Archive for the ‘Business Ideas’ Category

Today is the last day for the NameJet auction of Hobby.info; the current bid is $411 and the auction ends at 12:38pm PST.

Obviously the hobby vertical is a HUGE market and with 246,000 exact searches a month for hobby and 135,000 for hobbies, this domain has lots of potential ‘depending on how you value the .info’  I feel that .info if properly developed and the content appropriate, can be a killer play.  Here in NY, the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) uses MTA.info for train/bus/bridge info and schedules….

The CPC traffic is nothing to brag about; however this could be a great domain to setup as an affiliate site either thru MiniSites or WannaDevelop - below is a screen shot of the keyword search volume and approx. average Cost Per Click (CPC)

Please keep in mind this does not include searches for models, model plans/cars/train, remote control planes/cars, dollhouses, etc., etc.

You could also explore direct ad sales, a Hobby Store Directory (online and offline) and even a social platform where all hobbyist come to communicate; ask questions, share ideas and sell their work….

So bottom line – how much do you think this domain is worth?  I think it’s worth what you are willing to put into it!!  A true hobbyst and/or passionate hobby person can make a living off this domain in my humble opinion.  It will be interesting to see how much it sells for….

A very good and shrewd friend of mine suggested at dinner tonight that I read Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle….. so after a great meal, drinks and conversation I decided to look up the book and read some of the reviews, which include:

“There is a great deal for America to learn from the very impressive Israeli entrepreneurial model… START-UP NATION is a playbook for every CEO who wants to develop the next generation of corporate leaders.”
(Tom Brokaw, special correspondent for NBC News, and bestselling author of The Greatest Generation )

“In the midst of the chaos of the Middle East, there’s a remarkable story of innovation. START-UP NATION is… a timely book and a much-needed celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit.”
(Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay )

“Senor and Singer’s experience[s]…come to life in their illuminating, timely, and often surprising analysis.”
(George Stephanopoulos, anchor of ABC?s “This Week” )

There are 33+ reviews of the book at Amazon and this one caught my eye:

As a serial entrepreneur, VC and angel investor, and teacher of entrepreneurship for many years, I am enthralled by “Startup Nation”. It is a fascinating story of how Israel has succeeded disproportionately to its size and certainly to its geographic situation. It teaches valuable and unique lessons about region building and industry building. The principles of the country that stimulate individual entrepreneurial behavior in the military, in agriculture, and especially in high technology are lessons for all. I have shared the book with several leaders of industry and finance who have seen it as a remarkably interesting read.
Congratulations to the authors.

So, I am now ordering Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle and suggest you do too…..

I think it’s quite timely that after just returning from getting our family ski gear and with the snow starting to come down here in New York, that I just came across FloridaCoral.com on a drop list.  You can now register this domain for only $7.99 a year 

When I first glanced over the domain, I thought of my salt water fish tank and the coral inside.  Then I starting thinking that florida coral would have decent search volume….I was right as you can see below from the google keyword research tool (on phrase match)

So if you are REALLY into coral and maybe sell salt water aquarium supplies, FloridaCoral.com might just be the perfect domain for you or it could even be then name of a retail store or food establishment named Florida Coral…..

Just wanted to share some ‘warm’ thoughts on a 16 degree day, without wind-chill…..Buurrrrr

Andrew
Search Engine Optimization
All Internet Ideas

As we come to the end of another work week, I’d like to share with you a few domain names that are about to Drop and become available.  I believe there is some value/business model in these domain names:

BocaPools.com – great domain for a pool business in Boca, Florida

FloridaMkt.com – decent domain name for a florida residential/commercial real estate broker OR could be used for an online marketplace

FreshBagel.com – the name says it all……

HotTubGuides.com & HotTubsGuide.com - not sure how the hot tub market is fairing but this domain could be a great review site which is ad supported

NYCRentGuide.com – this could be a site focused on EVERYTHING you need to know about renting in New York City….

TechieGuides.com – The Official Guide for Techies…..

There you have it….if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Was just scanning thru a BUNCH of domain name drop lists and saw the following, which made me think…..

NYCEntrepreneurs.com

ExploreNevada.org

ExploreSeattle.org

While these aren’t “category killer” domain names, they are domains that can be procured, designed, developed and optimized for a reasonable budget and the business models for the Explore sites should be fairly obvious in terms of advertising revenue and featured listings in directories….

The NYCEntrepreneurs.com could be a social networking site for entrepreneurs in NYC (g-d knows there are enough entrepreneurs in NYC) and/or a resource guide for New York entrepreneurs…. see my earlier post on SerialEntrepreneurs.com

There you have it, my quick thoughts on three domain names about to drop soon….

