The Domain King's® thoughts on domain names, web traffic, increasing web sales, success, life, and plain-old Business & Marketing 101. Nothing happens until a sale is made!
Franks Newsletter starts off “We presently have 55 partners and 230,000 of the best names on the web on the platform at InternetTraffic.com”.
In just DAYS, Frank Schilling has attracted some of the very best domains on the net. At this pace, Frank should break 1 million domains by this time next month. That's without an ad. Without a sales force. Without people on the phone. Without anything but word of mouth and reputation!!
Many are reporting 50% increases. I am experiencing numbers much higher. A true watershed moment for domainers that have PURE type in traffic. Let’s see what happens when one platform attracts the very best domains. The highest trafficked domains. The most targeted domains. The ones with the greatest buying power.
What does our traffic look like when it is not mixed with mud and shit? I think the results will be eye opening. I think the results will provide a win for domainers, a win for end users and a win for Google and Yahoo. It’s all about the traffic. But there is real traffic with buying power and there is manufactured or “Phantom” traffic that just dilutes the real stuff so others can make money at our expense.
The genie is now out of the bottle and new information will emerge that will not be able to be overlooked, disregarded or minimized.
What happens when you are a refinery and all the oil is pumped out and all you are stuck with is mud? Well the Domain Industry may soon find out. Frank Schilling now has a new Parking Company with a direct Google feed to make you more money IF and ONLY IF you have PURE TYPE IN TRAFFIC. Oil, Gold, the best traffic. HTFJYRTZYSXW
'A no-frills domain monetization platform, for experienced type-in traffic operators.'
I think for the FIRST TIME we will see what happens when you really filter the traffic to have only the best. No domains where the traffic could be anything other than PURE type in traffic. It took the crappiest payouts ever for the BUST to really happen and now we are witnessing it in real time.
If you have that pure type in traffic we all know and love, then you will soon be going thru Frank and his new venture at InternetTraffic.com. I don’t even have to pitch it for him. He does not even have to pitch it. He just has to do it and he has and this is a really good thing for a lot of us.
'You WILL make significantly more money here.' Frank Schilling
Congrats to Frank for breaking away in a big way and perhaps turning the tide as this may significantly change the industry landscape in the coming months and years. The NUMBERS will tell the rest of the story and the NUMBERS may disrupt a lot of PPC companies in our space and how they do business. Especially WHEN folks find out that they have been getting hosed!
Be patient, there will be a floodgate of domainers lined up to open their accounts this week and start earning 'Significantly more money'. Each account will be pulling their traffic away from another parking company. The BEST traffic! The most profitable traffic. How much business can a parking company lose and still be viable? And remember, they won't be 'Bleeding' traffic. There will be a mass exodus and more of a rupture.
And it does not stop there. There are more options and other solutions coming our way. I know folks that are quietly working on big things. All I can say is in a few months things are going to be very different around this industry and you will finally get a BILL for your friendships when you see the difference in earnings. Then maybe folks will understand who pays for what and wise up. How much does YOUR friendship cost? I'll be your best friend too if I was making 50% or more on YOUR payouts!!! On your traffic. On your BACK!
And let's hope the takeaway from this is that Yahoo and Google finally see the difference between Mud and Oil and pay out accordingly. I think we can agree that Frank can represent the best interest of domainers and our valuable traffic better than the likes of some companies in the space that may have driven a wedge between Yahoo, Google and domainers in the past.
This is a really great day for old line domainers that have and believe in Type in Traffic. It may be a really bad day for some others that try every trick in the book to get more traffic regardless of the quality and pretend both are equal.
will be as hot as South Beach itself. Our Security Guards
will have the best legs on the beach. But, before the show even starts,
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. will be giving away a free Poolside Cabana to the
Domainer who can explain to folks why T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is virtually free
because of all the business they do. Perhaps just one event that changed
your destiny. One deal that will pay you forward for a lifetime. What
value did that really have as opposed to the expense of coming? Just post a short story or essay by midnight tomorrow.
Winner will be announced later this week.
