I have 400 TLDs representing Australian cities and towns - all with .info extension. There are another 200 in the same portfolio ending with an "s" as I couldn't secure the TLD ie. Sydneys.info, melbournes.info. I've tried many models across the set to monetise and utilise the marketing potential of so many names within a common genre. I now create videos for WA sites, sample site at www.dongara.info, but this is very time consuming and will take forever. I'd appreciate thoughts and ideas if anyone can help...
Aussie Towns
- Thread starter AndyInfo
- Start date
Sydneys.info does makes sense. Not as a plural, but a possessive proper noun (without the comma). The "s" extensions are purely to make the portfolio more complete (and until these names become available). The project does have some great TLDs though,
Alicesprings.info, Ayersrock.info, Broome.info, Birdsville.info, Barossavalley.info, Barrierreef.info, etc.
Alicesprings.info, Ayersrock.info, Broome.info, Birdsville.info, Barossavalley.info, Barrierreef.info, etc.
Chris.C
Top Contributor
I agree with zhenjie.
And I don't understand why you would buy a .info domain for an Australian city or town...
I'd leave providing information up to wikipedia - if you want to stay in the domaining game you need to be thinking about how to provide value to commercial businesses...
They want paying customers visiting their websites...
And I don't understand why you would buy a .info domain for an Australian city or town...
I'd leave providing information up to wikipedia - if you want to stay in the domaining game you need to be thinking about how to provide value to commercial businesses...
They want paying customers visiting their websites...
I can see some potential here. Undoubtedly there would be a few solid names in there.
I would do a trial of some more content heavy sites with your top 10 or 20 names, ranked by direct searches.
Jump into Keyword Planner and get the Australian results for "town name" + "info" (eg dongara info). Rank by traffic vs competition. I imagine you would have a good shout of ranking for direct terms in most cases.
Get some pages in for Weather, Activities, Events (source from council directory or something), History and probably a business directory for local businesses. User generated content will be your friend here.
If you don't get any results then you may want to reconsider the portfolio.
Either way it is going to be a very manual process to create these sites. You'd be best off outsourcing the research and content creation.
I would do a trial of some more content heavy sites with your top 10 or 20 names, ranked by direct searches.
Jump into Keyword Planner and get the Australian results for "town name" + "info" (eg dongara info). Rank by traffic vs competition. I imagine you would have a good shout of ranking for direct terms in most cases.
Get some pages in for Weather, Activities, Events (source from council directory or something), History and probably a business directory for local businesses. User generated content will be your friend here.
If you don't get any results then you may want to reconsider the portfolio.
Either way it is going to be a very manual process to create these sites. You'd be best off outsourcing the research and content creation.
Simon Johnson
Top Contributor
I would drop them and move on.
James
Top Contributor
Personally I wouldn't do it. I would focus on a few quality .com.au domains and build these out (town based if you want)
.info is really loosing steam recently, I have been tracking some sales it does not have a strong commercial value.
As said above brands find it hard enough trying to buy .com.au domains I can not see them buying .info imo, as their is a good market perception with the TLD her.
I have only ever had 2 .info's sell for over $xxxx and they were like 4 years ago when the market was stronger, the two terms with 30k search volume terms and the sites were making monthly $$$$ XXX
.info is really loosing steam recently, I have been tracking some sales it does not have a strong commercial value.
As said above brands find it hard enough trying to buy .com.au domains I can not see them buying .info imo, as their is a good market perception with the TLD her.
