem to rely strictly on parking. They have hundreds or even thousands of web sites that pull in anywhere from $10 to $100 per year.

Others focus in on developing a domain and holding onto it. They have no intentions of ever selling the domain. There seem to be few very successful people in this space who were wise and lucky enough early on to acquire generic domain names.

I'm trying to figure out where the best return on time and labour is when it comes to domaining. I have a day job and really don't have a great deal of time to develop a site to the point where search engines will take it seriously. A one or two page site just doesn't get much respect in the search engine world.

Do you have any recommendations for getting a site up quickly with a small amount of effort?

berlinlife06 · 03-10-2008, 03:36 PM

If you want good traffic and something of quality, then you have to put the effort into it. There's no such thing as "easy income" without real work. You might work for a while and then maybe sell it for a good price, but you need to input and work it to get something that people would like to visit.

anim8tr · 03-11-2008, 03:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berlinlife06

If you want good traffic and something of quality, then you have to put the effort into it.

berlinlife06 and zack, I appreciate your advice and honest feedback. I guess it's time to get to work on developing those domains...

Ardoris · 03-11-2008, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zach

also, on another note about hyphen domains:

some people have suggested that hyphens are better for search engine rankings because the hyphen seperates keywords and makes it easier for the search engine.

This worked like charm before, I mean before search engine got smart.
go to google and type "makingmoneyonline".
It will show results for makingmoneyonline site, makingmoney online and making money online.

However...
Making-Money-Online.com is better than some obscure ext. when it's time to sell.

RFL1986 · 03-11-2008, 07:31 PM

I wouldn't buy a hyphenated domain because it's so much harder to monetize them but the tips above are great for if you are interested in trying to get into this segment of the market. It's true that good names with hyphens can be valuable in lieu of more obscure domain names.