Google reported that they made 53 changes to their search algorithm in the month of April. There were two more "panda" updates, and a "penguin" update. These updates appear to be directed at web spam. Many of the "mini-sites" and content sites created by domainers and parking companies are considered "web spam" - so be... Continue Reading →
Sedo and Google Switch to Estimated Stats
Sedo announced this week that they are going to display stats that they receive from Google first, then adjust them to delete "spam" clicks. In their words, initial estimates stats will be "based on the exact figures we receive from Google, our primary ad provider." One intertesting aspect of their announcement is that they publicly... Continue Reading →
No More URL Forwarding for Google-based Parking
You've probably been contacted by Google-based companies like Sedo, DomainSponsor, or NameDrive with a warning that domains you have listed with URL forwarding will no longer work after October 1st. This is something that Google has instituted, not these individual parking companies. Since Google-based services still seem to be paying better in general, it is... Continue Reading →
Google Ordered to Release Parked Domain Metrics
Online Media Daily reported on Friday that U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Howard Lloyd has ordered Google to release metrics related to it's domain parking and "errors" program. The judge is presiding over a potential class-action lawsuit by search marketers against Google. According to the report Google must disclose concerns its assessment of the quality of sites within... Continue Reading →
Did Google’s Farmer Update Affect Your Portfolio?
Google made a major change in their search algorithm at the end of February to punish "content farms" that serve-up warmed-over low-quality content. There have been some interesting discussions of the impact of this online, including one by Matt Bentley, formerly of Sedo. Matt argues that the Google change is a good thing for domainers.... Continue Reading →
We’re No Longer Recommending Bing-based Services
Earlier this month I dropped my recommendation of Bing-monetized parking companies Parked and SmartName. Income has just not rebounded Since Bing took over monetization of these services from Yahoo. As of this month I recommend the Google-based services DomainSponsor, NameDrive, and Sedo/SedoPro. Income has been dropping at Google services too - but it's been... Continue Reading →
Summer thoughts
Internet traffic tends to slow down for the summer. Most of us are spending more time outdoors and less time in front of our computers. Here are some other trends that are a bit worrisome.Two million iPads sold. The iPad will undoubtedly have an effect on the domain industry. With Apple's recent announcement of 2... Continue Reading →
How will the Microsoft/Yahoo Deal affect Domain Parking?
Microsoft and Yahoo came to terms this week on a deal to share search and paid search technology. How will this affect domain parking and income? There are a lot of opinions out there. Andrew Allemann thinks it is a good thing for domainers. His point-of-view is that an allied Microsoft-Yahoo will be a stronger... Continue Reading →
Stealing Ad Campaigns – Is this Ethical?
Chris Carpenter caused quite a stir with Google Cash Detective 2. After the first version tanked, he came back with a hosted version that has several months of very up-to-date data on PPC AdWords campaigns in every conceivable keyword. Think of this as SpyFu on steroids. If you've ever tried SpyFu on your own ad... Continue Reading →
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