Geo-targeted domain names have often been a popular source of income for domain investors, with some still making a living from buying and selling this category of name. However, there are some common questions that need answering. How do you sell a geo-targeted domain name, and what should you take into consideration before acquiring any geo-targeted name?
In this article, we will cover geo-targeted names and why they are popular amongst domain investors. For those who are unaware, geo-targeted domains consist of a combination of a geographical location and a business or profession. Here are some examples of geo-targeted domain names:
In order to effectively sell geo-targeted domains, you will have to choose a desirable keyword/business and a location with which that business or profession can be associated with. Traditionally, the professions that spend the most on online advertising are real estate agents and dentists.
Real estate agents have a heavy presence online, with most understanding that a good online presence means more leads. This desire for a good online presence has lead to sales such as TorontoRealEstate.com for $140,000 and JacksonHoleRealEstate.com for $85,000.
Dentists also spend a lot of money online. Cost per click estimates that involve dentists and dental products are extremely high. I have read numerous reports of dentists spending around 30% of their gross revenue on marketing.
Finding suitable keywords isn't easy, but looking for professions that already have a strong online presence and have a history of spending money on web development and advertising is a good place to start. Real estate agents, dentists and brokers are three prime examples. NameBio has released a list of the top 100 keywords for geo-targeted domains, which you may find useful.
Teaming the keyword with a popular location should be a priority. You could have the most lucrative keyword, but putting it together with a location that no one's heard of, with a population of just 5,000 isn't going to give you a sellable name.
Personally, I would stick with cities with a population above 100,000 since you'll have enough businesses within that city that want to beat their close competition for leads, and a domain name might be the secret weapon they were looking for. For reference, this Wikipedia page contains a list of all US cities with a population of over 100,000.
There is one keyword that should be avoided at all costs when you're buying geo-targeted names, and that keyword is 'realtor'. Although it is a term that's used regularly in the US, it is trademarked and is policed by lawyers for the National Association of Realtors.
Finding names that are of investment quality could be difficult. There may be some opportunities to hand register domains, depending on your keyword and location, but in general, I've found the best names are found via private acquisitions or via expired domain auctions.
Once you've found an adequate name, you'll no doubt be looking to sell it on to an end-user. If you're doing this via outbound sales, you'll need to find suitable leads by manually searching through Google, or other search engines. You may also like to use services such as LinkedIn, but you'll want to concentrate on Google.
Finding advertisers on Google, as well as those companies listed near the top of Google's search results (and even those on the second page), may prove to be good prospects to target. Advertisers may want to own the domain as another form of online advertising, while those vying for the top spot on Google may jump at the chance of owning the generic geo-targeted domain. Remember, there's only one company in the entire city that can own that name. If it's a good enough domain, you'll have a number of companies inquiring about it.
To effectively sell the name, you need to speak to the right person. Typically, for geo-targeted names such as real estate domains, you'll want to speak to the business owner, as they usually take on numerous roles within their business, with marketing manager being one of them.
Your personalized email should be fairly brief, outlining the fact that you are looking to sell your domain. I believe that initial emails shouldn't take up too much of the prospective buyer's time, and if you get no answer, you may wish to follow up on your initial enquiry. As always with outbound sales, please be aware of email marketing legislation such as the CAN-SPAM act of 2003.
Are you a successful geo-targeted domain investor? Share your own tips below.
In this article, we will cover geo-targeted names and why they are popular amongst domain investors. For those who are unaware, geo-targeted domains consist of a combination of a geographical location and a business or profession. Here are some examples of geo-targeted domain names:
- NewYorkRealEstate.com (Location: New York. Profession: Real Estate)
- BaltimoreDentist.com (Location: Baltimore. Profession: Dentist)
In order to effectively sell geo-targeted domains, you will have to choose a desirable keyword/business and a location with which that business or profession can be associated with. Traditionally, the professions that spend the most on online advertising are real estate agents and dentists.
Real estate agents have a heavy presence online, with most understanding that a good online presence means more leads. This desire for a good online presence has lead to sales such as TorontoRealEstate.com for $140,000 and JacksonHoleRealEstate.com for $85,000.
Dentists also spend a lot of money online. Cost per click estimates that involve dentists and dental products are extremely high. I have read numerous reports of dentists spending around 30% of their gross revenue on marketing.
Finding suitable keywords isn't easy, but looking for professions that already have a strong online presence and have a history of spending money on web development and advertising is a good place to start. Real estate agents, dentists and brokers are three prime examples. NameBio has released a list of the top 100 keywords for geo-targeted domains, which you may find useful.
Teaming the keyword with a popular location should be a priority. You could have the most lucrative keyword, but putting it together with a location that no one's heard of, with a population of just 5,000 isn't going to give you a sellable name.
Personally, I would stick with cities with a population above 100,000 since you'll have enough businesses within that city that want to beat their close competition for leads, and a domain name might be the secret weapon they were looking for. For reference, this Wikipedia page contains a list of all US cities with a population of over 100,000.
There is one keyword that should be avoided at all costs when you're buying geo-targeted names, and that keyword is 'realtor'. Although it is a term that's used regularly in the US, it is trademarked and is policed by lawyers for the National Association of Realtors.
Finding names that are of investment quality could be difficult. There may be some opportunities to hand register domains, depending on your keyword and location, but in general, I've found the best names are found via private acquisitions or via expired domain auctions.
Once you've found an adequate name, you'll no doubt be looking to sell it on to an end-user. If you're doing this via outbound sales, you'll need to find suitable leads by manually searching through Google, or other search engines. You may also like to use services such as LinkedIn, but you'll want to concentrate on Google.
Finding advertisers on Google, as well as those companies listed near the top of Google's search results (and even those on the second page), may prove to be good prospects to target. Advertisers may want to own the domain as another form of online advertising, while those vying for the top spot on Google may jump at the chance of owning the generic geo-targeted domain. Remember, there's only one company in the entire city that can own that name. If it's a good enough domain, you'll have a number of companies inquiring about it.
To effectively sell the name, you need to speak to the right person. Typically, for geo-targeted names such as real estate domains, you'll want to speak to the business owner, as they usually take on numerous roles within their business, with marketing manager being one of them.
Your personalized email should be fairly brief, outlining the fact that you are looking to sell your domain. I believe that initial emails shouldn't take up too much of the prospective buyer's time, and if you get no answer, you may wish to follow up on your initial enquiry. As always with outbound sales, please be aware of email marketing legislation such as the CAN-SPAM act of 2003.
Are you a successful geo-targeted domain investor? Share your own tips below.