GoldKey
Cost = Free
GoldKey offers great configurability, not only allowing for lots of header banner
graphics and custom theme color choices, but also for domain and title customization.
For instance, you can use Apache
Webmasters.com instead of apachewebmasters.com - which
allows your keywords to stand-out.
There are many other such customizeable features,
as well. I will try to list them all...
There is actually a nice sized text area to enter a description for the domain
name. This is a great feature to allow the search engine spiders to pick-up other
important keywords. I usually try and use words that I find within the actual page,
so that they are relevant.
GoldKey also allows you to add a slogon so you can come-up with a few more relevant
keywords or repeat important ones. This will show underneath the title domain name,
on the page layout.
One of the neatest features is that it offers a reciprocal links directory.
I use this to effectively promote my own websites. I also might interlink parked
domains that are related, such as Nuptial.biz and LivingFlora.com.
Additionally, when presenting the reciprocal link code desired (the link back to
the parked domain), the linking partner is shown the description which was previously
used for the description meta tag. This allows propogation of the advertisement
for the domain.
You can list your domain for sale, but I don't like the large, bold "DOMAIN
FOR SALE" in all caps in the upper right-hand corner of every web page.
GoldKey even offers a small text area for note-taking, such as how much you might
want before considering an offer on it. However, instead of using this small line
of text for notes, since I almost never post a GoldKey parked name for sale, I
usually use the message content area of the For Sale page text box for my notes.
There is also a special page where a visitor can contact the owner of a domain. This
doesn't necessarily have to be for domain sale information, but it does help in
that area, as well.
GoldKey is owned by Yahoo and shows Overture PPC Listings. This actually allows
you quite a long list of sponsored text ads for most names. However, since Yahoo
doesn't like webpages that simply pass traffic, it doesn't appear to send you any
extra traffic even if you are showing Yahoo opperated PPC listings. Bummer.
Once your domain is accepted into the system, GoldKey will select a set of listings
for you built on the strength of the actual name you are parking. Sometimes it
accomplishes what it should, well. But sometimes you will wonder why it selected
the listings it did. I actually try to let the system choose the listings based
on the name so that GoldKey's optimization services will kick in. But for those
cases when it just doesn't get a name, GoldKey also
provides the ability to over-ride keywords with choices of your own. You should,
however, pay attention to your keyword phrase choices in GoldKey.
When selecting
the keyword phrase that you are looking for using the keyword suggestion tool,
try lots of different phrases. If you have a couple of domains that are nearly
the same, such as VideoGamerZone.com and VideoGamersZone.com (purchased
to protect the name), be creative in your keyword selection. For instance, you
might use one keyword phrase that produces one set of listings for one domain,
and another keyword phrase that produces a different, but complimentary set of
listings for the other domain. This will allow you to link the two using the reciprocal
links feature.
GoldKey stats
are supposed to be updated in real time, but are not.
GoldKey sometimes has a problem with new domains, check the listings after parking
them and making sure they look good. Go back once in a while, too. You may have
to move some names to other systems, GoldKey seems to have problems with some names
no matter what. Even some names that were performing so very well for me will suddenly
stop showing any kinds of adds at all (not a single one).
Other domains might not
show the right listings that it is supposed to. In this case, GoldKey seems to
think it knows better what to even though your keyword override has been approved,
so that the only real thing you can do is move the name it is having trouble with
to another parking PPC partner.
GoldKey claims to pay the most on clicks, but doesn't. It's good at monetizing
the traffic for certain types of domain names, though. But it is also the very
worst at monetizing poker and gambling traffic. It also doesn't do well with adult
industry names at all (hardcore, XXX, gay and fetish names). But it does seem to
do well with some soft porn names.
For some reason, even though I have had several other domainers thank me for introducing
them to the GoldKey parking service, GoldKey's 2nd tier revenue system (for signing-up
others with your promotion code link) has NEVER worked. Don't ever count on it
working, either. This sucks big time because I know that I have signed-up quite
a few others. And here I am promoting them again and that dang code will never
work. That's actually quite a pathetic system, that's what that is.
Link: GoldKey
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