How I turned a website with little traffic and no profit into a $10 a day profit machine

Pay attention, because these are concrete, specific tips of the kind that are not usually shared in the domain name industry.

I have a blog – whose name I will not furnish because I don’t want to violate any Adsense rules - where I write reviews of money transfer services. Not the most exciting of subjects perhaps, but important to the millions of people who regularly send remittances overseas. I don’t publish new material often – one article per month or so – but I do write the articles myself and I try to make them useful.

To find an article topic, I go to news.google.com and do a search for “money transfer”. As I sift through the results I ignore press releases. I keep scrolling until I find a genuine news piece. I read it, absorb the info, then summarize it into a concise article, using my own phrasing and adding my own observations. This usually takes about half an hour.

Alternatively, I look at my stats to see what search phrases readers are using to find my website. I take one of the more popular phrases, do my own search and read up on that subject, and write an article about it.

I also occasionally answer readers’ questions about problems they may be having with online transfer systems or online bank accounts.

The website was created with WordPress, is monetized with Google Adsense, and has always paid quite well per click. The problem has been the lack of traffic, and the low CTR. There is some search traffic, but not enough to generate significant income. Recently I decided to try driving traffic to the website with Google Adwords. I was able to get traffic for as little as 2 cents per click, but the problem was that the Adsense CTR (click through rate) was quite low, on the order of 1.5 percent.

To address this issue, I installed the Heatmap theme, which is an Adsense-optimized WordPress theme. I monetized the website fully, with five Adsense units on each page, three of those being ad units, and two link units, using the sizes and placements recommended by the Heatmap theme. I used the Adsense Injection plugin to place some of the ads strategically.

Initially I set the Adsense ads to image and text, which is the default setting. With the new ad placements, the CTR climbed to between 5% and 7%. Then I tried setting the ads to text only, no images, and I saw another jump in CTR, to between 10% and 15%.

Yes, the ads are a bit over the top. They do somewhat take over the website. But it worked. With the CTR as high as it is, I can now drive traffic with Adwords and make a profit. I spend about $3 per day advertising this site with Adwords, and it generates about $15 per day on Adsense. So it’s quite a good profit for a website that requires a time investment of 30 minutes per month.

The next challenge will be to bring in traffic from other sources, and to update the website more frequently – perhaps once every three or four days – with new articles. I may do this myself, or contract it out, but the key is that the articles must be quality writing, with useful tips and news. Content is still king.

A certain domain name blogger wrote a recent post titled, “Register a FREE domain name!” in which he mentions a service called DomainLagoon.com that gives you points for filling out web surveys, and then allows you to trade those points for a domain name registration. But is it really worth your time?

The blogger writes, “It took me about 2 hours to fill out enough web offers to earn enough points for my first free domain. (9.95 points)…. What are you waiting for? Click the banner and get your free domain!”

The problem with this is that I can register a domain name for $8, so if it took the blogger two hours to fill out enough surveys to register one domain, then he is working for $4 per hour, below the U.S. minimum wage. I value my time far too much for that, and I can think of more productive ways to use two hours of my time online.

Secondly, I can see that the link on the blog is an affiliate link, and for all I know it’s a paid post as well, which means that his enthusiasm must be taken with a grain of salt.

Still, I’d say it’s a good offer for someone who perhaps lives in a poor country, has no job and no funds, and wants to try his hand with a few domain names. Also, the Domain Lagoon system requires no credit card, so it might be handy for someone with no credit card who wants to get started in domaining. If you register a reasonably good two or three word dot com, you might be able to flip it for several times the reg fee, and then you’re on your way, even if it’s a slow start.

By the way, there are no “advertorials” or paid posts on DomainerPro.com. I do have a few Adsense ads running, and I may in the future place advertisments for domain parking services or registrars, but they will clearly be ads. I will not hide affiliate links within blog posts. If I say good things about a company or product it’s because I genuinely appreciate it, not because I’m getting paid.

I do frequently mention services like Sedo.com, Moniker.com, DomainSponsor.com, etc, and I could probably make a few bucks by placing my affiliate code in the links, but that would compromise my objectivity. When you’re promoting a service because you get paid to do so, your opinion is no longer credible. Failing to disclose the sponsorship is, in my opinion, bad blogging practice.

