Introducing Afternic Boost: More domain visibility, more domain sales

[GoDaddy]

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Afternic Boost, the new program that can contribute up to a 10% increase in sales performance for participating portfolios!*

We have been experimenting with how to drive more exposure for Afternic domains on GoDaddy, and we're thrilled to announce that these experiments yielded impressive results. As a result, we're rolling out Boost as a standard inclusion for all Afternic sellers starting September 4, 2024.


Why Afternic Boost Works:
We listened to your feedback and developed Afternic Boost to address your need for greater exposure on GoDaddy. Here’s what Boost provides at launch:

• Suggested search results: Your domains will gain higher placement in GoDaddy’s suggested search results, making them more discoverable.

• Verified Badges: Boost Fast Transfer domains will feature "Verified" badges on exact-match searches, aiding visibility.

• Verified Lander Badges: Eligible domains using Afternic’s Buy it Now and Custom Landers will display verified badges. Boosted domain names that aren't opted into Fast Transfer will display a "Premium" badge on Afternic's Buy it Now and Custom Landers.

• Targeted Email Marketing: Our targeted email campaigns will match your domain names with potential buyers at GoDaddy.

As the world’s largest domain registrar, GoDaddy offers a massive, continuously growing audience of domain shoppers. Afternic Boost leverages this vast customer base, ensuring that your domains are seen by a motivated, pre-qualified audience.




What You Should Know:

• • Boost begins on September 4, 2024. All Afternic sellers will be automatically opted in to Boost, ensuring your domains gain maximum exposure.
  • Additional Commission: To support this enhanced service, an additional 5% commission will apply for Boost customers from September 4, 2024.
  • Flexibility: We understand that one size doesn’t fit all. Therefore, you can opt out of Afternic Boost at any time from today (August 7, 2024) if it doesn’t align with your strategy by heading to afternic.com/account/boost.

Investing in Success:
Think of Afternic Boost as an investment rather than an expense. Online marketplaces, such as Amazon, Facebook, and Zillow, offer sponsored listings to increase sellers' exposure in search. Similarly, Boost allows domain investors to enhance their visibility in a digital marketplace, and the results are that Boost can contribute up to a 10% increase in sales performance for your portfolio*.

Next Steps:
Experimentation with Boost will continue through the month of August. On September 4, Afternic Boost will be automatically activated at the account level, optimizing your portfolio's visibility.

If you decide Boost isn't right for you, you can easily opt out. We recommend remaining enrolled to continue benefiting from enhanced visibility across the GoDaddy platform.


If you have any questions, read the launch blog post, or head to Afternic’s Help Center, where we’ve got you covered.

Want to learn more about what Boost offers? Head to our blog.

*Individual results may vary. Based on internal data of GoDaddy aftermarket sales from January 2024 through June 2024.

 

[Future Sensors]

well u know one guy is hardly a stat. but it was about 3month back.

Ah, those were the days. I often refer to that time as the "sweet spot" period for Afternic. Boost hadn't been announced yet, and although the system certainly had its bugs, it wasn't nearly as problematic as it is now. Thank you for bringing back memories of a relatively carefree period.

 

[equity78]

Disappointing.

I guess the 12th position is still below the promoted ".sucks" TLD option in the total overview?

Right I think the fact of the matter is that no matter what, boost, super boost, rocket boost. GoDaddy is not putting a name before extensions who actually paid them cash to sponsor their listing. And I get that. If I pay Google for ad placement I better be first if I am the highest bidder willing to spend the most.

Maybe there is a model where domain investors could be allowed to bid on placement in the registry path. If that could be perfected I think GoDaddy would have another cash cow as small domainers might not participate but bigger players I think would try it out.

 

[Future Sensors]

@equity78 Even then, showing all these nonsensical TLDs like ".sucks" and ".foo" with priority, is not in the best interest of small businesses looking to name their company.

https://www.namepros.com/threads/evaluating-godaddys-tld-offerings-for-smbs.1334107/

 

[Future Sensors]

super boost, rocket boost

I like your suggestions for future improvements of the Boost proposition.

 

[equity78]

We could do this all day. I typed "mend" without TLD into the search bar.

