Profiting from keyword phrases - playing domain lotto
October 31, 2007
I was listening to another excellent domain podcast on webmasterradio and one of the guests told a great story.
An advertising company was doing a huge campaign for GMH based around the phrase “keys to victory”. They were already well into preparing for the launch of the campaign when they realized no one had bothered to check if “keystovictory.com” was actually available.
A public speaker was using the domain to promote his business and he sold the domain to the agency. I am pretty sure he didn’t know he would be selling it to GMH as the sale was done through a broker, but I am sure they offered him a good price for the domain.
I couldn’t find his site in archive.org, so I don’t know what the previous owner is using now. I did a search on the web and I found a good list of some of the domains which large companies are using now for different campaigns and don’t have their company name in them.
I think this is going to become more common. Creating an advertisement which directs people to a website it is going to be easier to track the success of the campaign. A memorable domain is a must for this, with no hyphens and preferably with a .com extension.
Of course if would be almost impossible to predict what domains will be needed, but if you stick to easy to say phrases, no hyphens and .coms or possibly a .tv, you will be on your way to having a good chance of winning domain lotto.
21st Century Insurance - 21st.com
A&E - SuitcaseOfCash.com
ABC - ABetterCommunity.com
ABC - BeUgly07.com
ABC - OnlyTheyKnow.com
Ad Council - TheTVBoss.org
Ad Council - DontAlmostGive.org
American Egg Board - NaturesMiracleFood.com
American Heart Associaton - BeatYourRisk.com
American Express - 800TheCard.com
American Express - Apply4BlueSky.com
American Express - ApplyClear.com
American Express - ILoveMiamiSpice.com
American Express - InChicago.com InNYC.com In-LA.com
American Express - MyLifeMyCard.com
American Express - StopPong.com
American Lung Association - AsthmaControl.com
Anheuser-Busch - BeeResponsible.com
Anheuser-Busch - Bud.TV (Superbowl)
Anheuser-Busch DesignatedDriver.com
AOL - TotalTalk.com
AstraZeneca - GettingItRight.com
Atari - TestDriveUnlimited.com
Aubuchon Hardware - HardwareStore.com
Audi - NeverFollow.com
Banana Republic - FindTheArtInTheEveryday.com
Bank Of America - Loans.com
Bayer - NoFleas.com
Bayer - WonderDrug.com
Barnes and Noble - Books.com
BellSouth FastAccess.com
Best Buy - CEOOO.com
Boeing - NewAirplane.com
Bombadier - LiveTheRace.tv
Bowflex - BuyTC.com
BP - ALittleBetterGasStation.com
Bridgestone - FindTobu.com
Bridgestone - TireSafety.com
Buchanan Group - BrandPower.com
Buick - DriveBeautiful.com
Burger King - ChickFlix.com
Burger King - HaveItYourWay.com
Burger King - PetMoustache.com
Burger King - StackersUnion.com
Burger King - SubservientChicken.com
Busch Gardens HeroSalute.com
California Milk Advisory Board - RealCaliforniaCheese.com
Calvin Klein - Bras.com
Calvin Klein - Underwear.com
Campbell’s Soup - MySoup.com
Carnation Instant Breakfast - GreatMorningGiveaway.com and MyMorningFuel.com
CBS - MiniatureKiller.com
Cessna - LearnToFly.com
Chattem - Icy Hot - FreedomOfMotion.info
Church & Dwight - Arrid deodorant - WetnessProtectionProgram.com
Chevron - WillYouJoinUs.com
Citibank - StudentLoan.com
Clorox - MealsTogether.com
Coca Cola - Lebron23-23.com
Coca Cola - Sublymonal.com
CocaCola - HowDoYouHangOut.com
Coffee Mate/Nestle - TheCowsAreComing.com
Comcast - CultureFool.com
Comcast - TheSlowskys.com
Conagra - SlimJim - Snapalope.com
Country Buffet - Buffet.com
Daimler Chrysler - AskDrZ.com
Daimler Chrysler - PatriotAdventure.com
DAngelo sandwich franchise - PapiSays.com
Dasani - MakeYourMouthWater.com
Del Pharmaceuticals - SensativityGone.com
Discovery Channel - Planet-Earth.com
Discovery Channel - ReadyAimFuture.com
Dish Network - IWantFootball24-7.com
Dish Network - SuckFreeTV.com
Dominos Pizza - AnythingGoesDeal.com
Dominos Pizza - BrooklynStylePizza.com
Dunkin Donuts - Flavorolgy.com
Dunkin Donuts - MyIcedCoffee.com
Durex - ProposeTheRing.com
Eli Lilly - DepressionHurts.com
ESPN - CollegeGameDay.com
Federal Express - SaveWithExpress.com
Federal Express - NoMoreAllNighters.com
Ford - BoredomHurts.com
Ford - FusionChallenge.com
Ford - GenuineService.com
