I attended a webmasterworld conference in New Orleans in 05 and showed a company my domains that I had parked. The rep for the company clicked on a few ads to see the quality of advertisers. I went in the next day and the click and search were not accuratley tracked.
Do you think this happens often?
<edit>What could this mean?</edit>
<edit>Anyone care to share their personal experience with any of the domain parking companies?</edit>
[edited by: Webwork at 3:13 am (utc) on Jan. 18, 2006]
[edit reason] Charter [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]
Inference or speculation aside, the best test of whether your domain parking PPC revenue "is what it should be or might best be" is to move some or all of your domains around to different PPC companies. Test, test, test.
As to any given clicks being recorded or discounted it's my understanding that click fraud screening and preventative measures are handled at the level of the feed provider. Perhaps there was something about the IP address or other information recorded with the "conference clicks" that might have caused the system - in all fairness - to discount the clicks. (Given your description of what took place I'd have to say it's a pretty smart system.)
I doubt anyone here can either validate or confirm the existence of an underhanded scheme. Frankly, such an approach would be business suicide in the making, for if word got out (angry ex-employee, whistle blower inside, lawsuit discovery, government investigation, etc) it would be quite easy for everyone to repoint their domains. Given the suicidal nature of the practice I tend to doubt its existence, but anyone is free to risk the ruin of their business and going to jail. I'm betting against the practice on the simplistic rationale that "why kill a good thing" thinking prevails in the industry.
I've been using DS for awhile and though there's been a few operational bumps in the road (Example: "test" landers with images and verbiage entirely unrelated to domain) I'm staying put. In October DS announced that they would begin adjusting revenue based upon domain quality factors and what has happened is consistent with my own assessment of the quality of my holdings: Things are looking up. :) Policies that make practical, economic sense are like domain glue: they keep the domains from moving away.
I've also heard good things about Fabulous and I understand that Moniker is offering a parking solution that is starting to gain some traction.
There's lots of options and, frankly, I think there will be lots more domain parking options in the very near future - so the PPC companies will have to offer better revenue, better revenue shares, better domainer service, and better landers - including more options for a domainer to design landers that satisfy the domainer first and foremost, as it can be assumed that a sane domainer will work hard to maximize domain revenue.
i have been very happy with parking cos.
So, not being credited for the "test clicks" is likely evidential of not very much, except that things are working the way they should and someone didn't get charged for clicks they should not have been charged for.
I kinda like it that way. Good for the advertiser. Good for the industry. Good for domainers that play by the book. Even those who might put the book down for a second, thinking they knew the plot line only to discover a new twist.
Caveat domainer.