Results (drum roll please)
A variety of exact match TLDs including .sucks
menduae.com
mend-me.com
mendksa.com
messeds.com
yokeing.com
getfondly.com
toohhh.com
bellowly.com

Again, not ONE premium boosted name appears as cross promoted. Millions upon millions of opted in boosted names, and GDs Ai could not find ONE SINGLE NAME to cross promote. (all the above suggestions are avail to hand reg).

But guess what? Certain domainers have opted in to boost and have appropriate names for the search term "mend".

MendFast.com Boosted and verified! But GDs ai felt toohhh.com was a better boost here.
MendHere.com Boosted and verified!!! But GDs ai decided yokeing.com was more appropriate as a boost here.

I could go on, but you get the point. This is all patently absurd. How could they roll out a program like this. And look us in the eyes and say, we think this is worth an extra 5%?

You don't have to believe my searches. Search any keyword without TLD for yourself. See any appropriate boosted names? How many (of the millions that remain opted in)? Is this really worth 5%?

Thanks for that. Maybe one of the things and let me say I am no expert in structuring how search works for a website. But maybe it's just too many names, that there is no way anyone could ever be satisfied.

Let's take a poplular keyword like Data, well I want my DataSmash.com to be up there at the top, but I imagine there are thousands of names with Data that are boosted that also want that.

I think this plan is just too complicated and too hard to actually get right.

I remember years ago on BrandBucket people would say my name does not show for this search and actually has the keyword but someone else's does. @Chris Hydrick do you remember those debates and were they ever fixed?

 

[Future Sensors]

But maybe it's just too many names, that there is no way anyone could ever be satisfied.

Spot on. Bottomline is, that the SMB end-user always needs to see the best possible names at priority.

See also:

https://www.namepros.com/threads/in...ore-domain-sales.1332052/page-38#post-9244874

 

[equity78]

@equity78 Even then, showing all these nonsensical TLDs like ".sucks" and ".foo" with priority, is not in the best interest of small businesses looking to name their company.

https://www.namepros.com/threads/evaluating-godaddys-tld-offerings-for-smbs.1334107/

Well I agree with you and that's a different conversation right? I mean plenty of companies for years have argued that Google showing less reputable companies who are using adwords before my organic search result is wrong. Why? Because they are a lesser quality product or spammy, etc... But Google is focused on the sure cash. These people are paying Adwords to advertise with us and that's what all these sponsored extensions are people need to look at it the same way. No one at GoDaddy thinks .sucks should be there ahead of TechQuad.com for a search on Tech no ext. Now they should not be showing tech--s.com as a great alternative.

I also wonder how for a search for Tech did TechQuad.com become the first boosted name showing in suggested?

Again I think this is just too difficult to get right. I could be wrong and plenty here are tech experts that might have solutions but this seems too onerous.

 

[Future Sensors]

The interests of domain investors align somewhat with those of SMBs, but ultimately, the interests of SMBs take precedence. Following this approach benefits Afternic sellers with stronger portfolios, not Afternic sellers with unsellable names, which should never be promoted to SMBs no matter what.

 

[Future Sensors]

Again I think this is just too difficult to get right.

The simple solution for GoDaddy would be to put the customer first. It's not that difficult.

 

[Future Sensors]

I am willing to pay for a product that ensures domains of objectively unsellable quality are never shown.

 

[Garet]

The simple solution for GoDaddy would be to put the customer first. It's not that difficult.

For GoDaddy, it does seem difficult.

I say that sincerely after watching them for two decades. It does not seem to be in their DNA. They always seem to want to work an angle, find the gimmick. There are good people there. There are smart people there. Somehow, though, the path of creating a good experience for users is the one not taken.

It seems simple. It seems obvious. I've seen too much, though, that contradicts the philosophy of putting the customer first and delivering a reliable user experience.

Bulk search doesn't work. Ah, that is for domain investors and they are not our target audience. If you have a feature, it should work. Period. I understand prioritizing for core customers but I can list plenty of unreliable, glitchy features that are fundamental to the SMB audience too.