I have only ever had 2 .info's sell for over $xxxx and they were like 4 years ago when the market was stronger, the two terms with 30k search volume terms and the sites were making monthly $$$$ XXX
Thanks for all the advice and opinion. The project was initiated years before .com.au were released and I'd had great success with a town online business directory ($70,000pa) and another one on the way ($20,000pa). These were .coms but all other significant geographic .coms were long gone. .Info came along and I saw an opportunity to pre-register and have many online business directory models linked by a consistent model and TLD extension. A major community service group came on board to fundraise through selling advantages in the directories. I was doing well enough to employ people to update the directories and also sell advantages and ads within the directories, and as a result the content and activity made the addresses more valuable. This was the theory. A combination of events (GFC, local competition, wage pressures etc.) around the middle of 2000s resulted in a loss of interest and the closing of this model. I've since tried online community billboards, video (which does generate revenue) and a few other things. The project still remains unique in that I'm unaware of any other project where there are so many Geographic TLDs in one set. I still see many marketing advantages in this concept if I can develop an appropriate, and simple, product that can use it as a vehicle. I've made good money selling other bits and pieces (mostly .coms) but this isn't my primary goal. The strength of this model is as a service linked by reliability of address. Local contribution and adoption, and eventual ownership is key.
snoopy
Top Contributor
Agree, the .info market is a shadow of what it was, maybe down 80%.
Bacon Farmer
Top Contributor
Andy, right now you're probably feeling the world or at least the forum is against you.
Don't.
The advice you're getting is good, if blunt and meant in a constructive way.
Don't.
The advice you're getting is good, if blunt and meant in a constructive way.
Shane
Top Contributor
I've owned over 100 suburb domains over the years. Some have been developed, some are undeveloped and plenty have been dropped.
The mix is fairly evenly split between .com, .net and .com.au. There is only one .info that I can think of.
Two of the better sites make around $50 a month, a big chunk make somewhere between $5 and $10 a month and the rest make nothing.
Overall the portfolio does nothing more than break even each year, once renewal and hosting fees are taken into account.
So they're barely worth having, but I haven't touched any of them for years so it doesn't really bother me.
With 600 .info domains, I think you're going to have a very hard time just breaking even on the portfolio, let alone making money.
So I have to agree with the others who are saying you should drop the lot and move on. Sorry.
[EDIT] Whoops, I missed your other posts and explanations. I hit reply this morning but didn't write the reply until now...
The mix is fairly evenly split between .com, .net and .com.au. There is only one .info that I can think of.
Two of the better sites make around $50 a month, a big chunk make somewhere between $5 and $10 a month and the rest make nothing.
Overall the portfolio does nothing more than break even each year, once renewal and hosting fees are taken into account.
So they're barely worth having, but I haven't touched any of them for years so it doesn't really bother me.
With 600 .info domains, I think you're going to have a very hard time just breaking even on the portfolio, let alone making money.
So I have to agree with the others who are saying you should drop the lot and move on. Sorry.
[EDIT] Whoops, I missed your other posts and explanations. I hit reply this morning but didn't write the reply until now...
Last edited:
Bacon Farmer
Top Contributor
It's funny you mention Dongara because the com.au is part of a very large portfolio which is for sale.
http://placenames.com.au/
http://placenames.com.au/
findtim
Top Contributor
cut your losses now, it will just eat you away.
you say you had a unique system, well that's code so if it was me I would search who owns the .com.au's of you info.au's and hope to find a crap site then ring them and say " I have a great marketing program but i'm moving on.... you can have my .info.au + my marketing system for just (low) $xxxx" ?
do that then dump them. maybe?
if you have 600 then you are going to find someone that has been told " ohhh to build that will cost you $10K " , but if your code is 12 years old then I would throw it away as I would not sell that just because of morals.
stop the rust
tim
you say you had a unique system, well that's code so if it was me I would search who owns the .com.au's of you info.au's and hope to find a crap site then ring them and say " I have a great marketing program but i'm moving on.... you can have my .info.au + my marketing system for just (low) $xxxx" ?
do that then dump them. maybe?
if you have 600 then you are going to find someone that has been told " ohhh to build that will cost you $10K " , but if your code is 12 years old then I would throw it away as I would not sell that just because of morals.
stop the rust
tim
Bacon Farmer
Top Contributor
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