Flood of Advertisers Wash Away Summer PPC Doldrums

PPC (pay per click) revenues traditionally take a dive in summer months when people are off on vacation or simply taking advantage of the longer days to spend some time in the sun rather than at the keyboard. I was fully prepared for the usual big fall off in June, so it was an exceptionally pleasant surprise when my PPC earnings not only did not fall - but soared to an all time high. Several other people told me they had the same experience (and the stories came from people at a variety of different PPC companies, so the phenomenon was apparently widespread).

In my case earnings jumped 20% over May revenues and were 12% higher than my previous best month in 2006 (which was March). So what's going on here? It seems that advertisers just can't get enough of the web. As they continue to leave old line media for the internet, advertising agencies are rapidly revising their web spending forecasts dramatically upward.  Last week, Universal McCann said it now expects internet ad spending to jump 25% this year and that doesn't even count the gigantic search advertising category. In the company's last projection in December they predicted only a 10% increase for this year. When you factor in search advertising the stats are even more impressive. Google's ad revenue jumped 84% in the first quarter of 2006 compared to the same quarter in 2005 and Yahoo! had a 35% increase in the same period. This has helped propel PPC revenue higher for domain owners who are sitting in an enviable position indeed. Advertisers aren't flocking to the web just because it is the trendy thing to do. They are pouring on line because they are seeing a spectacular return on their investment. Performics, a division of DoubleClick.com has issued an interesting report on Search Trends for the 1st Quarter of 2006. The report shows that web search advertisers are getting a better return on their investment than ever before. Total search ad spending soared over 37% from the same quarter in 2005 while the advertiser's sales rocketed by 72%! The report also showed that web surfers are searching on a wider variety of keywords with the number of keywords receiving at least one monthly click or conversion shooting up 36% in the past year.  The amazing thing is that the migration to the web is just beginning. Internet ad spending is still just a fraction of the money spent in old media like newspapers, radio and TV, but the world is obviously changing at breakneck speed. Domain owners have reason to be happy but there is a culprit is lurking in the shadows that some think could kill the goose that is laying the golden eggs. That is click fraud. Domain monetization companies have been warning about it for a long time now and the extent of the problem is now being recognized by advertisers, the people footing those PPC bills that have kept domain investors smiling. According to a new report from market research firm Outsell Inc., detailed in the San Francisco Chronicle, Internet advertisers lost $800 million last year to phony clicks on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and other sites. Advertisers complain that search engines aren't doing enough to combat the problem and the study says that 27% of advertisers have either reduced or stopped buying PPC ads all together. Outsell says that 14.6% percent of all clicks are bogus, and that 75% of advertisers have been victims of click fraud at least once. The unhappy campers are still outnumbered in the rush to the web, but there is no understating the potential for disaster if the click fraud problem isn't brought under control. (Editor's Note: The Outsell survey was based on 407 online advertisers spending from $1,000 to $10 million annually).

Leading Brands Turn to Creative Domain Marketing to Reach Consumers

Last time we looked, Sequin had documented 68 such campaigns. Here are the first 20 from his list (you can see the complete compilation at his site):

1. ABC ABetterCommunity.com
2. American Express - MyLifeMyCard.com
3. American Lung Association - AsthmaControl.com
4. Anheuser-Busch DesignatedDriver.com
5. AOL - TotalTalk.com
6. Aubuchon Hardware - HardwareStore.com
7. Audi - NeverFollow.com
8. Banana Republic - FindTheArtInTheEveryday.com
9. Bank Of America Loans.com
10. BellSouth FastAccess.com
11. Best Buy - CEOOO.com
12. Boeing - NewAirplane.com    
13. Bowflex - BuyTC.com
14. Burger King - SubservientChicken.com
15. Busch Gardens HeroSalute.com
16. Campbell's Soup - MySoup.com
17. Carnation Instant Breakfast - GreatMorningGiveaway.com and MyMorningFuel.com
18. Chevron - WillYouJoinUs.com
19. Coffee Mate/Nestle - TheCowsAreComing.com    
20. Comcast CultureFool.com

With such major companies joining the chase for generic words and terms, another log has been added to the fire that is fueling a domain boom that has continually gaining steam for more than two years now.

July Cover Story Coming This Weekend

They have also broadened their scope with a search brand, YellowPagesTV.com, that will be featured across their network. WorldNetCast has already attracted advertisers like American Express, the U.S. Postal Service and Holiday Inn. 

In our story, we'll tell you where this web video pioneer came from and how he developed a working global video network on the domain name foundation he laid years ago. In the course of doing this article, we learned that Sassover has a personal background that has much in common with that of Ari Goldberger, the attorney/entrepreneur, who was the subject of our June Cover Story. 

Like Goldberger, Sassover's parents were survivors of the Holocaust. Nathan's parents each lost both of their parents as well as 13 brothers and sisters between their two families. Sassover's parents came to America in 1949 and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they, and Nathan, became naturalized U.S. citizens. It's another compelling story of how someone can start with nothing and go on to build something special. We'll of course send you an email when the new story has been posted.

Domain Fest Coming to Barcelona, Spain 

I'm sure just about all of our readers are familiar with the big domain conferences staged by the folks who run the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. shows and the Domain Roundtable Conference. Europeans, who haven't been able to make it to one of those mega events in the U.S., will be happy to know that DomainSponsor.com and EuroDNS.com are teaming up to bring a domain confab to your neck of the woods - Barcelona, Spain to be exact. The event will be held at the spectacular Hotel Arts - Ritz Carlton and there will be NO registration fee! The sponsors are covering the cost for most of the meals, cocktail receptions and entertainment so attendees will only need to handle their own hotel and travel expenses.

Organizers say the primary focus of the conference will be on creating new business opportunities and sharing industry-related ideas. You are invited to RSVP at www.domainermeeting.eu. For more information you can send an email to [email protected].