WebPublishing.me

In March of 2007, I was fortunate enough to drive to Boca Raton and interview Domainer Rick Schwartz, one of the industry’s heavyweights and the founder of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference and domain auction. At the time, I was a reporter and technology columnist for the Palm Beach Post in West Palm Beach, Fla. I didn’t fully understand what domaining was, but Schwartz’s blunt explanations made it clear: being a domainer is a lot like being a real estate mogul. You buy up Web domains, and you fill the pages with ads, then wait for people to type in your domain name and click on the ads.

One of the original 'domainers,' Rick Schwartz is among the few willing to talk about what he does.

That is what domainers do. They own lots and lots of keyword specific domains, and they fully circumvent the process by which most Web users find Web sites: search engines. Instead they rely on type-in traffic; people who type a Web address directly into a navigation bar in order to find information or products they want. A good example of this is someone who types in televisions.com, when they’re thinking about buying a TV. They might not know what’s on televisions.com, but they can be pretty sure it’ll point them in the right direction (indeed if you navigate to televisions.com, you’ll find that the page is filled with ads — and the owner probably makes some decent money off the click-throughs).

Rick Swartz himself owns more than 5,300+ domains. He’s so well-known in the industry, he feels comfortable calling himself “Domain King” or “Webfather.” There’s even a “Webfather” name plaque sitting on the desk in his office. Among the gems in Schwartz’s portfolio? Candy.com and Tradeshows.com. During my interview with him, he likened himself to William Tell. “I am for a domain and get it.” Indeed, he’s not afraid to pay large sums for quality. Three years ago, he bought Property.com for $750,000 (a domain he sold recently for an undisclosed sum to Foreclosure.com).

Schwartz bought his first domain in 1995: Lipservice.com. When it returned enough to pay for itself, he realized there was a future in the Internet. He started buying domains with abandon, focusing first and foremost on the adult industry. “The porn industry,” he said, “is the innovator in every field, from VCRs to telephones to the Internet. Follow it, and you’ll make money.”

Among his more modest domains is Porno.com. “It gets 25,000 to 30,000 visitors every single day of the year,” he said. Enough for him to pull in $1 million a year off it alone.

Almost two years later, I’ve only just begun to understand the impact the interview with Rick had on me. It would eventually lead to me buying my own domains, throwing up content, and trying to understand all of the pieces that add up to a successful site, and I’m learning today.

Rick’s advice? You’re going to have to pay for quality, but there are still lots of great type-in domains for sale at auction with prices that hover around $500. Learn more about domaining on Rick Schwartz’s blog. If you’re thinking about buying your first domain, check out my post, “How To Pick a Domain That Ruins Your Web Site,” or return home at WebPublishing.me.