Devaluing of Keyword Domains...
 

All these super keyword domains are now going for a fraction of their previous value as a result of Google changes, almost seems like fire sales to see how many have been put up to sell. Seems like the trend still has not hit rock bottom.

I have always maintained that BRANDING would eventually conquer all and make the "traffic vs content" argument obsolete. But looking at the current landscape, how many brands still really hold up in terms of not being whored out, or decimated by neglect, pummeled by mismanagement, or trammeled by over exposure? Not many, imho.

The way I see it... the guys that thrived on "easy" keyword traffic now are scrambling to brand and the brands are trying to claw their way out of obsolescence. Is there a point where the two can meet and save each other from extinction? Or am I just foolish to think there is even an issue?

I highly doubt the fact that branding would get to conquer all. After all it's easier for people to remember keywords than brands. Unless maybe there is heavy marketing for that brand but heavy marketing costs money.

I believe Google is fine tuning it's algo's in hopes that one day they will get it right while those that sell now good domain names may regret later.

Yes, that's why millions of dollars are spent trademarking brands and not keywords. :thumbsup

/sarcasm

That's because you can't trademark a dictionary word, nobody will approve it for you so they are left with creating their own brands and positioning them. Still this does not conclude that brands are easier to remember. We're born with the language and it's words not it's brands.

People would spend just as much or more trademarking keywords if they weren't purely descriptive. I'd love to have a trademark on 'Mortgage' if they would allow it. :winkwink:

Far-L,

The more likely outcome is that Google is overstepping its bounds and will eventually earn itself significant backlash. People who think Google 'owns' search ought to think back to a time when Microsoft 'owned' computing or Kodak 'owned' picture taking. When giant companies mistakenly believe they can dictate to the market rather than serve it, it NEVER ends well for the company trying to pull all the strings.

Google hasn't just devalued type-in domain names, they also: devalued adult keywords in general, devalued content itself via youtube, are starting to pick at the carriers by rolling out their own ISP, took on Apple and all handset makers with Android, want to crush all browsers with Chrome.... and the list goes on. Like many companies before them, they are becoming a victim of their own success and that usually doesn't last as long as people expect it would.

Oversight of internet infrastructure is being shifted away from US control and there are a whole lot of serious players about ready to work together to take Google down a few pegs. I don't think type-in domains have hit bottom yet... but anyone who thinks they are unlikely to recover is basing that mostly on the ability of one company to dictate how the whole internet works... and I don't like the odds of that bet. :2 cents:

I bow to the astuteness and logic of this post.:thumbsup

Valid points. :glugglug

well.. I rank top 5 for one of the most competitive cam searches... with a domain I bought just before the EMD update... I regretted the purchase a little bit at the time...

now I just have a whitelabel on the domain... NO backlinks at all... and it ranks!!????


Weird fucking shit heh?

I've noticed a shit ton of my EMDs ranking up as of late. Seems like an algo change in play over the last few weeks.

http://funnymartians.com/wp-content/...-seo-image.jpg

http://nickroshon.com/wp-content/upl..._n-500x345.jpg

http://bigideasblog.infusionsoft.com...ads/SEObar.jpg

Good thread... :thumbsup

:stoned

ADG

This would revalue those type ins. Maybe not for the good but the risk reward seems good.

everyday domains become more and more worthless

especially adult domains since theres no way to properly monetize them legally

IMO Domains are a bit like land there is only so much in good locations. The internet is still new so how much will prime domains be worth in 50 years.

you know what?
i like it!!!

those keyword domains get cheaper and it's easier to pick up some decent domain not taken by domainers. they aren't buying stuff right and left like they did it in recent decade

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Remember when all someone had to do was put up a ton of banners on a domain like Sex.com and make gazillions...

Google is a desperate paranoid thief that is more than willing to kill every internet business on the face of the Earth, and force them all to use useless Google "products" in the faint hope that said products will receive a tiny fraction of the traffic they might deserve or have formerly received.

Unless you have a massive and useless "social" network - good luck keeping a solid listing at Google. Google owns the internet - you are basically fucked and at their mercy.

unfortunately The internet is not like land... It's infinity. Big difference...