Ford - UltimateBackyardAdventure.com
Frito Lay - SnackStrongProductions.com
GEICO - CavemansCrib.com
General Cigar - CigarWorld.com
General Electric - Ecomagination.com
General Electric - OneSecondTheater.com
General Electric - TransportationServices.com and TrailerServices.com
General Mills - MyHomeTownHelper.com
General Motors - KeysToVictory.com
General Motors - LiveGreenGoYellow.com
Georgia Pacific - StopFeedingMold.com
Glad - 1000Uses.com
GlaxoSmithKline - RestlessLegs.com
H&R Block - TaxCut.com
Heinz - TopThisTV.com
Hershey’s - WatchAndWhoa.com
Hilton Hotels - BeHospitable.com
History Channel - History.com
Honda - ElementAndFriends.com
Howard Stern - HowardTV.com
InDemand - GetHockey.com
Jack in the Box - BreakfastServedAllDay.com
Jack Links - MessWithSasquatch.com
JC Penny - Gift.com
Johnson and Johnson - Baby.com
Johnson and Johnson - ROCChallenge.com
Kellogg’s - ChildhoodIsCalling.com
Kimberly Clark - Kleenex
Kohl’s - TransformationNation.com
Kraft - CreamCheese.com
Kraft - GirlfriendsInvitation.com
Kraft - SingTheJingle.com
Kraft - TheCheesiest.com
Land Rover - TheNewRush.com
Lexus - ActivelySafe.com
Lexus - AllNewIS.com
MacNeil Automotive - Mats.com
Mars - AfterTheKiss.com (Superbowl)
Mars - BecomeAnMM.com
Master Card - WinANewHouse.com
MasterCard - Priceless.com
Mazda - NeverSawItComing.com
Mentadent - AreYouTeethPeople.com
Merck - Tell-Someone.com
Microsoft - Investor.com
Microsoft - WorkWherever.com
Mike’s Hard Lemonade.com - Mikesology.com
Milk - 2424Milk.com WhyMilk.com and GotMilk.com
Miller Beer - ManLaws.com
Miller Beer - TasteLoss.com
Mission Pharmacal - Citrical - StandStrong.com
Mother’s Polish - WaxForum.com
Mother’s Polish - DetailGuide.com
Mutual of America - YourRetirementCompany.com
Nestle - FollowTheFinger.com
Nestle - ForTheKidInYou.com
Nestle - GoPlayLabels.com
Nestle - HarvestSurprise.com
Nestle - SlowChurned.com
Nestle - Meals.com
Nexium - PurplePill.com
Nintendo - TouchGenerations.com
Nissan - Z.com
Nissan - ShowUsYourX.com
NORA - IntelligentWarmth.com
Norelco - ShaveEverywhere.com
Novartis/Lamisil - TakeCure.com
Office Depot - OfficeSupplies.com
Office Depot - School.com
PacifiCare - PrescriptionSolutions.com
Paypal - X.com
Pepsi - EveryTenMinutes.com
Pepsi - BrownAndBubbly.com
Pepsi - Mist-Takes.com
PETA - Circuses.com
Pfizer - JustAskToday.com
Pfizer - MyTimeToQuit.com
Phillips - ASimpleSwitch.com
Pioneer - DriveHappier.com
Procter & Gamble - AutoDry.com
Procter & Gamble - BlameItOnTheColor.com
Procter & Gamble - BounceEverywhere.com
Procter & Gamble - DumpCupid.com
Procter & Gamble - KeepThemGuessing.com
Procter & Gamble - Noticeables.com
Procter & Gamble - ShareYourSecret.com
Procter & Gamble - TimeRenewal.com
Procter & Gamble - Prilosec - HerFootball.com
Progressive Insurance - DriveInsurance.com
Prudential - RetirementRedzone.com
Purina - LongLiveYourDog.com
Qwest - Q.com
Roche - FluFacts.com
Sanofi-aventis - GoInsulin.com and YourInsulin.com
Sara Lee - GoMeat.com
SC Johnson - AutomaticShowerCleaner.com
Sharp Aquos - MoreToSee.com
Slimquick - HowWomenLoseWeight.com
Snickers - InstantDef.com
Sony Pictures, The Fog movie - EscapeTheFog.com
Sony Pictures, The Grudge 2 movie - DoYouHaveAGrudge.com
Sony - ReadyForTheShow.com
State Farm Insurance - 50MillionPounds.com
State Farm Insurance - NowWhat.com
Stouffer’s/Nestle - FreshFrozen.com and SeeWhatsCooking.com
Strom - NoYolks.com
SunSweet - PlumSmart.net
Sylvan Learning - Educate.com
Taco Bell - FourthMeal.com
Taco Bell - ThinkOutsideTheBun.com
Takeda - Rozerem - WeMissYou.com and TheyMissYou.com
Tanqueray - GlobeProbe.com
Texas Instruments - ItsTheMirrors.com
Tim Horton’s - 15millioncanadians.com
Tmobile - MyFaves.com
Tmobile - TheOnlyPhoneYouNeed.com
Toshiba - EndTheStealing.com
Toshiba - LetTheHarmonyBegin.com
Unilever - CampaignForRealBeauty.com
Unilever - CanYouTell.com
Unilever - CTURookie.com and Degreemen.com
Unilever - CupASoup.com
Unilever - GetHairapy.com
Unilever - ColorShowdown.com
Unilever - SpreadTheSharing.com
US Air Force - DoSomethingAmazing.com
US Department of Defense - TodaysMilitary.com
USA Network - ShowUsYourCharacter.com
USPS - ShipItWinIt.com
US Smokeless Tobacco - FreshCope.com
Verizon Broadband - RicherDeeperBroader.com
Warner Chilcott - ShortPeriod.com
Wedding Channel - Weddings.com
Wendys - BBV99.com
Wendys - FrostyFloat.com
