Toppings.com – another great example on the Epik network
At a previous post I explained why many domains raved over by Epik as money makers, are really obscure long-tail excuses of a reg fee domain. Some are of questionable value as trademark violations, as someone noted.
Perhaps these were the ones Epik registers from the drop lists, so I wondered what the Epik revenue system would do with a quality single-worder.
Toppings.com is not owned by Epik but it has been using the Epik system since June, according to the historical WHOIS at DomainTools.
Analyzing the output quality of an automated system in much detail is pointless; however, this particular generated content is in every aspect dull and uninspiring.
The “toppings” cart items are basically unrelated and confusing; when I think of “toppings” I am looking for pizza, gourmet food and definitely not M&M “toppers” or other candy.
If I wanted to browse chocolates and sweets I’d do so at Rick Schwartz’s Candy.com – Rick receives a percentage from the candy sales, after all.
Stats are shockingly low and revenue is at zero, as one can see at http://www.toppings.com/stats – so what kind of advantage is Epik providing to those using their system, apart from “Epik bucks”?
Is the future of domain development yet another CMS with a brand that wraps uninspiring content with a basic user interface and modified clipart?
Conclusion: With regards to domains, development is an overly abused word, particularly by automated parking systems that bring no personal touch to the look and feel of a web site. Epik’s intentions might be noble but I fail to see any difference from other parking page systems, such as WhyPark or Parked.com with customization on; or even Sedo, with a careful selection of keywords, template and image. In the long run, putting your best domains on a system with the aesthetics of R2D2 (insert your favorite robot here) might hurt your domain’s performance and value.
