What I don't understand is where does this potential traffic come from? Don't they have to get spidered by a search engine before they would even have potential to achieve traffic? Are they slapping up some content on these parked domains or is the traffic just generated via content in their domain name? How does this work?
In reality, a lot of the traffic is from SPAM e-mail directing traffic to the "testing" domain. Within a few days, SPAM filters pick up the domain and start filtering any messages that contain that domain. But it doesn't matter since the tester has already returned the domain.
What I don't understand is where does this potential traffic come from?
It comes from newbies who don't know better than to just guess at a likely generic domain name and type it in. So, let's say they want to buy examples. They just blindly type "example.com" into the browser bar, figuring they can probably find a place to buy examples there...
Since these are typically new, unsophisticated Internet users, parking sites are particularly effective on them. If you point them just a LITTLE BIT in the right direction, I suppose you have done them a service. Although most parking sites are far inferior to a search engine or real directory site, perhaps you've pointed them at something more useful, and collected a few pennies on an ad click in the process.
In reality, a lot of the traffic is from SPAM e-mail directing traffic to the "testing" domain.
Email doesn't create web traffic. Email goes to the SMTP server(s) listed in your DNS MX record(s) (if any). Domain tasting looks at hits on a web server typically configured at the root domain name and "www". (e.g. example.com and www.example.com) or using a wild-card DNS record. In any case, SMTP traffic wouldn't be counted.
Traffic typically comes by one of these two methods:
- direct navigation, type-in names: people register names with keywords expecting that someone would enter these keywords into the URL field of browsers and get to their sites. (Webwork actually runs a survey on this habit: Direct Navigation Survey: Do You "Do It"? [webmasterworld.com]
- typos of popular site names: omitted, added letters ("fat fingers"), replacing correct letters with adjacent ones on the keyboard or changing the order of letters.
Email doesn't create web traffic.
Since these are typically new, unsophisticated Internet users
Ooooo . . . that strikes a nerve jt. ;-P
What's the source of data for your rather sweeping statement jtara? Can you point me to any reliable industry studies? I'd like to read the study.
Feel free to put up a links to authoratative industry studies that reached the conclusion that people who employ direct navigation are new, unsophisticated Internet users.
Do old, sophisticated Internet users view Google's / Yahoo's / MSN's / Ask's SERPs as great fountains of non-commercial unSEObiased, unSEOblemished and unSEOvarnished truth from the mouth of the omnipotent and always correct and responsive oracle?
Is that why old and sophisticated Internet users would never be caught dead employing direct navigation, because they know that the SERPs are pure and wise? Old and sophisticated Internet users know the SERPs aren't an SEO commercial battleground, littered with paid (to the SEO) ads and SEOptimized "advertising" titles and SEO'ed meta-descriptions? Sophisticated users know that SERPs aren't a game about buying old websites and buying links and scamming .Edu and .Gov links? SERPs=goodness and light? "Move towards the light, oh ye old and wise and sophisticated searcher!"? Domain direct navigation and associated lander ads = badness and clueless, new, unsophisticated searchers?
Sorry, jt, but I say the assertion that direct navigation=unsophisticated, and by implication SERPs=sophisticated, is poppycock. I say that any sophisticated Internet user knows that the commercial SERPs evoked by any manner of "doing business" keyword query are often worse wastelands or bigger wasters of time than the unguilded, on-topic ads that appear on domain landers. The commercial SERPs are littered with links to websites pretending to pass on ultimate knowledge and information - a point of sale when all those webpages in the SERPs (landing pages, affilaite pages, jamming pages, etc) really offer is paid ads or a method to connect to the same companies whose websites appear on domain landing pages.
When it comes to doing business - finding a seller or supplier - it's hard to top direct navigation for bringing a searcher information on sellers and suppliers. Don't tell me that the SERPs do a more efficient job of connecting buyers with sellers than landers supplied with ads via Google's technology. That's just palpably inconsistent with what is in plain view: What you see in the SERPs for a query for City+Hotels and what you see, quite often, when you type in City+Hotels.com or the millions of other variations of direct-to-commercial-topic domains into a browser's URL box.
Except, of course, when the arbitragers target the domain landing pages. Then you travel the same circuitious route you do via the SERPs. :(
[edited by: Webwork at 9:50 pm (utc) on May 25, 2007]
The e-mail has a link to the site. Some recipients click on the link. Ergo, Email DOES create web traffic.
Oh. Sorry, I misunderstood.
Are you suggesting that some registrars send out spam emails directing people to the domain when somebody "tastes" a domain, so as to inflate the statistics and encourage a purchase?
What's the source of data for your rather sweeping statement jtara? Can you point me to any reliable industry studies? I'd like to read the study.
You did a poll yourself. What are the results?
I'd stipulate that webmasterworld users are a good proxy for "sophisticated users". Agree?
Are you suggesting that some registrars send out spam emails directing people to the domain when somebody "tastes" a domain, so as to inflate the statistics and encourage a purchase?
They don't have to pay for the domain, they don't have to worry about SEO, they don't have to worry about finding decent/memorable domain names, and they don't have to worry about having the domain included in blacklists since they won't even have it after a few days anyway. And I assume that once the tasting period is over, the WHOIS data gets blanked, so they don't have to worry much about irate anti-SPAMMERS going after them.
I'd almost admire the slick setup if I didn't hate SPAMMERS so much.
You did a poll yourself. What are the results?
I'm so glad you cleared that up. :-P
WebmasterWorld: ~3 members say "Direct search? No, not really."
Monthly direct navigation searches: ~100,000,000+ (An educated guess based upon Marchex ~30 million/month + NameAdmin ~20+ million/month + NameMedia ~50 million/month + lots of parking companies; actual number may be x2 or more.)
Clearly they just keep coming up with unsophisticated neophytes jtara and "we in the industry" are all forever grateful for the neophytes lack of sophistication and insight. Why who woulda thunk that someone searching for City+Homes or State+Mortage would have thought to check City+Homes.com or State+Mortgage.com? Who would be that unsophisticated? Argh!
Ummm . . you really did pluck a nerve there jt, calling my savvy focused get-there-direct (I-know-I'm-gonna-see-ads-no-matter-where-I-go) customers unsophisticated . . newcomers . . to the WWW.
[edited by: Webwork at 1:45 am (utc) on May 26, 2007]
...It comes from newbies who don't know better than to just guess at a likely generic domain name and type it in. So, let's say they want to buy examples. They just blindly type "example.com" into the browser bar, figuring they can probably find a place to buy examples there...Since these are typically new, unsophisticated Internet users, parking sites are particularly effective on them...
Really? Why do you think that? I am far from being non-experienced and unsophisticated using a computer online since 1982 and having my first website since 1996 and running a large number of sites but I still do type-ins a lot. In fact, I do type-ins all day long (and am using typeins more and more as time goes by).