Each
cabana will come stocked with a bottle of Champagne, bottles of water
and soda, a flat screen T.V. (to watch football, of course), 6 Chairs,
towels and of course service by one of our HOT cabana girls. The T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Cabana Girls will make your weekend a little more
enjoyable. A little more pampered. We expect more than 100 folks for the weekend before the show
even starts.
If
you want to rent a cabana, we have leased all available and can be
gotten for just $750/day for sponsors and $375 for domainers. There
are just 7 cabanas and 3 are already spoken for. So we must know ASAP if
you have any interest. This is open to domainers or companies. Network
SoBE style!! Domainers have First Dibs until 5PM tomorrow and then we
will release to sponsors on the waiting list we will set up.
Folks
who know Chad Folkening, know that Bianka runs the ModelStore.com and
promises THE hottest looking girls for the Cabanas and Security.
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
has no corporate umbrella with a lot of do's and don'ts. Howard and I do what we
feel is the right thing at the best time and that is the only thing. The chips will always fall where they will.
Time
to talk about the different sides and facets of the business. Some are
helping you, some have the ability to destroy you. Laugh if you like,
ignore at your own peril. It has been costly to you or haven't you
noticed?? If you want to be involved in your destiny, you know where to
be and when to be there. Renegades and trailblazers need to reach back and regroup.
So
I plan on continuing to give you an overwhelming number of reasons you
should want to come to Miami Beach. Many announcements. Many new things.
Many surprises because we have the freedom to follow the future as
opposed to a corporate bottom line via a mindless spreadsheet and one
dimensional decisions made. Many that do long term damage to folks
planning to do this for the rest of their lives. Our bottom line is
moving the
industry forward and steering it in the right direction.
I
want to thank Rick Latona for going
against the grain in what has been arguably the most challenging
business environment in decades and working hard to bring T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
and Domaining to new
corners of the world in spite of those factors. It did not work as well
as we would have all hoped
but that is what happens when you push the envelope and blaze new
paths.
Lastly, there are just 19 rooms left for Tuesday Night October 19th. So take a minute and book your room
The Domain Industry is expanding by leaps and bounds. It is
expanding to every corner of the world and every corner of every industry and business. With
500 new TLD’s it will likely change the face of domaining in a way few have
thought about or imagined.
And while the Industry is expanding there are fewer and
fewer full time domainers by percentage and maybe even by actual number. There
are probably more employees at GoDaddy than the entire number of full time
domainers. Now start multiplying that with all the other allied companies and registrars.
The point is while there may only be 200, 300, 500 maybe
even 1000 full time domainers, there are so many more working at the edges in
allied industries that domainers are the minority and thus domainers are at
risk of losing control of what they do. Personally, I think it already happened
and there are so many competing forces out there protecting their turf and such
that things are not as good as they really should be and sometime creative ideas are silenced because they see what happens when they speak up.
So we keep talking about development and I have been talking
about it since 1997. But developing without a real business behind it is
missing something. Maybe the way to develop is to start with a “Cash Register”
and then build something around it. Work backwards. That was how I bought my first domain.
Working backwards.
This industry needs a giant leap. So we need to think about what was not available back years ago and
is today or was very costly then and not now. Tools that we have and how to use them. Many new tools in the toolbox
and we really never had time to sit back and discuss those tools. The hammer is
great the pliers are great but sometimes having the hammer maker and the plier
guy right there pitching their tools all the time may not be the best way to
allow your creativeness to come out until you start to use all the tools in the
chest together.
So back to my original point. There are many more folks
employed in the domain industry than there are full time domainers. That
presents problems and opportunities and to exploit the opportunities, sometimes
you need to talk privately with your own ilk about both.
I realize the audience that can truly understand and embrace
what I say is not getting any bigger and the critics only get louder. So what? Does that mean I have to stop
progressing? Does that mean I have to follow the crowd and do what others do?
Does that mean I can’t take risk and try new things? So maybe there are 500
full time domainers. Next year there will be 480 as some sell or go other
directions and who knows if those 20 will be replaced. But what we do know is
the registries will be hiring hundreds if not thousands of new folks. Not
domainers, but now in the Domain Industry. I am sure they will be wonderful folks. But they won’t make
you a dime when you party with them.