 

[Embrand]

If you use Afternic Boost and the custom lander with a BIN above $100,000 for a name, the Verified Domain badge states (when you mouse over it) that the transaction will use Fast Transfer averaging less than an hour. But isn't Fast Transfer still only available for domains up to $100,000?

 

[Future Sensors]

Afternic has been awarded a trophy for creating a thread that garnered over 1,000 replies and 42,000 views. This achievement exemplifies your understanding of excellence. Your contributions are deeply appreciated.

 

[Name2go]

Afternic has been awarded a trophy for creating a thread that garnered over 1,000 replies and 42,000 views. This achievement exemplifies your understanding of excellence. Your contributions are deeply appreciated.

Show attachment 262602

Another in-your-face business. Some don't sell domains, but promises, leads and consulting units, and you collect the prize for post #1,000, which of course comes from you. Help!!!

 

[Future Sensors]

This entire thread is literally a gold mine for GoDaddy if leveraged properly. As domain investors, we have achieved something together that joint SMBs could never accomplish in such a specific manner.

 

[rh2000]

I have been looking for anybody to post some positive results from this new Boost program and I have yet to see any. I guess any day now those sales will start coming in and people will start posting them.

 

[Future Sensors]

This entire thread is a gold mine for GoDaddy's competitors, too, if leveraged properly.

 

[DomainGist]

=You sale data say your avg. sale price per domain in the last 30 days is just $760, and that is no pride.

Doesn't this include GoDaddy expiring auctions though?

Those are essentially wholesale transactions.

 

[Jannes]

 

[D Haynes]

Show attachment 262613

I would have thought Swetha makes most of her sales through outbound though... I mean nobodies actually looking for xyz domains... are they?

 

[Jannes]

I would have thought Swetha makes most of her sales through outbound though... I mean nobodies actually looking for xyz domains... are they?

A few years ago she denied doing any outbound (question 6):

https://tldinvestors.com/2021/11/swetha-2021-interview.html

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I would have thought Swetha makes most of her sales through outbound though

I am pretty sure she does almost none of her sales via outbound. She selects strong names, prices them, and gets them listed promptly then waits for buyers to come to her. The closest thing she does to promotion is her posts on X with many hashtags.

I mean nobodies actually looking for xyz domains

In the niche of decentralized service startups, indeed there are companies looking specifically for .xyz. One thinks first of crypto related operations, but it is more than this in decentralized creativity, shared resources, collaboration, security, freelancing, entertainment, etc.

I think to some degree the brandable places have missed this potential market. Atom not entirely, they do accept some .xyz as premium, but they have always been very selective. I can't lay my hand on the image immediately, but Atom shared not too long ago that there had been some shift in market STR in different TLDs, with .xyz up, but that is because they are so selective I think.

I think one of the smartest things that Afternic has done the last couple of years is to add .xyz and .io to the TLDs supported by Fast Transfer. I think the premium badge and search placement could help FT names in particular. Had Afternic allowed you to opt-in on certain names, I would have opted for boost on most of my .xyz, all of my .io, a few of my .org, and certain selected .com, as I think it is worth it, perhaps, for those. Although I take it from her comment that Swetha has opted in but not yet seen change, but of course it is still very early, even for large inventory holders.

-Bob

 

[D Haynes]

A few years ago she denied doing any outbound (question 6):

https://tldinvestors.com/2021/11/swetha-2021-interview.html

I am pretty sure she does almost none of her sales via outbound. She selects strong names, prices them, and gets them listed promptly then waits for buyers to come to her. The closest thing she does to promotion is her posts on X with many hashtags.

-Bob

I have to say I find that quite disappointing to be honest. I found her sales fairly hard to believe to start with but squared it in my mind by assuming she must be a really strong outbound marketer.

Ah well every day's a school day.

 

[equity78]

I would have thought Swetha makes most of her sales through outbound though... I mean nobodies actually looking for xyz domains... are they?

I believe she does no outbound.

 

[NameGroove]

I have been looking for anybody to post some positive results from this new Boost program and I have yet to see any. I guess any day now those sales will start coming in and people will start posting them.

I just sold a name via Afternic. First one since earlier in the year. Boost is off. Name was not FT enabled (required auth code transfer). 15% commission since boost was off. Boost sucks.