I just don't get "traffic" domains...

[maxxwebb]

I know, I know... it's simple - any idiot can figure it out. :gl:

You own a domain and it gets "type-ins" or has links pointing to it and everyday people check out the domain.

HERE'S MY QUESTION:

In your opinion, do most/all "purely type-in" domains GO DOWN in visits over time or not?

Seems to me, they must?
Maybe I just don't understand the nature of type-in traffic?

I don't mean typos either.

I am referring to domains that get 200 uniques a day (more or less)...
I can understand a domain getting one or 2 or 5 uniques a day, but 200, 300?

What the he**?

Someone please inform me - where I am going wrong???

THANKS,
Mike

P.S. I've been itching to buy a "large traffic domain" for awhile now, but I just can't convince myself the traffic will be there 3,4,5 months down the road.

Suggestion, comments please.

 

[.X.]

I would yes,The hits will go down,The reason why is the parking pages are not updated,If sedo,Afternic ect,Updated these parking pages daily,I would assume the hits would stay the same or increase.New feed is a must to sustain good hits IMO,Excellent keyword DNs aswell.

 

[RJ]

Depends on where the traffic is coming from. If you're buying a "traffic name" it's CRUCIAL you know why the domain is getting traffic. There are three types of traffic names in general:

1. Type-in Traffic ("purely" or "natural" type-in) These are a rare breed. generally very generic, common terms. They get traffic just because people type them into their browser, expecting to get a website (regardless if one exists there or not). Examples: sex.com, search.com, eminem.com, freestuff.com

Non-.COM domains and hyphenated names generally do NOT natually get type-in traffic.

2. Typo Traffic - Also considered type-in traffic domains, as people type these in... but in this case they are trying to get somewhere else but either typo'd or misspelled the domain. Examples: gooogle.com, hhotmail.com, wwwnamepros.com

Traffic to these names are usually steady, but the level of their visitors will depend on the traffic to the correct domain. If NamePros ever closed, traffic to wwwnamepros.com would decrease of course. Also keep in mind that misusing these domains is considered trademark violation and the trademark holder can take action against you if they want. Severe misuse can land you in prison, as it did John Zuccarini who got sentenced to 2½ years in jail for pointing typo names to porn sites.

3. Former Developed Site - Webmasters may close their site or forget to renew their names. In this case, the domain name may still receive visitors looking for the old site, either through type-ins or existing links (linkpop). This is the traffic that is most fickle because it will eventually fade away as links to it are removed and people stop visiting.

If you're dealing with a seller who says they have no idea why a domain is receiving traffic, be very wary. All traffic should be explainable.

 

[Qwert]

I generally type what I mean to type, but I just don't know how to spell a bunch of words so I end up on a few typo domains.

 

[maxxwebb]

Thanks for the excellent feedback folks.

I guess my "nervousness" about buying traffic domains is somewhat founded.

I guess some would also "argue" that if a domain like http://www.candlesupplycompany.com can get 1-4 hits a day, why can't a really
good "type-in" domain get 200? (I own candlesupplycompany.com BTW).

Makes sense! But day in and day out, 365 days a year?

>>> What's your best "buying traffic domains" TIP?

>>> Parking on your server for a week to "test the traffic?"

I would be willing to pay a small fee to the owner to do this to make sure I'm getting
what I pay for? *I don't see this mentioned often in the forum? I see references to "stats," but let's face it - easily manipulated, I suspect?

More comments please and... YOUR BEST TIP!

Thanks again,
Mike

 

[RJ]

Yes, traffic stats can be faked and/or artifically inflated. It doesn't take long for these types of scammers to be exposed though.

>>> Parking on your server for a week to "test the traffic?"

Sure, if the seller will agree to that - but most won't. I myself would not give control over one of my domains to a potential buyer.

My best tips are

1) View actual stats when possible

A buyer saying a domain gets "1000 hits a day" is a lot different than showing you the real Webalizer stats (where you can see the same domain really only gets 70 unique visits a day). Often the seller only provides a screenshot of the traffic stats. These reports also contain referral report listing where the traffic is from. Try to see that part, it's important!

2) Do your own research! Try to figure out on your own why visitors are going to that domain. Check Overture numbers yourself. Do a link popularity check yourself. Search Google for the domain name.

Because the demand is high, you often don't have the luxury to get an absolute answer on how valuable the traffic is until you actually buy the name. If you insist on viewing full stats, having the name parked on your own servers, etc, etc... chances are someone else may come along and buy it before you.

To buy a traffic domain you often have to take a calculated risk. Do you trust the seller? Can you mostly determine why the domain has traffic? Use common sense! Domains don't just get traffic for no reason.

I've been buying traffic names for several years and earn a significant portion of my monthly income from them. Even so, I still on occasion buy domains that I suspect will be profitable that turn out to be flops. Likewise I've been surprised by names that cost me near reg fees that earn hundreds of dollars profit in a year.

So be smart, be careful, and be fast... Good luck!

 

[nRnF]

Intuitive traffic domains don't go down with type ins.

