Time for the monthly editorial column here on DomainGang.
Let’s be blunt: a lot of bullshit advice circulates currently, about what to do as a newcomer to the domain industry.
The good news first: people are still flocking to become domain investors, whether part time or full time. The latter type, usually went through the motions of part-time domaining, and are able to leverage their resources and budgets much better.
For the newbies, there is a lot of misinformation out there, ranging from warnings, to no-no’s to flat out ridiculing alternate options other than the “same old, same old.”
And that’s ok, for seasoned domain investors, that are thick-skinned and able to make their own educated decisions.
It’s not ok though for these seeking help in choosing a niche or a direction. By shutting out a full range of options, a newcomer to the domain industry may get an unfortunate bad taste in what domaining is all about.
The “old school” of thought exerts a lot of influence, but what worked for them might not work for the average Joe Domainer.
The reason can be an analogy to eating out at a restaurant.
For roughly two decades the recipe hasn’t changed, and people looking for an alternate flavor can find much of what they crave, without the monopoly of guidance ordering what they should consume. The restaurants that offer the same old grits and gravy will eventually lose out to the hip places that present a smorgasbord of flavors.
Choices in domain niches can vary a lot these days: from alternate TLDs, to types of keywords, to target markets, to the overall change in how domain names are becoming secondary to the brands they represent.
Think of it this way: if self-driving cars are about to change the geography of the world, domainless brands can do the same for the consumer market as well.
The fact is, that brands and in essence, gTLDs, extend the lifespan of the domain industry as we’ve known it for the past 20 years. Instead of isolating an emerging part of the economy, old-school domainers should learn to adapt to the new reality.
Newbies are easily impressed by either school of thought, so sticking to the facts will allow everyone to be successful in their own choice of a direction.
Testing the waters by dipping parts of one’s anatomy in, ensures that no freezing will occur. In the same manner, domain investors should not be scared off to spread their investments across different niches.
Domain investing works differently for everyone, and one-sided evangelism belongs strictly to religion and the church.
