Any domain getting 275K+ type-in's/day has potential !!!
Here we go again! Non adult owners of a premium adult domain. Now, I like Gary just fine, but I don't believe he had an optimal gameplan for the domain when he owned it and in looking at the new site (as it is now), the new guys aren't showing any real "moxy" either.
2 things you said in your post that stand out to me are:
- The money they're going to spend is immense
- They are in it for the long haul
The money they're going to spend? How bout the money they've already spent??
It's been 6 weeks since they purchased the domain (you said) and they should have had things in development before the contracts were even signed so that as soon as the ink dried and the check cleared - you could start implementing - rather that start planning implementation. Hell, in 6 weeks just as a banner farm they could have already generated substatial revenue while the new site was being finished.
The second part of your post is the most interesting (and concerning) to me however and I'm basing what I'm saying on what I'm seeing because I don't know what you're planning - but it isn't logical to put up that new site as it is if that wasn't the direction you were planning on going in.
When I hear people use the phrase "long haul" it scares me. To me that implies "i'm going to spend your money (and lots of it) now, but you're not going to make any revenue for a long time - and that usually implies that the person running the show doesn't know HOW to make money in the short term". Ostentatious comments like you mentioned "Howard's gonna start promoting the site" even more greatly lean me toward that belief - as if Howard's going to be a money generating savior for all the $'s that's been spent so far. Maybe Howard can get some folks to the front door - but he can't make em spend money.
That takes me to the design of the site itself. Generally, the front door should serve one of 2 purposes.
- Send them off to somewhere else and make revenue in the process
- Entice the surfer deeper into your site and ultimately - to spend money on the site
Rarely should a front page need to do both.
Uggh.. I was going to make a long drawn out post but it's not my site and I'm not consulting for the owners.. so I'll wish you well and hope that the guys who spent the money have enough money left over to hire someone who not only knows the right answers - but knows why the right answers are the right answers