My point is the core group of domainers is not really
growing while the allied industries are because of what is coming. Domainers
are now the minority in the domaining Industry and while you may not have
thought about it before, maybe it is time to start now. That was the motivation for the following paragraph in yesterday's mailer. Something Howard and I have been discussing for years and we knew would be met with strong headwinds. But we will be doing it anyway.
'In 2011, T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is strongly considering the
possibility of having a 'Non Sponsored' event. That means NO
SPONSORS! Domainers only. The purpose is to keep the
advertising and commercial part out and the ideas
in.It could be a very controversial event,
but we are DETERMINED to put on a domainer only show in 2011,
to discuss where we are, where we have been, where we are
going and what is the best way of getting there. We will do
that without Registrars, PPC companies, SEO 'experts' or
Developers, or any other company selling something to us. We
will go into this in more depth during and after T.R.A.F.F.I.C. SOUTH
BEACH in October. We would like to hear from you on this novel
idea, because this is YOUR show.'
It will be a gathering of like minded folks. Cost will be modest. Only requirement is that you are a full time domainer. We also know that some are domainers and they have companies, they too are welcome, but they have to leave their company hat at home. This show will have a specific purpose. Nobody will force anyone to come. But those that understand the message will and others should not be threatened because what we come up with just might help what you do.
How can folks stay ahead of the game when they deny the
reality of the times? I am not sure what drives human nature. I just observe
how it manifests. I talked about the recession before there was a recession. It
bothered some. I guess for those guys I should just BS them because reality is
a bit hard to deal with. They are not pigeons, they are ostriches. The closer reality gets, the more they
bury their head in the sand and don’t want to deal with it. Cash reserves begin to get lower and the longer the downturn lasts, the better chance we have of hitting a 'Breaking Point.'
So here we are, the summer of 2010. We had that little blip
of an increased business cycle. That was just what it was, a blip. We are in some of
the most troubled times of most of our lives. I can’t remember when so many
things were at the brink. The brink and climax. The brink any way you want to
look at it. So many things at the very edge. The world is a tinderbox. This is
not going to be a boring summer. This is going to be some very unsettling
times.
But that does not mean there is not opportunity. That just
means it is time to make hay. Not be an Ostrich. This is the time to take a
risk, but you better bet right! This is not a time for big mistakes. It is a
time for a big win. But you have to be selective. Be patient. You don’t need
100, you need 1. Just 1 hit during this era.
We are in a hurricane of an economy. In that type storm you
can have ferocious winds and torrential rains one minute and then perfectly
calm the next. Then ferocious winds and torrential rains. The process repeats
itself many times. Until you get that final squall. Hang on, that is always the
worst one. The one that does the MOST damage because it hits when everything is
weakened. I believe we are going into the economic squall. Folks are weakened and the worst is yet to come.
The things I see I just don’t like. What if I told you that
the cost of homes could drop another 15%-50% no matter how good your property
or the location? I can draw the picture for you to show you EXACTLY why that is
LIKELY to happen. Not everywhere.
But let’s take this scenario from my local area.
You have beach areas and you have inland areas about 30
minutes from the ocean.. Originally because it was much less expensive inland.
But in time even the inland was built up.
So what happens when you own a $10 Million house in the inland area and
houses on the ocean are selling for $5 Million?? Well, you have a very big
problem. First of all you can’t sell that house inland. You can walk away. You may be
forced to walk away especially if you owe over $ 5 Million. So then what is the
value of that $10M house??
$3M????? Remember, you can buy that house on the ocean for $5M. The bank is likely to get it back. So timber!!!
The most expensive homes in the least desirable areas are about to crumble.
That is just a housing example and the reason I use that is because it will
paralyze folks for decades. They can’t sell, that means they can’t move. They
may not be able to afford it long term, so they just walk away. Collapse. It
will be played out in town after town and city after city. I really want to be
wrong, but the above case is happening everywhere at every level. Next to domains, nothing I pay attention to more than real estate and the weakness I see and the REASON for that weakness.
There is an equation here and it is based on time and years
and whether you will have the resources and/or income and how long. So if you
can wait things out, you can do very well. But the market out there is like
quicksand and I don’t think anyone has a handle on how this will all play out.
Countries going broke and states are out of cash. Believe it is not happening, fine.