No, not mine… I’m talking about DNBizBlog.com. I came across this blog last week, and though it’s still freshly minted with only four posts, I’m very impressed with what I’ve read so far. The author, who goes simply by the handle ASN5, is a programmer and domainer from way back who registered his first domain in 1994.

On his “About the Blogger” page he tells a funny story about telling representatives of Universal Tire Company that he would register the domain name tires.com for them if they would be willing to commit to a $100-per-year website. They replied that his proposal made no sense because “nobody’s ever going to buy tires over a computer.” The domain was purchased by another tire company three years later for $700,000 and is a storefront for America’s largest independent tire dealer.

My point is, he (or she – it’s not clear from the handle) – has been around for a while. He knows the material and presents it concisely. The topics he’s written on so far include the ethical conflicts of interest of domain name registrars who are also domainers; a breakdown of the different types of domain traffic; and the questions that one must ask himself before investing in domain names.

The only comments on the articles so far are mine, but this blog deserves to be more widely read.

Another thing I like about DNBizBlog is that the content is instructional in nature. There are already plenty of domainer blogs (too many in my opinion) that focus on “domain name news”, as in what Sedo is doing, or the results of the TRAFFIC auction, or who paid a half million dollars for what domain. We need more content oriented toward novices and struggling domainers, explaining the basic concepts of domaining.

Conclusion: DNBizBlog.com is one to watch. I have added it without hesitation to my popular list of 26 Must-Read Blogs for Domainers (and 8 Extras).

1. CircleID.com – http://www.circleid.com/
   More of a social media site than a true blog, CircleID.com is a community hub for the internet’s infrastructure & policies.
2. The Conceptualist – http://www.conceptualist.com/
   Sahar Sarid’s is co-founder of Recall Media Group and self-made domain entrepreneur. I check this one every day.
3. David Carter’s Blog – http://www.david-carter.com/blog/
   David is a domainer and internet marketer from Birmingham, U.K.
4. DailyDomainer.com – http://www.dailydomainer.com/
   I’m not sure what’s going on with the Daily Domainer. This blog was inactive from June to October, then there was a small flurry of posts, and now it is dormant once again. In any case there’s plenty of good archived material.
5. DirectNavigation.com – http://directnavigation.com/
   A recent addition to this list, DirectNavigation.com is written by an experienced domainer. Frequent updates consist of short domain industry news briefs.
6. DNBizBlog.com – http://www.dnbizblog.com/
   DNBizBlog just debuted in November 2007, but is a truly welcome addition with excellent advice and personal experiences of a long-time domainer. This is what we need more of.
7. DomainBits.com – http://www.domainbits.com/
   Jeff Behrendt’s blog debuted in November 2007 and has already garnered a lot of attention for its well-researched posts.
8. Domain Name News – http://www.domainnamenews.com/
   Run by two domainers, this blog supplies domain industry news, particularly coverage of domain conferences.
9. DomainPulse.com – http://www.domainpulse.com/
   Domain pulse provides a steady stream of domain name industry news.
10. DomainerPro.com – http://www.domainerpro.com/
    W. H. Abdelgawad’s new domaining blog is a welcome addition. Good information for beginning domainers, and general domaining strategies.
11. The Domainer’s Gazette – http://www.domainersgazette.com/
    Billed as ” Domainers Covering the Domaining Industry”, this is Peter Askew’s domaining blog. Peter started this blog in March 2007 and has posted much useful information.
12. DomainTools Blog – http://blog.domaintools.com/
    Jay Westerdal’s blog is updated frequently and provides heavy coverage of domain name conferences and auctions. Jay is a frequent poster on NamePros.com as well.
13. Domain Name Wire – http://www.domainnamewire.com/
    News source for the domain name industry written by industry experts and edited by Andrew Allemann.
14. Dominik Mueller Domain Name Consulting – http://www.dmueller.com/
    Dominik, who has been in the domain business since 2003, specializes in the sale and acquisition of premium domain names.
15. DotSauce Domain News Magazine – http://www.dotsauce.com/
    DotSauce was founded in April 2007 by Mark Fulton who says, “we understand that you want more than drab news and controversy concerning ICANN, so we will often times include articles, reviews and news on innovative applications and resources you may find useful.”
16. Elliot’s Blog – http://www.elliotsblog.com/
    Elliot Silver is the owner of Top Notch Domains LLC, which owns a strong portfolio of generic domain names. His blog is definitely a must-read, not least for his superb “5 With” series of interviews of major domaining personalities.
17. Inside Domaining – http://www.insidedomaining.blogspot.com/
    Steve Granville-Smith’s blog: “This is Your Time, You Were Born to Be A Domainer!”
18. The Key – http://blogs.business2.com/sloan/
    Paul Sloan’s blog is a member of Business 2.0′s Blog Network, and is very industry oriented.
19. Name Brief – http://www.namebrief.com/
    Bret Fausett is not a prolific poster, but his writing is interesting and relevant.
20. RickLatona.com – http://www.ricklatona.com/
    Rick Latona is a top domainer who has recently debuted a blog and a daily newsletter in which he offers premium domains for sale at low prices.
21. The Rick Shwartz Domain and Traffic Blog – http://www.ricksblog.com/
    Rick Schwartz, the “Domain King,” says that he is “famous for ruffling feathers.” In any case, he is one of the leaders of the domain name industry and his blog is indispensable reading for any serious domainer.
22. Seven Mile: the Official Frank Schilling Blog – http://frankschilling.typepad.com/my_weblog/
    Frank Schilling is one of the dukes of the domain name industry. Any domainer can learn a lot from him.
23. Tropical SEO – http://tropicalseo.com/
    Crude language but insightful posts on search engine optimization (obviously), domaining and “competitive webmastering.”
24. Whizzbangsblog.com – http://whizzbangsblog.com/
    Michael Gilmour’s domaining blog.

