debate Do LANDING PAGES Really Need Login/Logout/Email And Message Functions ?

[blue crystal]

I wonder if just a good looking landing page with a link that directs the potential buyer straight to the registrar Premium Listing or BIN Listing ( etc ) page is enough.

 

[branding]

I wonder if just a good looking landing page with a link that directs the potential buyer straight to the registrar Premium Listing or BIN Listing ( etc ) page is enough.

I have been testing this in a 3 year timespan with a total of roughly 1500 names, set aside for testing this specific case. Highest conversion was on our own landers with a direct link to a marketplace bin.

Pointing domains directly to the marketplace was about 7% less sales. Using only our own landers + contact info was about 10% less sales.

Once reverted back to landers + button to bin at a trusted marketplace stabilised sales again to the initial level.

Avoiding the usage of a marketplace may spare you some on commission but imo that doesn't make up for the lower number of sales.

Just my experience, not saying any portfolio would give you the same numbers.

 

[Doyosi]

If you are able to redirect potential buyers to any contact, buy now, offer or information page about the domain, I do not think there should be any mail form, login or logout contents.

It is enough to have a link to direct potential buyers to the site. Since 2013, I have never had a park template with mail form. I design & developed up to 50 park templates. They used up to 2000+ domains.

I created park template like these http://expedition.net/ or http://30ub.com/ or http://geziturk.com/ (multi lang. this is in Turkish) for my marketplace script.

If you use mail forms in park template, your branded main website will be useless and your potential visitours won't visit your main website. So they never see your other domains if you not listed them also at your park page...

 

[blue crystal]

I am a bit confused about what a marketplace is in the case of domain names selling. Since Godaddy, for instance, sells my domains in its premium listing service, isn´t it a marketplace ( besides being a registrar ) ?

 

[Doyosi]

Yes, Godaddy has a marketplace. You get premium listing service and bring your domains to the top listings, get more traffics etc. There is a buy now / offer page for each domain in these lists in the Auction. For example zulef.com (I don't know who has it) is listed as a premium domain and the info page is here https://auctions.godaddy.com/trpItemListing.aspx?miid=283922539.

You can redirect to this custom info page by adding a link at your parked domain. In this way, you do not need an extra mail form. You are already redirecting to godaddy the people who are offering to domain for buying, if I understood correctly.

 

[MapleDots]

All you need is a lander with your contact info.

I take it to the next step and have a contact form which stipulates terms for the purchase of my domains.
That part is optional but a single page lander with you info is all a prospective client needs.

 

[Brands.International]

I really like landers of undeveloped.com, and use then for most of my domain names

 

[blue crystal]

For example zulef.com (I don't know who has it) is listed as a premium domain and the info page is here https://auctions.godaddy.com/trpItemListing.aspx?miid=283922539.

Hi Doyosi.
I thought that when you list a domain to premium listing a "Buy Now" button would appear in your Godaddy parking page like in the zulef.com example.
But there is no such button in my case. See the parking page of one of my domain names:
https://auctions.godaddy.com/trpItemListing.aspx?&miid=284202510
Why is that ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OOPS !!! FORGET WHAT I JUST WROTE. Actually, the button appears when you click the link from an external page like the namePros forum, but not when clicked from inside the godaddy page.

 

[blue crystal]

I take it to the next step and have a contact form which stipulates terms for the purchase of my domains.

Did you program the contact form yourself ?
If so, what language did you use to add this feature ?

 

[branding]

Did you program the contact form yourself ?
If so, what language did you use to add this feature ?

Probably PHP.

Is case anyone's interested, there's a cute little service at formspree.io which let's you use mail forms on static websites. You'd only have to integrate your mail form in the HTML page and you're done.

 

[MapleDots]

Did you program the contact form yourself ?
If so, what language did you use to add this feature ?

It's a highly customized jquery form script.
Not very hard to implement but it lets you know right away how to purchase a domain from me.

Any cold contact emails I get my standard response is to say....

We appreciate your interest in one of our domains but to establish contact you must fill out the form located at www.mapledots.ca/contact

That contact script and my landing pages is basically all I use.

 

[Mister Funsky]

Just a little sidebar...

Without naming names, there are several 'marketplaces', independent and registrar based, that do not convert and/or adapt to varying screen sizes well.

It is surprising how great a lander looks on a desk top but when you see it on a tablet or phone screen it will look awful or not be easily readable.

 

[equity78]

I have been testing this in a 3 year timespan with a total of roughly 1500 names, set aside for testing this specific case. Highest conversion was on our own landers with a direct link to a marketplace bin.

Pointing domains directly to the marketplace was about 7% less sales. Using only our own landers + contact info was about 10% less sales.

Once reverted back to landers + button to bin at a trusted marketplace stabilised sales again to the initial level.

Avoiding the usage of a marketplace may spare you some on commission but imo that doesn't make up for the lower number of sales.

Just my experience, not saying any portfolio would give you the same numbers.

Thanks for the breakdown provided here.