The domain market is doing just fine and dandy
http://www.dnjournal.com/ytd-sales-charts.htm

LOL some of those positions are at least questionable
took quick look, those seam bogus to me, probably sold for 1/3 of that price. there's no prices like that in adult any longer, especially .XXX

seems to be initial price, not real deal price

11. Teen.xxx $400,000 Pvt Sale 10/16/13
20.
tie AsianPorn.com $200,000 HuntingMoon 4/24/13
27.
tie Mobile.xxx $160,000 ICM Regsitry 2/15/13

What's it like to have such a negative outlook on everything?

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you do a little research, you will see that there is nothing questionable about these (or any other of the other) domains listed on this site. Despite the ever-dropping relevance of keyword-rich domains, branding is alive and well ... It's really pretty basic marketing 101. :2 cents:

I agree that it is marketing 101 but how come there really aren't any keyword rich domains that have distinct brands? It isn't like the domainers are not intelligent, complacent with status quo perhaps, but being savvy marketers was what got them into those choice bits of domain real estate in the first place.

Pussy.com and orgasm.com were huge presences on trade show floors a few years back but weren't both of those domains recently were up for auction? They are excellent keyword domains for sale; however, imo, they are not brands, even though obviously a ton was spent on branding them through the years.

Then there are those brands that seem to be fading, Wicked, for example, and it isn't like they don't have a traffic resource to support them or the keyword domain pegged for type-ins.

What am I missing?

Google: Taste Your Ass

The 2nd listing is "Your Lemon Squares Taste Like Ass - YouTube"

Two years ago you wouldn't have found a single 'mainstream' site on the top 10 pages in Google for a term like that. When that changes, and I expect it will change, those primary adult keyword domains will regain much of their value.

Hummingbird supposedly makes search contextual and is an attempt to future-proof google for voice search becoming more popular than text search. Someone will eventually figure out that mainstream searches for 'Lemon Squares' are usually things a person wants to say loud and clear into their phone, while "Gaping Pussy Fucked by Six Black Dudes" will continue to be the kind of thing many people prefer to text into a device rather than shout out loud at their handset. Voice and text searches yielding different results is likely on the horizon and adult search would benefit from that as well.

Most of all, when Google loses its strangle hold on search, the market will dictate once again how search should work... and there are still billions of people looking for Orgasms or Gay without wanting to get Wikipedia or the LGBT Anti Defamation League as the top results... :2 cents:

I agree that the samples you listed are not necessarily "brands" by a brick and mortar sense. That being said, people are more Internet/domain savvy and realize the value of a short, easy to remember (ie "brandable") domain.

They are much likelier to feel "comfortable" enough to buy a membership or follow a referred link on Pussy.com as apposed to some other long domain which anyone can buy for reg fee. The obvious never-ending supply of type-in traffic and long history of back-links doesn't hurt either.

With that said, I do believe domains are Real Estate. If you buy a "Pussy.com", you are sitting on a steady income ... Even if that income dwindles over the years, the domain will always have a value that is likely to increase. There will always be somebody willing to pay the money to try and turn it into a "brand".

Getting sued by Microsoft, Apple and the rest of the 'rockstar consortium' for violating patents that Google offered to pay 4 Billion to obtain is likely foreshadowing the way many major companies will deal with their dominance in the future...

http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/31/app...ortel-patents/

Surely the future value/worth of domains will depend on how surfers access websites.

In the beginning before search engines surfers typed in keyword domains because it was the only way they knew of getting to websites, that's what gave websites like Sex.com such value.

I'm not as optimistic about the future value of domain names as surfers typin domain names less and less as time goes on. With the proliferation of tablets & mobiles for internet surfing people are using apps more and more to access websites, 10 years ago that was the equivalent of clicking shortcut icons on your desktop.

If the majority of people are clicking shortcuts on their tablets or mobiles to access your site it makes little difference if you own Sex.com or Sex69US911hahaLOLROFL.com

As this trend continues IMO it almost makes having a top domain redundant in many ways

Agree, but following the classic real estate analogy...

Neighborhoods gentrify or depress obviously for certain reasons, and yes, some areas will always hold a high value regardless and even in spite of risky conditions. For example, the Malibu homes on the edge that are probably going to be in the sea an earthquake or two down the road will hold a value no matter how crappy the prospects are for it being there in a few years. Obviously, in similar fashion, some domains have lost or held value due to the "neighborhood" being quality or not; i.e., the traffic is crappy or the site is so full of shady consumer rip offs that scare people from ever returning, etc..

Sex.com being the best example of a hot property that became a slum, a place where no amount of cash seems it could change that perception, what is a good example of a keyword domain that has become well established as a brand?