Other Important Blogs

These blogs are not focused specifically on domain names, though some of them do address the topic from time to time. But they are very useful for anyone interested in website monetization and profitable web publishing:

25. Aaron Wall’s SEO Book.com – http://www.seobook.com/
    An important blog about online marketing and search engine optimization.
26. CopyBlogger.com – http://www.copyblogger.com/
    Copywriting tips for online marketing success.
27. DNXpert.com – http://www.dnxpert.com/
    Domain name industry news. Blogger John Motson also regularly shares lists of good expired or available domain names with his readers and subscribers.
28. doshdosh – http://www.doshdosh.com/
    Subtitled “helping you make money online”, doshdosh.com is an incredibly useful blog. Updated daily, there is a wealth of information here about blogging, website monetization and promotion strategies, and online entrepreneurship in general.
29. Tony Hill’s Ad Publishing Blog – http://www.tony-hill.net/
    Great guidance on effective web publishing.

Extras:

These are not necessarily must-read blogs, but they make for interesting reading nonetheless:

30. Ambler on the Net – http://www.ambler.net/
    Christopher Ambler’s industry blog, covering Internet industry news, ICANN, the Domain Name System, Domainers, domain monetization, and other items of interest.
31. The Amateur Domainer – http://www.amateurdomainer.com/
    He portrays himself as a total bumbler, just trying to make a few cents. But for a beginner he’s doing a lot of things right. I ended up reading almost every post he’s written.
32. BorgHunter’s Blog – http://www.borghunter.com/
    Though only a high school student, Mitchell Bundy’ – the “Borg Hunter” -has notably developed a domain name portfolio plugin for WordPress.
33. BVTD.com: Buying, Valuating and Trading Domains – http://bvtd.com/
    A new blog introduced in March 2008 by a fellow who collects LLLL.com and LLLLL.com domains as a hobby.
34. Domaining.org.uk – http://www.domaining.org.uk/
    An excellent blog that focuses on .uk domains.
35. DNVW: Domain Name Values Weekly – http://www.dnvw.com/
    This blog recently changed hands and David, the new owner, has given it a fresh breath of life. With its new design and updated content, this is one to watch.
36. Income.com – http://www.income.com/
    John Reese’s Income.com blog contains a lot of useful information about marketing, traffic generation and SEO.
37. Quad Letter Domains – http://www.quadletterdomains.com/
    Market trends, news and personal experience of four letter domains for enthusiasts and investors.
38. StevePavlina.com: Personal Development for Smart People – http://www.stevepavlina.com/
    Steve Pavlina’s blog contains enough material on personal development to fill several books. He also writes about blogging and making money online.Inactive Blogs:
    
