GoDaddy drops PPC ads on expired domains in favor of auction promotion.
A domain name registrar typically parks a domain when it expires. The expired domain parked page usually notifies visitors that the domain is expired and up for auction with a fairly subtle notice toward the top of the page.
It appears GoDaddy is trying something different.
Check out the landing page you see if you visit 5sg.com, which recently expired and is up for auction at GoDaddy:
Gone are the parked page ads and other promotions for GoDaddy. Instead it’s a dedicated billboard for buying the domain name in an expired domain auction.
There are a few interesting things about this.
First, the removal of PPC ads is no small matter. GoDaddy is certainly testing if the loss in PPC revenue is worth the added exposure for the domain auction. This mirrors what many domain investors are doing: forgoing PPC revenue to increase the odds of a domain sale. (Dropping the PPC ads might also reduce headaches for the company, including trademark infringement complaints.)
Second, this lander is sure to grab the attention of the domain owner if he happens upon it.
Third, if the lander is successful and GoDaddy continues to use it, it will need to make a small change come the end of next month. New expired domain rules will require the company to add instructions for the domain owner on how he or she can renew the domain.
(Hat tip: Bill Sweetman, Name Ninja)
These have been in play since late May.
They’ve been testing other variations of this as well. Paul Nicks told me back in late May that the results weren’t in yet.
Apparently they test different landers based on the visitor.
That is a great move by Go Daddy! I would have to think the results they get from this test will be nothing but positive.
I see the normal parking page on that domain!
Have they finished the testing or are they doing AB testing with different variations for different people?
Yeah. I first noticed this in May also. But it must be in Beta because it doesn’t appear on every expired auction domain. What I find interesting about this is there isn’t any of the graphics you usually get with GoDaddy. It’s all text. Although I have seen this same lander with 1 generic graphic on it. No GoDaddy logo anywhere.