Wendys - ThisIsMyBurger.com
Wrigley - CandyStand.com
Wrigley - GoodCleanFeeling.com
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals - KnowMenopause.com
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals - YourTimeForChange.com
Xerox - FrugalColor.com
Yoplait - SoGoodGirls.com
Think in verticals not niches and a new website
October 28, 2007
Over about the past year or so, since I started creating multiple websites the advice has always been to create a website based on a particular niche. The theory goes that it is difficult for new players to break into highly competitive markets.
I think niches are still a good way to make money, but once you have discovered a successful niche, I think you then need to start thinking in verticals. One thing that has stuck in my mind was something which Darren of Problogger.net said in an interview. The question was if he had to start again, what would he do differently if he had to start again.
He replied that he would stick to the camera or digital camera vertical. He has run various blogs on a wide variety of topics, but it seems like his camera review site, his newly launched digital photography site and of course problogger are his main areas of of interest.
If you have one successful website it is much easier to piggyback off this website to launch a new website along a similar theme or vertical. For me the Tokyo/Japan vertical has worked well for me. From my Tokyo website, I have created a Japan job site and a Japan hostel booking site, both of which are doing nicely.
After coming to China I found ChinaRant.com and thought the idea was a good one, so I launched JapanRant.com. It has only take a couple of hours to put together, but if I spend some time marketing the site, I think it could work.
I have been out of Japan for nearly a year now and was thinking perhaps there isn’t much for people to complain about there, but read how the government is getting all foreigners living there and entering the country to be finger printed.
Are you going to stop selling links?
October 27, 2007
I can’t believe how much people are talking about the latest Google PageRank update! It even made the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in Australia (at least the online version).
It’s not going to stop me selling links, at least on this blog. I am still making money with Text Link Ads and Linkworth, so it is going to be interesting to see how this income goes.
One thing I can see happening is that there are going to be more sponsored posts in blogs and linking from articles rather than from links in sidebars and blogrolls. Google kind of made the market for buying and selling links and now they are trying to close the market. Perhaps it is a good thing, I am not really sure right now. Selling links has become a very good source of income for many bloggers, especially where Adsense didn’t work so well.
I agree with what Darren has written on the subject:
I think that what Google has done this last week means that we’ll see more and more of the text link selling go further underground. We’ll see it happen less using systems like TextLinkAds and more happening in less transparent ways.
And if Darren is right, which I think he is, the internet is going to become an even less trustworthy source of information.
Two great new blogs to check out
October 26, 2007
In a world of thousand dollar ebooks and membership sites, it is nice to find people offering no nonense, BS-free tips and advice for making money online.
Financial Hack As the author says on his about page:
You probably don’t know my name. You have likely never heard of any of my websites or blogs. I don’t sell anything. I don’t pay for advertising at all. I am not an A-List blogger and my website would still be considered quite small within its category. In all likelihood, you are a better writer than I am. You definitely know more about computers than I do. And despite all this, I take home a six figure income from the Internet.
This blog is going to be an interesting one to follow. I have known the author for sometime now and he has given me plenty of helpful advice. He has been working online full-time now for four years. He is a perfect example of someone who puts in a lot of hard work and has been very successful, despite keeping a pretty low profile.