39. DomainEditorial.com – http://www.domaineditorial.com/
    This blog has not been active since July 2007 but has some good archived material.
40. Domain Rookie – http://domainrookie.com/
    Subtitled, “Stumbling through the domain investment world one day at a time”, this is another blog that had some promise but petered out in July 2007.

Being known as an expert in a field brings some important benefits, and for bloggers or online marketers such a status can be a stepping stone to great wealth.

But in a post titled, “Personal Branding and the Expert Status: Why You Shouldn’t Call Yourself an Expert”, Maki, author of the blog DoshDosh.com (a fantastic general guide to making money online), argues convincingly that online marketers and bloggers (and I would extend this to domainers or anyone else, really) should not call themselves experts. Maki makes several points, a few of which I have elaborated upon:

1. A self-bestowed title carries no weight and just makes you look silly. It’s like a man on the street shouting that he is the king of England. Pretty soon the guys in white jackets will come for him. Expert status is properly bestowed on you by other authorities in the field who recognize the depth and breadth of your knowledge.

2. Your false claims to experthood will just annoy the true veterans in the field and they will boycott you or even denounce you. The result: you harm your own reputation and you damage potential relationships with true experts who could have offered you guidance or mentoring.

3. You do your readers a disservice by making unrealistic promises or misleading them with bad advice.

So let me make it clear that I am not a domain name expert.

The real experts in the domain industry are people like the legendary and secretive Yun Ye, outspoken Rick Schwartz (the “Domain King”), Moniker’s Monte Cahn, Kevin Ham of Reinvent.com, Michael Bahlitzanakis of BPHG.com, Donna Mahony, Marcia Lynn Walker (MyrtleBeachInc.com), Chad Folkening of eCorp.com, Frank Schilling, Marc Ostrofsky of InternetREIT.com, Richard Lau (creator of DomainManager.com), GoDaddy’s Bob Parsons, Richard Rosenblatt of DemandMedia.com, Thunayan K. AL-Ghanim of FMA.com, and Michelle Miller (COO at BuyDomains.com).

(And many more. See Jay Westerdal’s list of domain name millionaires.)

I call myself a domain name pro because I earn a living with domain names, but I still have much to learn. In fact the goal of this blog is not to pass myself off as an expert, but to chart my progress in the domain name industry, including my mistakes, so that other newbies and novices might learn from my errors, and perhaps the real experts will offer me some much-needed guidance.

When I decided recently that I wanted to start a blog about domaining – the business of buying and selling domain names, or buying domains and monetizing them – I knew that I wanted a relevant, to-the-point web address for the blog. Where do you go to find a good selection of topical domain names at a good price?

I posted a message in the Domains Wanted section at NamePros.com. I’ve had good luck finding quality domains there at a reasonable price. The section is read daily by hundreds of domainers who probably own tens of thousands of domains between them. Prices tend to be reasonable, particularly if they know that you’re another domainer.

I stated that I was looking for a good domain name for a blog about domaining, that my budget was $300 and that it should be a dot com domain only. Within a couple of days, I had been offered over 50 different domains. I narrowed it down to this shortlist of 7 prospects:

DomainingEdge.com
NameShout.com
DomainerPro.com
TheSmartDomain.com
OriginalDomain.com
DomainingTips.com
DNCraze.com

I admit that I did not use all the tools that I normally use to analyze a domain before buying. I simply wanted a domain that sounds good and is relevant.

I do like NameShout.com – it’s catchy and easy to remember – but the owner wanted to send it to a Sedo auction. And DNCraze.com is short and sweet as well, but it seems to imply that domaining is the latest craze, a fad, a bubble that might burst. I don’t think that’s the case. So I wanted something more businesslike.

In the end, of course, I chose DomainerPro.com. What do you think, did I make the right choice?