Domain Values Higher

We see domains will become more important as the big brands (Google, FB, Youtube, etc..) clamp down and enforce restrictions on their sites. There has lately been a lot of talk in the news about fake news. Interestingly, I believe this will play a positive role in the valuation of domain names and the importance of corporate domain strategy. Based on my scanning of various (real) articles it appears that 99.9% of businesses are not involved in any sort of fake news.

This narrative, though, will have an impact on how companies view using these large third-party platforms long term. Businesses are seeing how easy it is to take a business off one of these platforms. This is very risky for business and shows the weakness in relying too heavily on these platforms for sales and traffic.

To mitigate risks and realize long-term ROI, businesses will shift strategies and investments to developing out their domains. The goal of every brand should be to directly communicate with their audience (not thru a third party). Your domain strategy is the foundation of this process.

Here is why I think the “fake news” movement will positively impact domain names

• The major platforms (Google, FB, Twitter, etc…) will tighten control of what and who gets published on their sites and enforce their ability to shut down accounts overnight with no appeal process. This will and can impact industries long term such as marijuana, survival gear, guns and potentially anything considered political.
• Although this is not new, this bold announcement and enforcement creates huge risks around long-term marketing investments and positioning.
• Brands will be incentivized to utilize these platforms to take back the conversation to their sites versus setting up a foundation on a third party.

I need to discuss the domain I own!

Your marketing investments are at risk.

Although third party sites have had the ability to cancel your site or posts at will, the recent bold announcement of this strategy is new. Google, Facebook, and Twitter have created their first steps to tightening the control of what and who gets published and advertised on their sites. The stated purpose is to cut down on fake news however the underlying impact is moving control away from brands and individuals. For example Facebooks new fact checking puts the control of your posts on third party fact checkers and the community. Google has announced plans to integrate fact-checking into their news feed.

If you look at this purely from a marketing standpoint, this should cause businesses to re-evaluate their online strategies. What happens when a brand relies too heavily on these channels and for some reason outside their control their account is frozen or turned off. Many companies have built their business on these platforms.

Marketing investments and revenue are at risk when you rely heavily on another platform as the foundation of your business. Domain strategies need to be a central strategy to limit this risk and take the conversation back to a location that brands can control.

Traffic could go to zero at a moment’s notice**

In a previous article, I spoke about how FitLife.tv lost millions of dollars in revenue when Facebook changed their parameters overnight. This could easily happen to your brand.

In 2013 Facebook changed its algorithm, and it nearly put FitLife.tv out of business.  They were receiving 11 million visitors a month before the algorithm change.  With the change, traffic was reduced down to less than 1 million visitors a month. They nearly lost it all because they relied solely on Facebook as their business foundation.

If your brand is built on these platforms these changes could devastate your business. Here is an excellent recap from SearchEngineLand.com “The only constant in the world of SEO is change. In fact, Google is reported to change its search algorithm around 500 to 600 times each year.” Ryan Shelley

I need to buy a new domain!

Use these channels strategically to grow your community and customer base**

It is almost impossible to ignore the big sites such as Google, Facebook, and YouTube. They should be used strategically to build your business and traffic. We do believe that online strategies will need to become more developed to maximize your marketing and minimize risk. Domains are very often the first interaction a client has with your brand.

Go deeper into your digital strategy**

Brand and marketing domain quality will continue to be important as brands develop their digital strategies. Businesses need to take back the conversation to their domain and owned online locations on the internet. Your domain should almost go unnoticed because of how it effortlessly connects with your marketing message and brand. Go deep and start mapping out the perfect domain strategy today.

This election cycle has taught us many lessons and marketing and branding. Overall I see many of these themes being positive for the domain industry. One of the topics that have recently come out is the role the major media platforms and the government should take regarding censorship and enforcing policies. The major social/search media platforms have already taken action with updated policies and restrictions.

Domains will become more important as the big brands (Google, FB, Youtube, etc..) clamp down and enforce restrictions on their sites. Brands risk millions of dollars in revenue and marketing investments when they rely on a third-party platform for their brand interaction.

This will positively impact the price of quality domains by increasing demand. In a previous article, I spoke about how spending on digital marketing is set to skyrocket.

Companies will by default have to develop deeper digital strategies, and specifically domain strategies. The increased awareness of how risky the major platforms are will help accelerate this conversation internally. Domain positioning is a foundation element of any digital strategy.

Do you want more info on domain strategies and the three common mistakes to avoid?