Be an Ostrich. But things are unstable at best. They can spiral out of control.
Look around,, things are already out of control.
You can and should thrive during these times. But that is
only up to one person in the world. As I stated early on in this downturn, you
can hit the throttle and go for it, or you can pull back on the throttle and
surely get washed away. It is your choice and your choice alone…….Pigeon,
Ostrich, or Eagle.
'Follow a Leader or Follow an Asshole' is an
expression I learned from the GREAT Bill Gratz. While other folks sold
furniture for a living he moved mountains full of furniture. He was better than
those that he sold to or sold against. They were not in his league. Nor was I
for that matter. But I was learning from a master. He once told me something
that absolutey changed my life. He said, “I can follow a leader, but I can’t
follow an asshole.” That one line changed the trojectery of my entire
life.
A few
months later a 52 year old pipe smoking veteran of the furniture industry that
had never held ajob for more than 2 years but had a resume that included every
big boy there was became my new boss. See while I tripled their sales in the
preceeding year I was a renegade that did not play politics the way they
thought they were entitled to at this stage. So they opted to an “Insider” to
bring them to the goal line. Even tho I had brought them from $1 or $2 million
to $10 or $12 million under my leadership, it was not good enough. See I was
just too young. Even tho I worked for 4 years with the competition, 5 years
with them, I was still only 29. So they opted for a new path.
Well I flew out to Los Angeles to start my new
assignment on Sunday night. I got to LA at 11:30PM. I had time to think on that
flight. I thought what the GREAT Gratz told me. I decided this guy was an
asshole and I was not going to go along with the plan. I arrived in LA. I went
to the ticket counter. I booked the same plane back to Miami. I arrived at 6AM.
I went to the factory. I waited on the steps until the owners arrived at 7AM.They were flabbergasted to
see me there as they know I was in LA at 11:30. They were in disbelief. I went in
and stated my case. A week or two later I was on the street. First time in my
life with no job. The worst days I ever remember.But that was the day and the moment that my life changed. Where
I stood up and said NO FUCKING WAY! I won’t sell my soul. I will always tell it
like it is. There is performance and everything else. I performed. I did what
was asked. I opened accounts and made the company I worked for famous inside
the industry. I increased their market share. I made them a FORCE.
To make a long story short, that event put me in
business and I never worked for another ungrateful employer again. Never dealt
with that nonsense ever again. As far as the company I worked for and that pipe
smoking phony. Well he lasted just under 2 years when the company collapsed and
went out of business. On one hand it was sad to see something I built up
destroyed. On the other, well that’s what happens when you make a bad decision
and fuck with success.You don’t screw with success. I guess that is why I
wanted to see the Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series. I want Joe Torre to
stick it to them!
I think as domainers we are amazing people doing amazing things
and just because we have yet to be recognized for it does not make it any less
real. Any less important. Like scientists, we are unlocking secret after
secret. Fact after fact. Result after result. Discovery after discovery. Have a GREAT Day! Rick Schwartz
So some interesting questions now arise. Are
minisites dead? The answer is I don’t know but there is no question that some and their
current model may need updating and what worked yesterday won’t work tomorrow. Some of my sites like Widgets.com are licensed and leased. Another was online for 9 years.
Then we shift to Google. The only upsetting part
is that they are judge, jury and executioner. You can’t even defend yourself.
It’s just open and shut. That is my only point here.So I would understand identifying ones they had a problem with as opposed to shutting down without notice.But what is done is done and I won't look back. While there was little
pain for me, what happens when they do it to somebody that absolutely ruins
their life? Personally, I find it difficult to deal with folks like that and I
will do everything in my power from here on to look for alternative solutions
and never again be dependant on a partner that I truly believe as well as many others that I talk to, has a VERY DEEP
DISDAIN for the entire domain industry. I have seen it first hand too many
times and have always given them the benefit of the doubt. Those days are over.
Many folks are just too intimidated to speak out. I hear that a LOT. You folks may remember an incident at TRAFFIC a few shows back involving Google. We gave them stage time to explain. I think it was a load of crap now that I look back!
