Teen Domainer

How Often to Update Your Website

TeenDomainer — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:00:24 +0000

One of the most popular questions and comments I get is how often should I update my website? The answer is it totally depends on the industry and site you are looking to maintain. Some ultra competitive areas might need an article a day or week while smaller areas only take a new article every month or so.

On most of my minisites I tend to update them every one to three month with a new article or two. Many times I do not just add the article I will add a picture, update them theme, add a widget. The goal is just to change things up and see if you generate any results like an increase in traffic or revenue.

With a large number of sites it is often hard to remember to update posts, so I use the scheduled post feature in wordpress and I am able to set up a few post to automatically be posted to the site over any length of time.

Normally if I add a great article I will begin to see the results in about two weeks with traffic coming in from the search engines. It always helps to do a small link-building effort around the new article. If my rankings have already dropped I know that I waited too long to update my sites and that I need to get a new one up soon.

If you are looking for ideas for a topic for your next article look at the most popular pages on your current site and also look at the analytics and see exactly what people are searching for to find your site, if there is nothing there try some of my favorite keyword tools.

If you need any help or have questions about updating your site please ask away and have a great weekend!

Alternatives to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool

TeenDomainer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:48:29 +0000

The Google Adwords Keyword tool is one of the most useful tools on the web. I almost always have it open in one of my many tabs in chrome. I have begin to also use a few other tools when doing researching for article, domain names, and competitor research. Keyword research is so useful in many parts of domaining and development.

The google adwords keyword is of course only limited to google's data so there are other tools you can use to see other types of data.

SEMRush Keyword Tool

I really love the SEM Rush website and if you have not already checked it out you really need to. One of my favorite parts of the site is being able to research what terms companies are advertising for via PPC. I use this information when I am trying to pitch them domain. Their keyword tool is limited in the free version, but is much easier to read and provides more data than the google tool. From a simple keyword search you can see the CPC, trends, and also the top organic and paid results to see who you will be competing against or who you should be selling you name too. You can also export the results easily.

SEO Book Keyword Tool / Wordtracker

SEO Book also has a great keyword tool that utilizes wordtracker and gives you combined search data from Google, Bing, and Yahoo. We all sometimes that there are tons of people searching on places other than google. In many cases Yahoo and Bing rank exact match domain better than google so their visitors will be easier to grab. It provides the wordtracker estimate, plus the google and the yahoo + bing combined. This is just more data to look at, because the more you know the better decisions you will be able to make. Like SEM Rush you can also export the results easily. You do need to register for a free account to use the tool at SEO Book.

LSI Keyword Tool

This is not your traditional keyword tool, it is completely free and what is does is you search a term and it will scan the first number of results in google and see what other words and phrases come up most often. I really like this tool because it can give you different results that normal keyword tools might miss.

None of these replace the Google Adwords tool, but make great additions to your tool bench.

Does Developing Domains Hurt Their Sales Potential

TeenDomainer — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:16:53 +0000

To put it simply Yes and No.

Most people know that I have developed out many of my domain names into small and medium sized websites. But like almost all developers I have more names that I have time to develop so I keep a number of them parked. On my parked names I have a standard "This name may be for sale" link that goes to a contact forum.

More offers on parked names

Over this year on the parked names I had many more offers and questions asking if the name was for sale or to list a price. Most people know that parked pages are not real websites and might be for sale. So on the surface it would seem that developing domain names decreases offers.

Quality Offers on Developed Names

Build out the sites into online brands does have benefits, because even though I received less offers to buy my developed out websites the few times that people wanted to buy one of my websites the offers were much more serious and larger. People see the websites and can tell that the owner has put time and work into the site. This makes sense because the buyers are not only buying a domain name, they are buying an existing brand with traffic, search engine rankings, and customers.

The presence of a website no matter the size seems to deter people from making initial offers and inquiries about the name because to a casual buyer the site seems to be in use. When a serious buyer comes around they want the site they will be willing to pay more because of the established brand.

As a way to get more offers on my developed sites I may try to add a top banner that says "This website may be for sale" which leads to a sales page. I will track and see if it takes away from my adsense and other revenue just to make sure it does not negativity effect them.

In Conclusion

If you are looking to sell a name quickly and get the maximum number of offers development might not be the best idea, but if you are looking at adding value to your long term investment develop away.

What have you seen on your parked and established sites with the offers from buyers?

Simple Guide to Writing SEO Friendly Articles

TeenDomainer — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:57:51 +0000

Recently I was trying to explain basic search engine optimization practices for writers to a friend and freelancer and I could not find a good guide on the internet so I figured I would put something quick together. I am by no means an SEO expert, I just wanted to share what I think could help many writers.

First and foremost content is for the visitors so write it for them not the search engine spiders. As long as you write quality content that provide value to the visitors the rankings will come. That being said there are a few things you can do to help yourself out.

