mholt

Hi,

I have a website that I'm "working on" - actually I haven't really done much with it since October.

It's www.DomainTops.com - and I'm not even 30% done with the site, or its signature service, automated appraisals. Yet, for some reason, already this month the site has 136 unique visitors, most of them seem to be typeins or unknown referrers. 85%, unfortunately, use IE 6.

Just wondering WHY I'm getting this traffic. I don't want it - YET. I'm not done and it makes me look bad as a web developer. I don't want to take it offline though.

I was considering placing some forums there as a little holdover (but permanent feature) so the traffic actually has something to DO on the site worth their time. (Can't afford vB but really want to use it...)

What are your conclusions? Suggestions?
-Matt

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peter phillips

I think most of the traffic you are getting is type-in traffic. People may be searching for top domains and land up on your site. Since you are getting traffic without any kind of marketing there's no point in taking it offline. I think placing some forums related to domain names and domain appraisals would be very good. As you finish working on your site you can then market the services you offer as well as your forum.

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Flubber

Yeah, theres no harm in sticking some phpbb forums up.

If you're getting traffic, use it. Though you will need to work on the forums to get it up to scratch so it doesnt look stock.

Ta-ra.

Flubber

Fkrule

you can always convert phpbb to vb later

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mholt

Thanks for the advice

However, I hate phpBB with a passion - could I convert SMF to vB?

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jmweb

I don't think you have enough traffic coming to host a good forum (and ya dont wanna turn them people off)...I would suggest you put up a coming soon page.

mholt

I think a coming soon page would discourage me quicker than a forum?

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drifta

ive gotten bookmarks from alot of coming soon pages
http://www.drift.us
add something to the page to make them interested and want to see more

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Sergio965

Originally Posted by drifta

ive gotten bookmarks from alot of coming soon pages http://www.drift.us add something to the page to make them interested and want to see more

Wow, that made me want to bookmark it as well...

Anways, a good coming soon page would help, but a good forum would help as well. Why not start one, and pay people here to post, so that the real traffic has something to reply to...

mholt

Okay, how about this:

Create a simple but nice looking COMING SOON page as the homepage, then buid a little link into it that goes to the forums.

Perhaps that?

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Flubber

Sounds good, be sure to skin the forums a bit though. Nothing that takes ages, just nice colours etc.

Maybe enable guest posting just to see what goes on without making people go through reg'ing etc.

Ta-ra.

Flubber

mholt

Alright, definately will do. Working on one, plus forums, plus a new site design.

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drifta

great idea!

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jmweb

A forum would show that your sites not popular and may discourage them from coming back. A coming soon page (make sure to include an estimate date) would maintain a netural stance on the person and if you put a brief description, it may encourage them to bookmark your site.

peter phillips

I don't think a forum would discourage the visitors from coming back. Infact I think Matt's idea was good. Create a simple nice looking COMING SOON page as the homepage, then build a little link into it that goes to the forums. This way both requirements are fulfilled. Visitors interested in the forums would go to the forums through the link while visitors interested in the site would take note of the estimated date and bookmark the site.

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mholt

Hm, interesting to hear both sides of the debate. Very great read.

I've set up a coming soon page: www.DomainTops.com

And am working on the new site design, please don't bother to use it since it's not functional yet, and please don't use it until I release it: www.domaintops.com/new

I should be done sometime in January, to early to tell for sure yet. Still workin on the forums

Thanks everyone! ^_^

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Isis

uh, i'd put up my own parking page up

but that's just me

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mholt

Well, I want them to know that it's going to be back up

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Shorty

Hey compu...I'm sure you've mentioned that site in the forums somewhere because i've been on it before. It might not have been intentional for marketing reasons, but it was exposure all the same...

mholt

True, but that was just so I could have some beta testers for my domain appraisal system. I wasn't expecting or even wanting that much traffic...

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jmweb

Perhaps providing a preview of the services that will be available may help too

mholt

I like that idea... I may do so

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jmweb

Just make sure you don't release anything to the public until its 100% done. None of that half works, half don't work type-a-deals. I see that all the time (even on Namepros by companies whom claim to be professional) and it sickens me.