Hello,

I have noticed that there is a significant decrease in traffic or almost no traffic at all from registrars such as Epik for my domains. Around 50 of these domains have significant typos, but since they are not top-level domains and I am not getting any help to fix them, I am unsure of what to do. Can you suggest any advice or solutions?

I have been investing in domains since January 1999 and have recently founded Paydirt in an effort to monetize my web traffic.

I have never been as frustrated as I am now with the "Epic vs Apple" situation, which has been ongoing for 10 years. What annoys me the most about this situation is that people seem to be overlooking a crucial factor. Many believe that if developers could use their own payment cards on Apple's platform, they would immediately receive a 30% commission, unprofitable projects would become profitable, new games would flood the market, and developers would focus on creating fun gameplay instead of worrying about finances. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and I would like to explain why.

The gaming industry, especially mobile F2P, is incredibly competitive. Unlike retail stores, where buyers choose based on convenience, the Internet offers a selection of thousands of games, all competing with each other. The development process involves paying salaries to employees, including programmers, artists, game designers, testers, cleaners, and outsourced sound engineers, among others. It takes months to complete the project without any income during that time. After completing it, developers begin buying traffic, starting with a little bit at first and escalating over time. The cost of acquiring users eventually surpasses employee salaries, and businesses hire marketing professionals to join the team.

CPI (cost per install), LTV (lifetime value), and ROI (return on investment) are critical concepts once the user acquisition process begins. LTV is primarily affected by the game designers, and the objective is always to increase it. A higher LTV means better gameplay or more relevant traffic. Meanwhile, CPI is even more complex. Aggressively buying traffic can lead to a high ROI; however, the volume of purchased traffic lowers its relevance, and fewer users produce a positive ROI. This creates an ongoing balance between the cost of installation and the quality of traffic while striving to maintain an ROI above 1.0.

Registrars like Epik have been adjusting their business models and strategies, which can have a significant impact on the way they handle and promote domain traffic. Additionally, the search engine landscape has evolved considerably, with Google and other major players placing less emphasis on some of the traditional domain traffic sources that domainers have relied on in the past.

In the case of your 50 domains with significant typos, this is a common challenge that many domainers face. While these types of domains can hold inherent value, they often require a more proactive and strategic approach to monetize effectively. Here are some more detailed suggestions and insights that may help you navigate this situation:

1. Evaluate and Prioritize Your Domain Portfolio: Take a deep dive into your domain portfolio and assess each typo domain based on its potential value, search trends, and monetization opportunities. Identify the top-performing or most promising typo domains and focus your efforts on these.

2. Enhance Domain Quality and User Experience: For the typo domains you want to retain, invest time and resources into improving the overall quality and user experience. This could involve creating engaging content, optimizing the design and navigation, and ensuring that the websites are mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.

3. Explore Alternative Monetization Strategies: Rather than relying solely on registrar-driven traffic, consider diversifying your revenue streams by exploring alternative monetization strategies. This could include implementing direct advertising, affiliate marketing, lead generation, or even developing your own web properties on these domains.

4. Leverage Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Ensure that your typo domain websites are optimized for search engine visibility. This may involve keyword research, content optimization, technical SEO improvements, and building high-quality backlinks to improve their search engine rankings and organic traffic.

5. Engage with Domain Brokers and Investors: Consider working with experienced domain brokers who can provide valuable insights into the current market and potentially facilitate transactions for your typo domains. They may be able to connect you with interested buyers or investors who can unlock the value in your portfolio.

6. Stay Informed and Adaptable: Continuously stay up-to-date with the latest trends, best practices, and industry developments in the domain industry. This will help you anticipate changes, adapt your strategies, and make more informed decisions about your domain portfolio.

7. Explore Domain Parking and Forwarding Options: While not a long-term solution, domain parking or forwarding services can help you generate some revenue from your typo domains while you explore more comprehensive monetization strategies.

As an experienced domainer, you have a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge that can be invaluable in navigating these challenges. By leveraging your expertise, being proactive in your approach, and exploring a diverse range of strategies, you can unlock the potential of your domain portfolio and continue to thrive in the evolving domain industry.

No wonder your traffic from Epik is in the gutter; those domains are likely blacklisted or just plain irrelevant. You've been in the game since '99, so why are you still holding onto dead-end assets? Ditch the junk, stop chasing ghost traffic, and get real about your portfolio.
Fix your DNS setup if it's janky, and if Epik ain't delivering, jump ship to a registrar with better stats.