Beyond Keyword Density

There is always a huge debate over how many time the keyword should be used per article, and my view is that main keyword should be used however many time it naturally comes up. If the exact keyword is used over 4% that would sound bad, I like to keep the density under 2%. Keyword density is no longer very important to search engines, because now search engines can identify related keywords and phrases. But, it is still an easy way to check an article and there are many tools to do so with.

All content writers should use the SEM Rush Keyword Search, Google Keyword tool, and LSI Keyword Tool to find keywords to add to their articles. All they have to do is type in their keyword and find a few related terms to use. Pick some with high search number and a few low hanging fruit terms with only a few searches. Then just add them naturally into the writing and the article will be more targeted and useful.

Using Sub Headings

When starting a new section give it a sub heading. People one the web love to skim content. Search engines also place more weight on headings so make sure they are relevant and contain an important phrase.

Be Bold

As with sub headings, bolding important keyword makes it easier for people just to skip to a part they want to read. Search engines also place more importance on bold text. So bold a few keywords and important facts of the article.

Stand out with Images

If each freelancer I worked with added an image they found from a free stock photo site, I would love them forever. It would save me a ton of time and would really make them stand out from the rest. Readers love images and it makes the site and article look much better.

Include a Meta Description

Another thing that all writers should include is a description with their article. A meta description is the box that comes up under the page title on google each results. It is only 160 characters long and should include the keywords on the page and tell visitors what they will find on the page and why they should click on your link.

Learning to Link

If a freelancer knows the site they are writing for well they should start to link out to older content on the site. If a keyword comes up that you know has been covered in the past, link out to the old article. Also if there is relevant link to another site it is fine to include it as long as it adds value.

What else would you like freelance writers to know when writing for you?

9990% Flip with Godaddy Premium Listings

TeenDomainer — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:41:44 +0000

Since 2009 the stock market (DOW) has moved from 8,000 to around 12,000 which is a huge increase in value. Also in 2009 I purchased the domain PoopBeGone.com for $10 on namepros. Over the 3 years which I owned the domain I received 8 emails about the name with a few leading to small offers that never amounted to anything.

Although the offers were small they did tell me that the name was worth something so I listed it on Godaddy's Premium listings for $999. I list many of my names on their system that I think are suited for end users hoping that one day someone will type it in and buy it.

Would this name have ever sold on Sedo or Afternic for this price?

Possibly, but I doubt it. They may have better systems and much lower commissions, but Godaddy has the eyeballs.

Godaddy's system is not great, they take 30% of the sale so make sure to price your names with that factored in. They also take quite a long time to send the check. I just got mine and this name sold in early November.

In three years my $10 name purchase turned into $999 ($665 in my pocket after the fees). Is it not a huge sale, but looking at the percentages the return on investment is unmatched. In my small portfolio I have a handful of names that I did not buy to develop, but with the sole plan to sell to final users. It seems that a few of them sell each year passively. I'm a much bigger fan of development, but sales are never a bad thing!

Have a great weekend!

More Lead Generation in 2012

TeenDomainer — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:49:29 +0000

One of my major plans for 2012 is going to be to add a new type of monetization to my network of sites. I have currently use adsense, various affiliate programs from sites like CJ.com and ShareASale.com, direct ad deals, and now I want to add more lead generation. I began to look for names that I thought would make solid lead sites last year, but I could never find the right programs. I just settled for adsense and affiliate programs on the sites and they still made money, but I always knew they could make more. I have found that lead programs on average pay out much more that simple adsense.

For my construction and service names I found a program which I am in the process of implementing on a few of my sites. On my rental names I found a private program that I added three days ago and from the early results it looks like it is going to take one name and double the income daily.

If you have a name in a certain space do what I did and search "the name buying leads" on Google and you will find sites that buy and sell leads in your market. Many of the sites only talk about selling leads to businesses, so just send them an email asking if they would like to buy leads and many of them will love to have more leads to sell.

Adding lead gen forms also does not mean you necessarily need to remove adsense and other offers. On some sites you will be able to keep earning money from adsense while also earning from leads. You might want to test and see which one is going to make the most money per visitor for you. There are a few wordpress plugins that let you easily AB test themes. The more I read about lead generation the more I see it is so much about tweaking and testing every little thing.

My last adventure with leads is going to be to try and sell them directly. I have a local Florida domain name FloridaTunaFishing.com which should be easy to rank well for. Then after I collect the leads I am going to try and sell them to local fishing guides. I know at first I might have to give a few away, but I think that with some hard work the site could really take off and expand into a whole network.

A Great Holiday Season With Product Domains and Amazon Associates

TeenDomainer — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:10:27 +0000

For product domain owners like myself the holiday season is always a little extra special. With millions of people online searching for gifts I always see traffic and advertising revenue increase. With many of my outdoor's related domain this is always a nice boost in revenue during the winter months which are normally slower for the seasonal names.

