Shane Cultra’s post about increased domain inquiries at Frank Schilling’s Internet Traffic outfit, clearly shows something that Sedo and other parking companies need to take note of.
The increased number of inquiries and offers aren’t due to the beautifully crafted landing pages that Frank offers. Actually, I’m being sarcastic about the look of those headers but that’s not the point here, as we’re not discussing PPC conversion rates.
There is one single thing that contributes to the increased number of inquiries, and that’s the large, bold, in-your-face line at the top of the domain that says:
This domain has recently been listed in the marketplace at domainnamesales.com. Click here to inquire.
It can’t be any simpler reason than that.
Meanwhile, Sedo’s “For sale” links in order to place an offer are hidden at various locations, sometimes below the notorious “fold” and in small print. And yes, this costs a lot of missed opportunities.
In the pre-PPC era, I used my own landing pages to promote and sell domains; a simple PHP script would parse the domain URL and create a contact form pre-populated with the domain in question. I received considerably more inquiries this way, which I would then convert into sales, mostly by utilizing Escrow.com
If you’re not concerned about the loss of PPC revenue due to moving your domains away from parking pages such as that of Sedo, creating your own landing pages with a contact form is the way to go, in order to achieve more direct sales.
There is also VooDoo.com that allows for custom placement of the “Domain For Sale” line, including my preferred top of the page.
“Meanwhile, Sedo’s “For sale” links in order to place an offer are hidden at various locations, sometimes below the notorious “fold” and in small print. And yes, this costs a lot of missed opportunities.”
Acro
While both your point and Shane’s points are valid, I would point out that Sedo has more than one landing page option. Take a look at StylishGames.com and Leilany.com for example, both of which use templates that incorporate an actual “BIN” button.
The default Sedo lander is not effective in promoting one’s domains as being for sale, but you can experiment with their platform to find ones that suit.
couldn’t agree more. have been doing and advising this since late 2010
Leon – Most people with parked domains either use the automatic “optimization” option that Sedo performs on their behalf, or use a Sedo template that offers more quality than your examples, such as the Blue or Pink Phoenix. Others prefer the text only for conversion purposes. None of these offer the benefit of displaying a “for sale” sign right at the very top of the page.
DomainAnimal – Feel free to post links 🙂
Not sure what you meant by “…that offers more quality than your examples”, though no offence taken.
My point was just to illustrate that there are options which make the availability for purchase a little more obvious than others, which I thought it fair to mention.
Leon – It wasn’t meant to be offensive, it’s not about the domains you mentioned but about the landers/templates by Sedo. Not the best looking around.
Sedo – and other PPC companies – need to rethink the model of presentation of ad content.
Prior to its demise, Parked.com offered a custom mode where the user could create their own page in its entirety, plugging in the code that generates the ads.
I agree, I know where to look for sedo’s for sale links, and can barely squint to see them sometimes. Sedo makes more money from sales, than parking, so they should focus on that channel. Parking should be a bonus.
I hear sedo is flying down some past high profile clients to see what they can do to get things back on track…
Stay tuned…
Acro
Honestly dude, I’m not one of those guys that is all precious and defensive about their domains, I merely wasn’t sure what you meant, though thanks for clarifying! 🙂
And I agree with your points wholeheartedly, of course I do. Any domainer with an interest in selling their domains would.
Could you perhaps shed some more light on the PHP script you mention in your post? I’d be keen to try this out.
I agree Acro,I switched to Voodoo and have at the top and have gotten more than I have ever gotten at SEDO.
I have been working on a few custom but still playing around.
Did you get the email I sent you about GreekYouth ? Just thought it might be something you interested in.
This has absolutely nothing to do with the design… it’s simply the Frank effect.
Anything that Frank touch becomes gold, I think he has already proven that fact many times J
I have been looking for landing page script could you please show us?
Regarding the script, the easiest method is to use URL forwarding to a landing page, passing a parameter e.g. the domain itself, then populate a form based on that data.
Francois – Kidding aside, this has nothing to do with Frank. Anyone can produce the same results regarding offers, with a landing page of their own.
I think you missed another very important aspect Acro and that is… in order to make an offer at Sedo, one needs a Sedo Account. Although free, it is “another step” for the interested party to do.
Even worse at Afternic, the interested party needs to sign up AND pay $1.
In your face is one point, but not having the need to create an account is another reason offers come in.
Jamie – Very true, thank you for bringing that up 🙂 TGIF!
Would these domains sell for much higher if they were put in auction though, I wonder?
I also use my own landing pages and experience a much better result compared to when they were still parked at sedo.com.
(for example http://sharingcommunity.com/ )
I hope SEDO read this then they change Sedo’s “For sale” links not hidden at various locations.