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At one stage parking domain names was all the rage and it appeared as if a bottomless pit of money had been discovered. However marketing managers, users and search engines quickly wised up and this has changed the fortunes of domain parking.
However it is not all doom and gloom. If you own a domain name with natural type in traffic then you might be on a winner if the revenue from clicks cover your set up costs.
Simply put domain name parking allows you to earn money from your domain names without developing your own website. Parking allows your domain names to display customised advertising pages that earn commission each time a visitor clicks on any of the links. The links are targeted advertising related to the domain name and keywords.
Mechanics of parking your domain name
There are essential two ways of parking your domain name, by changing the name servers or by forwarding the url to your parking provider.
So how do you change the name servers?
You need to log into your account and simply change the name servers to those given by your parking provider. You should make sure that you change the primary server name as well as the secondary server name. Once you have completed this process your parked should be up and running in 48 hours.
So how do you forward the url?
Again you need to log into your account and locate the section on forwarding your domain's URL. Once you have it simply type in your domain name including the extension after the parking provider’s domain names and you are done. Once you have completed this process your parked should be up and running in 48 hours.
Parking major draw back…
One of the major draw backs of parking pages is that users are now very internet savvy and generally can tell a website that is parked and as a general rule users will click the back button when faced with a parked website.
Comparing parking services
Domain name parking is not what is used to be. Revenue from domain name parking has tended to have a downward trend and most players in the industry have been forced to rethink they business models. There are many reasons for this downward trend - Google, a more aware web user and parking business adds limited value.
Having said that if your domain name has natural type in traffic, then it may be worth parking it .
Domain Parking services review.
Sedo:
Gold award
DRH rating: 4.5
INTERFACE: 4.5
PAY OUT: 4.5
ADD ONS: 4
What we like
Sedo’s tag line, ‘Earn money whilst you sleep’, will no doubt get your attention. Once you have registered, you can list on Sedo in three easy steps. The great thing with Sedo is that it doubles up as a marketplace where you can list your domain name for sale. Sedo has a comprehensive system of verify the ownership of all newly listed domains, which is great check and balance technique.
What can be improved?
The biggest bug bear with Sedo is that its earnings per click are somewhat below the industry standard.
NameDrive:
Gold award
DRH rating: 4
INTERFACE: 4.5
PAY OUT: 3
ADD ONS: 4
What we like
Name Drive has a great array of templates which give your parked domain name an authentic website page feel. One cool touch with Name Drive is the ability to choose between two web page design formats, firstly the 1 click web page allows your page to display a wide array of adverts, the second option is a portal web page which allows your web page to display a few adverts, and has a search option. Generally a niche domain name should be displayed as a 1 click advert and a general domain name is likely to give better results with a portal layout.
What can be improved?
Name Drive has a very peculiar system way of calculating parking revenue. Initially the amount shown on your account is an estimation. The official Name Drive explanation is that “...the earnings on each click made on your domains are shown as a generic per-region value for the first 48 hours. The generic stats are updated with the actual earnings after about 48 hours...” This seems to be a rather longwinded method. Someone at Name Drive will do well to remember the good old adage KISS. Keep it simple, stupid.
Fabulous:
Gold award
DRH rating: 4
INTERFACE: 4
PAY OUT: 4
ADD ONS: 4
What we like
Fabulous is the Bentley of parking services, it has an excellent interface, and more importantly it has the highest pay per click commission in the industry. Because it is a high end parking service, Fabulous can afford to be very picky when it comes to whom it chooses to accept on its parking programme. As a rule of thumb you need to fulfil one of these criteria’s, have a least 200 domain names in your portfolio or currently earning at least 200 US dollars on parking. Reportedly one of the highest earnings per click on Fabulous is a remarkable US$97!
What can be improved?
You cannot really fault Fabulous.com, however wouldn’t it be great if all and sundry could be accepted onto they parking programme.
The best of the Rest
Parked.com
Easy to use interface. Parked has a rather clever program called Domain Magic which is a self-learning optimisation wizard. Domain Magic continuously learns from each and every visitor’s, search and click pattern. It then updates your template, based on your unique advertising history. The more visitors you have, the faster and more frequently your domains will be optimised. But no matter what traffic level you start at, over time, all domains are optimised. Very clever indeed!
Whypark.com
Why Park take parking service to the next level. Why Park allows you to build your domain names to become shiny, new, living websites. And of course there is a cost to this. One of the most innovative features of Why Park is that you can provide your own content if you wish, which is a major positive.
Skenzo
When you become a major domain name player, the name Skenzo will find its way into your vocabulary. Skenzo's monetization program is exclusively open to large domain portfolio holders ONLY. It allows you to truly maximize revenue for any type of traffic across all advertising forums. Keep working at it you might a call one day...
Related article: Developing domain names