Nerdy Nomad is someone else I have seen who has gone from making a small online income to one where she can now quit her job and make enough to travel through Asia while working on her sites. Again no-nonsense, bs-free tips and advice for making money online.
TNX Text links
October 22, 2007
Most people have already heard of Text Link Ads and Linkworth as a marketplace for selling and buying links. TNX is a new player in the market getting set to become an alternative text link broker in the space to buy links.
The process for adding sites to list in the marketplace is very straight forward. You will need to place some PHP code into your site for the links to display properly. They have a points system where you can earn points from doing various things like adding more sites to their system and purchasing links.
Currently 1000 points is between $0.63 - 1.26 depending on the number of links you buy.
The minimum purchase price for a PR7 link is $6.3 a month, which sounds to me like a bargain. The maximum price is 20 times this value. They have a fairly neat little price calculator which you can instantly calculate how many links you will get for your budget, depending on the highest page rank you select for the your links to appear on.
When you join you get free bonus points to test the effectiveness of the TNX system. They also have discounts of up to 50 per cent for SEO experts. TNX is currently running a campaign on Digital point forum where you can get free links to your site just by joining up.
They have an impressive 31,233,782 links sold and currently have 29,156 users. Not surprisingly, TNX also have an affiliate program to help you make more money from the program.
Working on the internet in China
October 19, 2007
Working on the internet in China can be a pretty frustrating experience which I have found out the past couple of days. The Chinese Community Party Congress held every five years is currently taking place. George Bush is also meeting with the Dalai Lama, which has caused a furore in government circles. I doubt that your average Chinese person would care that much.
The result is that the government is blocking and redirecting popular sites like Youtube, Flickr, Wikipedia and Facebook - just to name a few. There is also talk on forums of the government controlling access to external sites bringing the internet to a crawl.
In China, every website must register with the government and which they then presumably are required to abide by various rules. There are rumors that only registered sites will be able to be accessed in China at some point. For people looking to tap into the huge Chinese market, I think this is important to know.
It seems like the upcoming Olympic Games is not changing the government’s attitude to freedom of information. China has changed so much in the past 10 years and personal freedom has improved but it is obvious that the government wants to maintain control over what people can read and watch.
Madville
October 13, 2007
One website which sent me a bit of traffic when I had a big spike in traffic was Madville.com. I had never heard of the site, but it looks like you can submit a link and if it is accepted it stays on the front page for a day.
I just submitted a post from my Beijing site and it was accepted. Another one was rejected.
If you write an interesting article, it is one way to get some extra traffic.
Mini successes
October 11, 2007
After yesterday’s burst in traffic, I just checked my YouTube stats and I have had 683 views for the video I took on the new Beijing subway line. It looks like a couple of sites picked up the video.
I took it on the day that it opened. I actually went there in the morning only to find it opened at 2 p.m. I went by the station on my bike on the way home and half of me wanted to take a look at the station and half of me just wanted to go and grab a beer.
Fortunately, I rode on the subway just 1 one stop and back and got a bit of footage. I took one of the Beijing Stadium, it has been up longer and now has 85 views.
I was thinking just the other day, what if I do all of this work and nothing comes of it. Well, I am probably spending less money now than when I was traveling and I am having fun doing the site, so I am not losing anything. I am also learnin so much about marketing on the internet and about China.
China is just absolutely going crazy now. I see so many opportunities here and if I do make any money from the Olympic site, I think I will be reinvesting it back in some kind of China project.
Over 6000 visitors in a day
October 9, 2007
I just had one of my best website days in terms of traffic on my Beijing Olympic site. From around 60 visitors to 6000, mostly from Stumbledupon. I know it is going to come down again, but I got some new links and hopefully some new readers.
I have been in Beijing a week now and China about two weeks. I am spending most of my time on the site. I took Adsense off of it a little while ago as I was getting some weird clicks, but will put it back on again soon.
I never made the $10 from the 30 Day Challenge, but now I suppose some of techniques I learnt there have helped. A shout out to Jeffrey from Confess Mail and his very funny blog Kitty Hell and Work on a Boat, for their fantastic suggestions and advice.
Is your website blocked in China?
October 8, 2007
With a potential of 1.3 billion people not having access to your website, you could be missing out on decent some traffic if your website is blocked in China.
Ok, not everyone in China has web access but they will surpass the US in the number of people online in the not too distant future. There is a website: Greatfirewallofchina.org (blocked in China) which is suppose to test if your website is blocked or not.
I don’t know how well it works, but it looks like my Tokyo website is not resolving here for me. I have no idea why, or how I might be able to fix this.
If you would like me to test your site, just drop your URL in the comments.