We can talk about “Developing” until we are blue
in the face. It is not about developing for the sake of it. The IDEA and the
engine you build to make money go thru your cash register is the key. That is
not easy. It is one of the most difficult challenges there is or everyone would
be successful with all their ventures. As we know, more than 90% fail. Online it is even higher.
Here is what I learned from my minisites portion
of the domains using adsense. The stats to me were more important than the
dollars earned. I was just looking for 1 domain to show any sign of life,
growth, interaction that could be built on and further developed. I would gladly trade the money owed to me (Dollars owed is not an issue) for the stats
that cost me quite a lot to obtain. Unfortunately I was locked out. But the
bottom line is this. In EVERY case, traffic did not grow. In EVERY case traffic
remained the same at BEST and mostly declined. In EVERY case I made less money than PPC. Not the
result I was looking for. I may have some more info later as they are now back
at PPC and we will see the numbers there. Lastly, this is not about me or my business model. So don't get distracted from the real issues here.
It was 1997 when I started making my annual July 4th posts. Some have been public, most have been private. One of the times of the year to pause, take notice of where you are where you are going and why you are going there. They are always upbeat looking to a bright future. There is still a bright future with domains and in domaining. If not for realizing I/We have the best investments in the world. The most portable investments, the most lucrative and the most universally expandable, then I would be pretty nervous about the future and my friends, there is a LOT to be nervous about. More than at anytime in my life and even years before that. We are entering uncharted territory both economically and politically. A huge bust is coming if we stay on this path. Of course, all the 'Experts' will be surprised. Seems they are always chasing the train that already left the station. Always a few steps behind. Keep in mind, we have yet to feel the impact and pain for those that have lost their jobs. This will begin to manifest itself now that unemployment benefits and savings are running out for those that got laid off early on and are still not employed. We are about to see what happens when a city or a region hits 15%, 20%, 25%. How desperation manifests itself where it affects the lives of others.
If you think I have been exaggerating about the state of the economy, the state of the industry and the future of both, let me take the time to tell you that it is you that is underestimating what is happening and what is to come. It is you that will be surprised and unprepared. It will be you that will be scrambling while those that prepare are sucking up opportunity. Because that is what my posts are about. Opportunity! But if you are not in a position to take advantage of opportunity, you will watch it pass by. If you are in denial about the pitfalls, you will surely be a victim of them.
There are major shifts in strategy going on throughout the industry. Don’t think so? Then we are watching a different movie. Weak domainers are getting weaker. Strong domainers are smart enough to see what is coming and are scrambling.
That’s the way I see it. My record speaks for itself. The reason I have a record is I say what nobody dare says. I ask the questions that folks don’t ever want to even think about. I say/ask it early and often. Could this be a summer of discontent? Could there be a disastrous fall? Could things be getting worse, not better? Fasten your seat belts!
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Anything in between and prepare to pay a price. Dare to ask questions of “What if this”, “What if that?” Be bold enough to find the answer. The best answer. Even the ones you don’t want to find. Even when you are ridiculed for doing so.
Here is a secret. The only reason my 2008 and 2009 have been record years for me personally was I started preparing in 2007. When do you think it is time for you to prepare? You can disagree, but you can only avoid the gravitational downturn we are going to face by a plan and preparation and even that is no guarantee. Last fall I said that after there is a glut of goods on the market, it would be followed by shortages. I can identify several items in society that are now in a short supply. Can you? Do you have a stock of these items? My job in life is staying at least one step ahead of the masses. One step ahead of you.
In the meantime, you can hear some more of my thoughts in this Podcast done by Ed at OzDomainer.com.
There has been a lot of talk about the 'End User.' But I am not too sure domainers even know what an end user is or looks like when they see one. See there was an auction last week. An end user bought the highest priced domain but domainers think he too was a domainer. WRONG! Div bought Ad.com NOT as a domain industry pro. He bought it as an end user and now has the chance to transform Skenzo into a mainstream powerhouse. This domain puts Skenzo right in the middle of Madison Avenue and not even they know what has really happened.
By acquiring Ad.com as an END USER, Div has the chance to transform his business into something priceless. He has a chance to disrupt things on several levels. So my surprise is that nobody recognized the end user when they saw one. Maybe we need to pass out t-shirts with END USER in big bold letters.
