Earlier this month I was interviewed by Ron Jackson of Domain Name Journal. Ron posted a nice cover story for the month of March at DNJournal.com which featured some of the top domain mass development company profiles and backgrounds. You can check out the full article: The Next Big Thing in Domain Monetization? New Companies Are Making the Dream of Affordable Mass Development a Reality. Now, I am not too big fan of any of the other services. The ones that are capable of doing it on a mass scale, such as WhyPark or DevHub all use scrapped content and have too many other flaws. There is no SEO involved either. The ones that do the development custom, site by site, such as AEIOU and SiteGraduate aren't really able to do mass development on a bigger scale and also have no clue when it comes to optimizing the websites.
So the ones that can pull off the mass development of 1,000's and 10,000's of sites... They are still missing all of the basics. Their websites are pointless and won't get you far. No matter how hard you try or what anybody tells you. The ones that do the development customized more or less do an "ok" job with the content production but still totally miss the mark when it comes to the search engine optimization. Only WannaDevelop.com has the true capabilities to mass develop 1,000's and 10,000's of domains for clients. We don't scrap content. We don't re-use content. Everything we do is custom and 100% exclusive.
At WannaDevelop.com you get the most bang for your buck by far. We create a lot of value for a small fee. Of course you have to be realistic in that you aren't going to get a full blown web site with all the bells and whistles... But what we do produce at the end of the day are on-topic website networks that are self sustainable. They are good enough for the search engines and users as well by all standards and they perform each and every time. They generate traffic and consistent revenues. It's that simple. We lay the foundation and take care of all the basics. Once the website's get picked up by the search engines and see some activity... That is when the real development should start.
So anyways, Ron had to edit the published interview at DNJournal because it was a bit too lengthy I guess... But here it is, the full version with a lot of information and stuff that wasn't mentioned originally. Thanks again to Ron Jackson for asking all of the right questions and doing a superb job with DNJ for many years now. Great guy and a true asset to the domain name industry.
Ron Jackson: Let’s start with some basics. Who are the principals in your company and what are their qualifications for offering this kind of service (you can also provide some staff details if you wish), when did you begin and what factors led you to decide the time was right to start providing the services you currently provide?
Mike Cohen: I got involved seriously with web development in 2002. It first was more of a hobby in the early years but then I figured that I was onto something as the checks coming in were of substantial amounts and they were paying all of my bills and other e-ventures too. So I put forward most of my focus and resources behind building websites about subjects I was familiar with on which I could cash in on back in 2002. Shortly there after I began mass developing web sites on a larger scale exclusively on generic keyword domains so that I could pull in as much targeted organic search engine traffic as possible from the top search engines; Google, Yahoo and MSN.
I was always fascinated by the whole idea of search engine optimization (SEO) since the early days of the web. SEO is actually natural e-branding or in other words internet marketing via the search engines. Thanks to proper domain mass development I could easily launch 100 websites for example in any given niche which I wanted to dominate and control and few month’s down the road I would have all this free traffic coming in to my websites and my only job from there on would be to monetize it which is the easy part of the whole operation.
Not all websites would take off but of course with having 100 of them, a lot of them did “blossom” sooner than later as it was done lottery style. The more websites you would launch, the better your chances would be at getting more traffic and a lot more winners vs. having just one or two websites as most people and companies do. Having a lot more optimized websites setup and with the proper SEO gave me the competitive edge and put me way ahead of everybody else each and every time.
So naturally in 2008 when I saw the demand for domain mass development within the domain community of course I saw an opportunity to provide my mass development services to others who are interested in taking the next step forward beyond parking.
Ron Jackson: Now give us some details about your specific program – how you attack the problem of developing a large number of sites at an affordable cost (include details of the cost of the service, how many domains it covers, how much development work it includes, what kind of domain management system you have in place, etc.)
Mike Cohen: We have a unique approach to mass developing large portfolios of domain names. We exclusively build on-topic domain networks. We break them down into groups. It can be finance, travel, hobbies, etc. All domains must be related one to another, in other words compliment one another. We spend about 50% of the time on putting together relevant content to match up with the whole theme of the network and the remaining 50% is spent on the search engine optimization end.
Our “quick start-up” domain development service is priced at $999 per group of 10 domain names and includes:
* Dedicated project manager to oversee all aspects of web design and development with a guaranteed turnaround time of 7 days or less
** All design, research and copywriting is done by professionals with years of experience; in house by USA based talent.
*** Each website’s content features up to 10 pages of on-topic text, images, videos, and more.
**** All content on websites contains specific custom written information and relevant images which are licensed exclusively to the client and never re-used elsewhere.
Orders of 20 - 49 domains get a 10% discount. Orders of 50 - 99 domains get a 20% discount. Orders of 100 - 199 domains get a 25% discount. Larger projects consisting of hundreds or thousands of domains qualify for a deeper discount and better deal overall.
There is no content management system available but all of the websites we setup are static css based pages which can be edited and further customized easily within minutes with a standard web based html editor and/or web design software such as Dreamweaver.
