At one time I had over 900+ domains. Half of those were in the real estate market but the others where domains I had big plans for.
It happened like this…
An idea for a site would pop into my head and I’d get excited about it. I’d go over to GoDaddy (back when we still used the site) and search for the perfect domain name. I’d find one that fit the bill and picked it up.
Then… it would just site there. And sit there. And sit there.
So when this question popped up the other day in a Quick Start Consulting meeting…
“I’ve got these 30 or so other domains, what should I do with them?”
My best advice:
Let each of them go.
I know it’s hard because I’ve been there. I’ve let over 700 domain names crawl back to the netherworlds of the interwebs.
Those domains are dead weight and renewing these domains really is insane.
Here’s why this turns you crazier than the Joker in a Batman movie.
If you’ve bought a domain and never improved it or turned it into a site it’s not only a bad asset it’s a potential distraction.
If you haven’t done something with the domain by now, how likely is it that you are going to get excited about it again?
So let them go.
There is one caveat to this.
I still have a few domains that are about to come up for renewal.
Some of these I purchased well before we built Curation Suite.
So before I let these go I do a “curation-monetization” check.
It’s simple really.
I first do a gut check… am I still interested in this topic/niche?
Next, I do some research to discover how much people talking about it. This is easy by just using Famebook or Twitter.
Finally and most important I find 1-2 ways I can monetize the site.
Of the 5 domains I have coming up for renewal by the end of the year 1 made the cut.
My next step is to create my Listening Engine and define my editorial perspective and calendar.
Then it’s launch day.
Those other 4 sites… they are going back to the ether that is the Internet registry ready for someone else’s late night inspirational purchase.
So when that domain comes up for renewal here’s what I suggest.
Unless you can create a plan on how you are going to monetize, publish, and stand fully behind it I would suggest drop the dead weight.
For the others- follow the steps above.
Have a domain you’ve purchased that you haven’t launched yet? It’s easier than ever to start publishing on any niche or market. In less than 15 minutes you can have a niche discovery platform setup with prime content just waiting to be published.
To make this happen check out the Listening Engine.