Former Website type ins (people remember the former site) generally go down after 3-5 month. Expecially if you set up a parking page

 

[redhippo]

Yes, traffic stats can be faked and/or artifically inflated. It doesn't take long for these types of scammers to be exposed though.

>>> Parking on your server for a week to "test the traffic?"

Sure, if the seller will agree to that - but most won't. I myself would not give control over one of my domains to a potential buyer.

My best tips are

1) View actual stats when possible

A buyer saying a domain gets "1000 hits a day" is a lot different than showing you the real Webalizer stats (where you can see the same domain really only gets 70 unique visits a day). Often the seller only provides a screenshot of the traffic stats. These reports also contain referral report listing where the traffic is from. Try to see that part, it's important!

2) Do your own research! Try to figure out on your own why visitors are going to that domain. Check Overture numbers yourself. Do a link popularity check yourself. Search Google for the domain name.

Because the demand is high, you often don't have the luxury to get an absolute answer on how valuable the traffic is until you actually buy the name. If you insist on viewing full stats, having the name parked on your own servers, etc, etc... chances are someone else may come along and buy it before you.

To buy a traffic domain you often have to take a calculated risk. Do you trust the seller? Can you mostly determine why the domain has traffic? Use common sense! Domains don't just get traffic for no reason.

very helpful answer, ron

 

[robertjr]

RJ-

That is the best “real world”, to the point, for the “newbie” explanation I have ever read on a forum or web site! :imho:

 

[maxxwebb]

Agreed, great info!

Thanks all.

One more related question...

If a legit TYPE-IN ONLY domain (.com) is getting around 2000-3000 hits a month (again, legit), does it stand to reason that:

The .net version of the SAME domain would also get "some" type-in traffic?
10% of the .com, 20% of the .com - NONE???

Thoughts

Thanks,
Mike

 

[hotrod12]

Well I would say that probably you are going to get less with a .net because frankly most people only use .com but sometimes by accident I do press ctrl-shift which puts a .net extension on but not that often.

 

[Mark]

If a legit TYPE-IN ONLY domain (.com) is getting around 2000-3000 hits a month (again, legit), does it stand to reason that:

The .net version of the SAME domain would also get "some" type-in traffic?
10% of the .com, 20% of the .com - NONE???

There is no way to tell - and No guarantees it will get any ...

Non-.COM domains and hyphenated names generally do NOT natually get type-in traffic.

Well said -RJ- ..... A lot of times we use the term "type-in traffic" a bit too loosely - But that is the best Definition IMO as well .... it is a bit different then what folks type in search boxes most times as well ...

 

[RJ]

Speaking about natural type-ins, a .net will get less than 1/10th the number of type-ins as the .com.

I should add a couple things to watch out for when buying traffic domains:

1. Visitors that aren't really visitors - Let's say I open a image hosting service at RJsImageHost.com that allows visitors to upload their images to my server for use on their website or forum avatars. A month later I go to sell the domain and show you a screenshot of my stats proving 5000 unique visitors a day! Impressed?

Now consider a "unique visitor" is logged to my stats every time one of the hosted images is viewed on someone else's site. It may be a single avatar image that is being loaded 5000 times a day. Now what is that traffic worth? It's near worthless.

The same thing can apply if there is a banner ad campaign that uses an image stored on my server. Everytime that banner is viewed, it will log a unique visitor. Same can go for XML feeds, file downloads, or videos that are linked to from other sites.

2. Bots and spiders - If you saw stats for NamePros you might be amazed by the number of pageviews and visitors, but a lot of those visits are from search engines and bots. Every thread on this site gets visited by the Google Adsense bot frequently, which get logged as visits. Search engines connect to index the pages too. I've seen Yahoo's Slurp bot connect with 20+ different IP addresses in a single day.

This usually isn't a concern with traffic names, but it is something to be aware of. I have some traffic domains that are pretty much only visited by search engines. Great for development! Not so great for generating parked revenue.

 

[Mark]

1. Visitors that aren't really visitors - Let's say I open a image hosting service at RJsImageHost.com that allows visitors to upload their images to my server for use on their website or forum avatars. A month later I go to sell the domain and show you a screenshot of my stats proving 5000 unique visitors a day! Impressed?

2. Bots and spiders - If you saw stats for NamePros you might be amazed by the number of pageviews and visitors, but a lot of those visits are from search engines and bots. Every thread on this site gets visited by the Google Adsense bot frequently, which get logged as visits. Search engines connect to index the pages too. I've seen Yahoo's Slurp bot connect with 20+ different IP addresses in a single day.

Great Points ! :bingo: - I've got several that look great from those standpoints - Yet there isn't even an index to them - Just using them for Images .... And a few others that get 30-50 "Supposed" uniques a day - but they are all Bots - lol - No good to me unless they are actually developed !

 

[maxxwebb]

Once again, THANKS ALL.

I am going to keep this thread bookmarked so I can review it JUST BEFORE I go
to plunk down some $ on a traffic domain...

I am sure there are some GREAT ones out there, but this info should keep me a
little more "grounded."

Best,
Mike

 

[hotrod12]

Yeah this is a great thread. Thanks alot RJ for your information and I have a better understanding of domains now too.