The reason we do not setup our websites with a content management system or on a blog platform is because we do not recommend clients edit anything or make changes to the websites right away once we launch the websites for them. It is more of a “hardcored” way to make sure that our setup is effective long term. Few month’s need to go by before the websites need to be “updated” or modified and taken to the next level. Our start-up websites are setup in a very specific way and all clients must clearly understand that right from the start. The setup just reinforces this principles.
Ron Jackson: While these sites are often referred to as mini-sites, many of the current services allow domain owners to add their own content and advertisers (or feeds) to further the development process. To what degree does your system allow this? Does your service allow a domain owner, to plug in third party content from a source like Tinbu for example (they offer locally targeted modules for things like gas prices, restaurant locations, weather, etc.)?
Mike Cohen: We build what we like to call start-up sites. They are setup to be very flexible. They can be scaled up easily when the timing is right; to a blog platform such as Wordpress or any type of content management system such as Joomla. The website setup as is, can be customized however you want and any type of content/feeds can be easily implemented. Each domain is setup as a standalone website and the possibilities and opportunities with it really are endless. We work with each client to meet their needs and customize the websites accordingly each and every time one by one.
Ron Jackson: The #1 question on domain owner’s minds will be, will this service make more money for me than parking the same domains? Since this is a new category, with many of the service providers having been open less than a year, there is not yet a long track record for comparing results, but based on what you currently know, how do you answer this question from your customers?
Mike Cohen: We only develop domain names that make sense developing. Before taking on any development project and charging anybody anything we provide a free and no hassle consultation to all clients who express their interest in our domain mass development services. We analyze a clients domain portfolio, do market research, etc. and make a recommendation from there on how to proceed and what the options are. We lay out all options on the table and provide a master plan as far as development goes both short term and long term.
Domains such as AdviceLawyer-Online.net, InsuranceDirectory.biz isn’t the best candidates for development period… or domains such as Wizza.com (the three domains are only examples) We only take on domain development of targeted and industry specific domain names that usually consist of 1-2-3 keywords in the com/net/org gTLD extension or ccTLD specific extensions such as .co.uk, .asia, etc... Domain names that are made up/brandable or in other words just sound good/cool are not a good fit for our service and do not qualify.
The development of domain names allows for more control of pretty much everything vs. traditional domain name parking. There is a lot of money to be made if a domain name is developed properly with relevant and compelling on-topic content which can interest the visitors and search engines. You always want to create a win-win situation for all. You have to cover all the bases with proper web development.
The biggest thing we focus on is to try to increase the traffic organically over time with extensive SEO on each and every page as well as content and ad optimization. We try to create a clean and user friendly experience from start to finish by analyzing all of the variables that come into play when dealing with whatever markets from each and every angle. Users appreciate this as do the search engines. If you build something of quality, you really don’t have to try too hard to push forward with aggressive advertising techniques or any other tricks and gimmicks. Visitors can self-serve themselves using the search function we setup on websites or click on one of the provided ads. Sometimes you can only do so much. We keep things simple and stick to the basics. It gets the job done.
We have tested many techniques and approaches over the years with web development across many different projects and what always works best is when you keep it honest and simple. Sometimes you can only do so much. The best thing is to provide on the domain name what most of the visitors are there for in the first place in the form of explanations / reviews (professional copywriting) of relevant services / products and provide affiliate links to where the visitor can further research and get more details. Visitors will digest the information and hopefully take action under the right circumstances.
Ron Jackson: Many developers say there are additional benefits, beyond immediate monetization, to moving beyond the parking page. For example, more “curb appeal” for potential buyers, less likelihood of inadvertent trademark infringement (from ads served by the PPC company), etc. In your own words, what do you see as the added benefits of following at least a minimal development strategy?
Mike Cohen: Domain development is all about taking control of your business. The domains are different branches of your business. The visitors to your domains are all your clients. Even the most miniminal development deployed may turn out to be a big success because you will be able to tap into some organic search engine traffic inventory which is the single biggest factor that drives domain development on the web today. Once you build a website with relevant and useful information, the search engines begin to like you. With a parking setup, the search engines certainly don’t like you and don’t want to even know you.. They don’t want to be your friend or play nice. Once you ditch the parking setup and have a developed website, the search engines may just become your best friend. If you setup a website with the proper SEO and content, slowly but surely the search engines will grow on you. Of course not over night but they definitely will. It is just a matter of time.
You have to sell your website first to the search engines for them to start referring visitors to your websites. Just setting up a website and waiting for something to happen on it’s own isn’t the best move. It‘s not going down like that. You have to be pro-active when it comes to this stuff. You have to fight for visibility and do everything you can in order to get noticed and taken seriously on the hyperactive web. Once the search engines start to fall in love with you and determine that your website is actually useful and such, they will begin to send over a whole lot of love your way in return. You feed them content and all the right signals and they reciprocate big time. The relationships can be established rather quickly in some cases and for a lifetime.