I JUST saw that FloridaAudi.com is now available as the domain dropped and was not renewed…..

When it comes to pay per click advertisers for the term Florida Audi; there seems to be plenty of them.  In terms of search volume, according to the Google Keyword Tool, there are plenty of people looking for Florida Audi and related searches – see below

So if you live in Florida…love Audis….and/or want to pickup a domain name that “should” be easy to sell/flip to a Florida Audi dealer, then by all means hand register FloridaAudi.com for only $7.99 a year.

Combing thru this morning’s drop lists and pending delete lists, I came across VisitNYState.com on a pending delete list.

While I touched upon some opportunities  in my post about ExploreStatenIsland.com (which has been registered by somebody) clearly New York is a major travel destiniation and lends itself to having a website geared towards attracting people to visit new york!

With VisitNYState.com you could seperate NY into Upstate, Manhattan/NYC, Long Island, The Hamptons, etc.  The business model is straight forward…..generate revenue from business listing/advertisements in all relevant categories such as hotels, transportation, restaurants, nightlife, entertainment, bars/clubs, theaters, historical places, parks, museums, beaches, etc., etc.

To drive traffic to the site you would want to optimize the website so it is “search engine friendly” (see my SEO book for more info),  use paid search so long as the return on ad spend makes sense (Ex. if you know your traffic is worth a $10 CPM to advertisers, you can back into a Cost Per Click threshold). 

Of course social media via twitter, facebook, stumbleupon, etc. would be vital to the success of the campaign as well… I would also strongly suggest using Google TV to get real TV spots dirt cheap!  You can also target the shows/stations you want your tv spot to appear on – very cool and targeted!

A really good example of a type of site I envision for VisitNYState.com is a site that is ran by one of my former Prime Visibility team members – VisitMyrtleBeach.com

So – if you LOVE New York and want to build a site dedicated to visiting and exploring New York, this may be the perfect domain name for you….Best of Luck!

Back in 2006 I procured SerialEntrepreneurs.com and have had LOTS of ideas for the domain name, which include:

1.  A website for startups and serial entrpereneurs to connect and possibly either seek funding and/or assistance/expertise from successful entrepreneurs

2. A website for serial entrepreneurs only to connect, chat, seek advise, educate other serial entrepreneurs, share interviews, etc., etc.

3.  A pure resource/education platform that has content and media similiar to Stanford University’s Entrepreneur Corner (a GREAT site)

4. An interview website that offers interviews with various serial entrepreneurs….this could also become a subscription based model whereby subscribers would also receive the interviews as mp3 files or CDs to listen to on the go….

There are a few more but those are the main ideas and I would love some feedback from you – my fellow entrepreneurs.  I am also very open to other ideas…please do not hesitate to share your thoughts on what I should do with SerialEntrepreneurs.com

In 2003 my father and I launched FadToys.com – the largest online catalog and eTailer of bobbleheads.  With my search engine optimization expertise and my dad’s stellar salesmanship and experience in fulfillment, FadToys.com became an instant success in under one year…..

Once we achieved a Top 5 Search Engine Ranking in Google, Yahoo and MSN for bobbleheads, bobble heads, bobblehead dolls, etc., etc. the traffic and orders kept coming!  We have also gained some media exposure in a few national publications as well as the TV coverage below:

The site is a perfect example of how to use ‘static URLs’ as opposed to ‘dynamic URLs’ – all the URLs are also optimized and keyword sensitive so that if you Google: disney bobbleheads or political bobbleheads; this is what you see on the first page of Google’s search results:

www.FadToys.com/disney-and-kids-stuff/index.html

www.FadToys.com/political/index.html

Dell Inc., relying on social-networking sites to drum up sales of personal computers, said its promotions on Twitter have helped generate more than $6.5 million in orders for PCs, accessories and software.

The number of users signing up to get Dell’s tweets has risen 23 percent in the past three months and now numbers 1.5 million, said Manish Mehta, vice president of Dell’s online unit. More than 100 employees send out the tweets — Twitter’s 140-character messages — over 35 different channels.

Dell, the third-largest maker of PCs, started using Twitter two years ago to reach new customers. The $6.5 million represents the total amount generated through direct customer interactions on Twitter over that time. While those sales are a fraction of Dell’s $61.1 billion in annual revenue last year, the company sees Twitter as one of its most significant ways of interacting with customers, Mehta said.

“It’s a very vibrant channel for us and it’s growing aggressively,” Mehta said in an interview. “It’s not just our reach and growth that has progressed, it’s that it’s happening globally.”

Dell reaches Twitter users in 12 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, China and Japan. Brazil’s Twitter users spent $800,000 in the past eight months, Mehta said.

Andrew Hazen
Search Engine Optimization Agency
Domaining