Now as far as end users......both Moniker and Rick Latona spent countless hours courting end users. It works a TINY little bit. In this case, enough to show what happens when you have a real auction and you mix it up and have the right audience. As I have stated now countless times....End users are coming one domain, one project, one need, one use at a time. They will likely never come in mass. We all hope they do. We will see many more auctions like this if that were to occur. But stop thinking it will happen overnight. It will happen, but we could still be a decade or more away. You can't force them to get the religion. It will happen when it happens. But when and if that day ever does come, it will make major art auctions look like stuff for rookies. Imagine not domainers selling to end user, imagine end users selling to end users. What does an auction for Loan.com look like if auctioned by Bank of America and 10 banks are there? Now THAT is an auction and that is likely something we may never see. At least in our life times.
Stop comparing domain names to the wrong things. What sets Domains apart from ALL other investments is CONTROL. Let me show the important differences.
CONTROL!! what does that mean?
When you buy a stock or gold, do you have control of the price? No! NONE!
Same thing with Bitcoin. Do you have any control? No! NONE!
Learn the difference between assets you can control and grow and those that you have to depend on the market and have no say so whatsoever in the direction it might take or when.
And that is what sets domains apart as the greatest investment in my lifetime by far. You have control. So let me explain and delve deeper.
With great dotcom domain names it’s within your power to build a skyscraper or something fun, or just sell the traffic and make money when you sleep. You can invent and reinvent. Build and rebuild. Expand without limits. How does that compare with any of the other buckets? And that’s what they are. Buckets versus investment. I will show the difference and why your focus should be on acquiring great domain names.
The only control you have on these other items is when you buy and when you sell. The only control you have is at the beginning and at the end but you have no control of anything that happens during the cycle of ownership. Think about that!
What’s not to understand? It can’t be any simpler!
I have plenty of all of the above. But I know the difference between a bucket and investing in something with expansion potential. Great potential! Unlimited potential! Great demand! And unique!
My financial safety is diversification on the one hand and plunging into the areas that I know on the other hand.
I own 6-figures of Gold & Silver. Am I a proponent of Gold & Silver as an investment? Hell no!
I own 7-figures in Diamonds. Am I a proponent of owning Diamonds as an investment? Hell, no!
I own 7-figures of Bitcoin. Am I a proponent of owning Bitcoin as an investment? Hell no!
I own 7-figures of art. Am I a proponent of owning Art as an investment? Hell no!
I own 7- figures of watches. Am I a proponent of owning watches as an investment? Hell no!
I own mid 8-figures in Real Estate. Am I a proponent of owning Real Estate as an investment? Hell yes!
I own priceless Domain Names. Am I a proponent of owning Domain Names as an investment? Hell yes! 1000 times over!!!
The only two on that list that are income-producing are the last two. Real Estate and DomainNames. The others are one-dimensional, and not income-producing. You are at the mercy of the market. You have no control.
Making that distinction is paramount.
Ignoring that distinction could be the kiss of death.
And that has always been my point. Making the distinction. They are not the same. It’s all about diversification because that’s the greatest safety.
They are all different buckets. None are bad. I just realized the difference in the distinction between them. So, no matter how things unfold I have protection.
Domains were the vehicle that allowed me to buy all of these other assets, not the other way around!! That is the point!
And I will post the following every chance I get! Domains are multi-dimensional and multi-faceted. What is the value of the following that are all elements of a domain name? Stop being cheap. It's a dotcom world. The unrecognizable new extensions have failed and have been very costly because of consumer confusion and lost traffic. So if you think great domains are expensive, failing and going broke or being forced to rebrand is much more expensive! Stop being shortsighted!
Your World Headquarters
Your Location
Your Brand
Your Front Door
Your Cash Register
Your Information Portal
Your #1 Sales Tool
Domains provide Unlimited Expansion!
If you have a GREAT idea why would ANYONE launch it on a 2nd rate domain or location?? Why would they diminish or annihilate their chances of success?
Please note; ALL of my comments on this blog since 2007 ONLY apply to great DOTCOM domains. They DO NOT and NEVER WILL apply to any other extension. The Dotcom franchise is the largest most successful franchise the world has ever known!! The single greatest economic equalizer the world has ever known!
Recent Comments