With every successful business online, there has to be organic growth. SEO cannot be ignored by anyone and it has to be taken seriously if you want to expand your reach via the most popular internet properties which are search engines. With the investment and deployment of multiple mass developed domain names that are optimized properly for the search engines, there can be a whole lot of opportunities instantly created and with it you will be able to tap into a traffic supply that with a parking domain setup you simply cannot touch. No matter what type of domain development setup you choose to go with, it is the right step forward and one step closer to the ultimate internet success.
Ron Jackson: Parking is a well established industry with many major players. Your service category is the new kid on the block. How do you see the equilibrium between these two sectors (parking and mini-site development) changing over the next couple of years – do they both hold their own, does the balance of power shift, etc? In a follow-up related to this question, do you have any service expansion or changes slated for the near future that you think will impact this balance of power?
Mike Cohen: Domain parking has been around for many years now as we all know, unfortunately it has seen it’s better days if you look at the current situation and from what has transpired. I just don’t think that it is a consistent enough monetization solution in 2009 or a reliable one for the future that you can count on. It’s definitely downhill from here on compared to where we were in the better years, around 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The domain parking companies powered by Yahoo feeds will always be around to a certain extent because Yahoo needs them just as bad as they need Yahoo in order to survive and stay in business. Yahoo needs all of the PPC search distribution outlets and help they can get in order to keep up with Google because the ad inventory and demand for quality traffic is always much higher than what they are actually able to sell off daily. Google’s market share in search grows organically while Yahoo’s declines little by little.
With Google, there has been a lot of issues as far as the domain channel is concerned the past year or two especially. The latest development being Google launching “adsense for domains” directly to the general public which was bad news for the entire domain industry. Google has also seriously considered pulling the plug on the domain channel as a whole at least twice now but reversed their decisions in the last minute, not exactly sure why nor do I have any insight or additional information as to what went on behind close doors, but I can only guess…
Probably because it is really good and easy money VS. risk and everything that comes with it of course and even though the domain channel as a whole is a very tricky and complicated business (perceived to be really dark and full of most of the click fraud) which has it’s share of serious problems (typos, trademark infringing domains) and issues they still decided to stick it out and rack in $100,000,000’s annually as the middlemen by brokering the traffic. Unfortunately law suites have been flying around and pressure from advertisers and governments will sooner than later have Google seriously thinking twice about whether it is all worth it or not.
Google tries to be politically correct and tries to please everybody but unfortunately this is impossible and the inevitable can only delayed for so long. If Google has to choose between their advertisers, who spend billions of dollars or domainers --- we all know who they will choose without even thinking twice.
Ron Jackson: Finally, use this last section if you wish to bring up any points about your service or the mass site development that the previous questions did not give you an opportunity to make.
Mike Cohen: Our team is made up of internet marketing professionals and domain industry insiders. Each and every one of our staff members has extensive knowledge when it comes to understanding type in traffic, advanced optimization and everything there is to know about web development. We combine technical expertise and marketing smarts to help our clients maximize profits. We offer the most comprehensive and advanced domain mass development and search engine optimization solutions available today. We are metrics driven marketing specialists obsessive about domains and everything that has to do with them. We like to think of ourselves as quiet unique and diverse when compared to traditional domain parking companies. We understand the web development business inside out. We have been involved with mass development of domain names heavily for more than five years now and have launched 10,000’s of successful websites.
With years of experience in the advertising, marketing and domain industries, we have a confirmed track record of success for all of our clients. We have the technology, industry knowledge and strategic outlook essential for success. Our staff includes a mix of some of the domain industry's brightest people and internet marketing heavyweights. Professionals who have hands on experience in dealing with direct navigation and direct marketing through this channel as well as developers who understand how to build something from the ground up and actually make it work. Our talent pool is deep and the range of our services wide enough to meet almost any business challenge that comes our way. We are positioned and committed to getting our clients the results they deserve. We are passionate about our work and it doesn't matter if you only have 10 domains or a bigger portfolio of 500 domains or even 10,000’s of domains, we can provide a custom and cost-effective solution to increase your traffic and earnings all across.
We are in constant assessment mode and take action right away if performance is not up to par. All of our internal processes are custom developed and deployed in-house. Our strategies and techniques are tested time after time over and over again for maximum effectiveness and then specially selected and systematically implemented precisely to create maximum revenue opportunities en masse for each client accordingly.
At WannaDevelop.com we are always looking out for clients best interests. We often develop close and personal relationships with clients and we consider many to be our good friends. We strive for excellence in everything we do and are determined to develop better ways to monetize domain name traffic and create organic traffic growth long term via domain mass development. We never stand pat on our services or technologies. We understand that the domain industry is driven by innovation and we are always looking to bring intelligent new ideas to the evolving market.
Our staff is easily accessible and happy to assist clients in any way we can. Clients are our top priority and we always try to go above and beyond the call of duty to provide a superior service. We have a team of people that you can trust and technology you can depend on. We believe in honesty and one of our company policies is that we will only take your business if we know for sure that we can deliver an unparalleled level of service and the amazing results that you would come to expect from WannaDevelop.com. We will not waste your time. Never.
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