I do not have too many names developed with the Amazon Associates affiliate program, most of mine are on eBay's EPN network but the few that I do always shine during the holidays. The reason is that with amazon's program when someone clicks on your link you get credit for whatever they buy for the next 24 hours. Normally the 24 hours is considered to be too short compared to other affiliate programs. With so many people shopping on amazon for holiday gifts it really works well. It is always fun to look and see what shows up on your commission reports that have nothing to do with your websites content. This year some of my favorites were;

HTC Droid

Book Titled Do It Yourself Hedge Funds

Caramel Cappuccino K-Cups

Bop It Extreme (Did not know they still sell these)

Z7 Women's Serenity Flat

I own no websites that have anything to do these products, but I still got credit for helping amazon sell them! In a more general note about product names I also saw earnings up on my product names monetized with adsense and epn. Even on my parked product names I saw a little more traffic.

If you have undeveloped product domains, my advice would be to start build them out now. This way you will be in perfect position by the time the season of giving rolls around next year.

What I Wish I Did in 2011

TeenDomainer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:03:33 +0000

2011 was a great year for me, I have almost no complaints. I'm 19 years old and am enjoying every second of life. That being said there are always things that when we look back we wish we would have done so I am going to run through some of mine that relate to domain names for this last year.

1. Updated my Sites More

With college and running I neglected to keep adding articles and links which hurt my revenue. My sites survived but now instead of just doing a little work on a few sites over break I am going through each one and fixing them back up so that 2012 starts off great. Not updating some sites in 2011 cost me.

2. Stayed on top of the Drops.

For a while I was able to keep looking at drops every night, but when choosing between looking at dropping domain names and college parties, I hope everyone would make the same choice I did and go out. Now with some new tools I am trying out I plan to get back into the action.

3. Dropped More Domains

While I think auto renew is a great way to make sure you do not ever forget a good name, some of the names I picked up in my middle school days domaining are frankly awful. I need to drop them but again things got in the way like homework and exams so I kept seeing emails from godaddy about charger to my credit card to renew worthless domains. The money could have been much better spent.

4. Add a For Sale Link to my Parked Names

This Year I finally moved all of my domain to a parking provider (DomainPower) before most of them were doing nothing. My names do not get much traffic, but they make a few bucks each month. The biggest thing I was able to do was add a banner on the top that says this domain is for sale. This increased sales and offers and led to my best month of the year in November. Make it easy for the buyers to contact you!

5. Stay More Connected via Blog and Social Media

I really enjoy the domain community and by not blogging or checking into social media sites I felt out of the loop. I would check on Domaining.com every now and then but I was not as involved as I had been in the past. I missed the interaction and the fun that every day brings. So in 2012 I look to do more and carry on more conversations.

What did you not do in 2012 that you are going to do this year?

Holiday Updates

TeenDomainer — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:48:35 +0000

It is amazing to me that 2011 is already coming to an end. I have not blogged much in the last few months because of something called college which took up most of my time, but I just wanted to update some of my readers with what I have been working on. Just because I have not been blogging does not mean that I have not been buying, selling, and building out domain names!

In November I had two great flips on names that I purchased for low $xx and sold for over $1500 combined. This is what makes domaining great. I will share more details on this flip later.

I'm going to avoid the term "minisites" but my small websites have been doing great. During college they passively support me, I neglected them and missed updating a few which is what I will be spending my break working on. I am also building a few more out. I also plan on moving some of my larger sites to a new host.

WordPress Security is something that you need to stay on top of. Make sure you keep everything updated!

End Users - I stopped emailing and calling end users earlier this year because of time, but I have picked up some names that scream out to end users. Morgan has given me the motivation to pick up the phone again!

My joke site about Kim Jong Un is still going strong and just hit over 3,000 likes on facebook!

Last of all college is amazing! It's nice to be home, but my first semester at school could not have been better! Running, friends, academics its all too good in Atlanta at Emory.

I am working on getting one more nice sale in before the year ends, fingers crossed

I hope all of your Holidays were great enjoy the rest of the year, but just letting you know there are some nice names dropping...

No related posts.

Now is a Great Time to Develop That Site

TeenDomainer — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:29:02 +0000

As the year comes to an end now is a great time to build out that site you have been planning on all year. Many people are off of work (or school in my case) and have a little extra time after the holiday parties and family members leave to sit down a get it done.

For me the hardest part about building out a site is sitting down to do it. Once I start building its easy and fun to develop sites. We all have that one name or those names we bought with the plan of building out and just never got around to it.

Take a name with potential add it to your hosting account and install wordpress and let it go. You never know what can happen, the name that I bought for $12 at a TDNAM turned in to a site that makes hundreds of dollars a month.

My goal before New Years is to build myself 5 new sites. I picked up a few names during the madness that is the freshman year of college and I just never had time to build them out until now. I have already finished half of the first site and a third of the second so I am on my way. They are not going to start as big sites, I make all of my sites small at first and then I see which ones do well and then add more content and time into those.

Then the rest of the sites I think I am going to build out are PatioMister.com, PostContructionCleaning.com, FloridaTunaFishing.com and NtpeExam.com and depending on time possibly more after the new years because I am off for a few more days.

Some people have said all year minisites are dead, but while I was in college I did almost no updating on mine and they were still able to provide me with a steady passive income week after week.

Happy Holidays!