Peter Askew gives two simple tips for increasing domain parking earnings at Sedo.
by Peter Askew
At first, I was a domain parking newbie. I understood the business model, but always held a firm belief that development was the only way.
But, as the crack-like addiction of domaining consumed me, I began to realize the importance of parking, and the extra monetary lift it can contribute to a domain business – both from parked revenue, as well as re-sale.
Sedo became my marketplace of choice. As a noobie, though, I wandered aimlessly through the user interface. I’d upload new domains to test and fail to properly target and design each one. Targeting and design weren’t an entirely difficult task to implement, just tasks that Sedo – in my opinion – doesn’t quite provide enough guidance regarding.
Once I identified the method for those changes it helped triple my click-through rate and cemented parking as a viable option versus domain development.
So, rather than quarantine this info in my head as tribal knowledge, Andrew was kind enough to let me share here.
2 Easy Steps to Better Earnings at Sedo Parking:
1. Keyword targeting – When new names are submitted to Sedo parking, targeting for those pages typically revolves around the key terms in the domain name. If your domain name is PetersSultryMassageParlor.com, Sedo would tend to key advertisements off the the ‘massage parlor’ topic. But if your domain name is mangled, is an acronym, and/or doesn’t properly describe the domain and the type of traffic it receives, Sedo will tend to oddly target ads for the page. And – as you can guess – oddly targeted ads receive fewer clicks, and fewer clicks means lower revenue for your business.
This is easy to fix, though. Login to your account, and on the left navigation under ‘Domain Parking’, click ‘Optimizer’. Within Optimizer, locate your domain name, and under the ‘Master Keyword’ column next to your name, type the proper targeted keyword(s).
2. Page Design – Initially, my slow mental aptitude led me to believe the default Sedo page design was one I couldn’t adjust, or change. Another easy change, though. Within the same ‘Optimizer’ section referenced above, identify the drop-down box on the same row as your domain. Located inside are several page design templates you can choose from. Me, I’m preferential to the ‘Retro Green’ template. To view how the template might appear, make the selection, then click the magnifying glass image.
The other great option (within those additional templates) is the ability to include a self-selected image on the parked page. To do that, simply click the person icon under the ‘Photo’ column, dig through all the category files, and make your choice.
Once your keywords have been input, your template identified, and photo chosen, return to the Optimizer page and save all your settings. The changes should update within a few minutes.
Like I said, these small changes helped triple my CTR rate in Sedo. And small changes like that help scratch together more pennies to – you guessed it – buy more domains.
Peter Askew, a sometimes writer on DNW, is an Ole Miss alum and relative newcomer to the domain name industry. He loves geo domain names and can currently be found plugging away on his newest project, Land Between The Lakes.
Chris says
Why take two steps when you can take just one step: switch to Parked.com 🙂