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Veteran
domainer Edwin Hayward
who operates MemorableDomains.co.uk,
has just
published an ambitious White
Paper that underscores the value of
generic domain names, especially with respect to using
them to improve results from search engine advertising
campaigns. His study showed that ads featuring a generic
domain name produce up to 105% more clicks than
identical ads using non-generic domains. Hayward
noted, “We finally have some hard numbers to back up
the long-standing belief that generic domain names
attract more clicks in search engine listings.” |
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Hayward's
study tested the AdWords performance of ads that
shared identical headlines, copy and landing page
content, but used different display and landing page
URLs. Here are some of the interesting findings from
Hayward's research:
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The
CTR of ads featuring an “ideal match” generic
domain was between 15% and 42% higher than either of
the generic and non-generic domain name
alternatives.
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The
winning generic domain name also produced between
45% and 105% more clicks than the alternatives,
across the same timeframe and keyword set.
Regarding
the large jump in click throughs Hayward said
the boost likely comes from these factors:
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The
close match between the domain name and the product
searched for (irrespective of the search keywords
used)
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Automatic
bolding of search terms in the domain.
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The
potential positive impact of the domain name on ad
quality score.
Hayward
concluded, “Businesses looking to improve CTR and
clicks from their PPC SE campaigns now have a proven and
simple technique for doing so: use a targeted generic
domain name in your ads.”
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The
2009
GeoDomain Expo starts two weeks from
today in San Diego. The annual conference
produced by Associated
Cities was designed to help domain
owners build out .com geodomains, but the
principles and techniques that are taught there
can be very helpful to anyone that wants to
develop domains from almost any category into
profitable websites.
To
get the inside scoop on what will be |
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happening at this
month's show, we hooked up with Associated
Cities Executive Director Patrick Carleton
and the organization's Acting Chairman of the
Board, AC Co-Founder Dan Pulcrano, for an
exclusive interview that you can read
here. |
The
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley conference will be
held April 27-30 in Santa Clara, California,
right after the GeoDomain Expo, and the official T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
website has just gotten an attractive
makeover. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. CO-Founder Rick Schwartz
said, "There are many updates coming. But I think you will already see an
interesting change. We'll be adding videos and
other snips from previous T.R.A.F.F.I.C. shows. We also
hope to broadcast interviews each day live and
direct from the show. This site will be the place to
check for updates."
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One final note
today - the NameMedia
family just got a new addition. Ted Olson
(the Acquisitions Manager at NameMedia's BuyDomains
division) and his wife are celebrating the
arrival of their fourth child. Ted, mom and
their beautiful new daughter are all doing well.
I noticed that the .com domain for the youngest
Olson's first and last name was just registered
yesterday, so it looks like Ted has not let his
excitement over the new arrival keep him form
covering all of the bases!
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(Posted
April
9, 2009) |
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