Why I haven’t even thought about domain monetization for years

The other day I got an email from someone who said they watched my interview on Domain Sherpa and were inspired by my interest in monetization. Yikes, I thought – that was true then but it sure isn’t true now. This is why I always say that most advice has an expiration date, that’s true for my blog, and probably every other blog out there.

In the case of monetization, this used to be something I really enjoyed and was seeing good results with. I found that I could buy exact match domains (EMDs), put a mini-site on them, throw up some AdSense or affiliate ads, and make money. Then Google changed their algorithms, then they changed it again, and then once (or twice) more.

The result was a death blow to the advantage that exact match domains provided. This moved monetization into a different category IMO, web design and content writing. I liked monetization because years ago, it was quick and easy, and domains gave you a big advantage. Now, it’s not that monetization is dead, but instead you have to really put in a lot of time and energy, two things I don’t have for really anything except for my company, Bold Metrics.

So I hung up my monetization hat and when it comes to domains, I stick to buying and selling. You might find some old posts on my blog about monetization, you might watch my Domain Sherpa video and think – Morgan love monetization! But sadly, this advice has expired.

Do you monetize domains? If so what has worked for you? Care to share an example? I want to hear from you, comment and let your voice be heard!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton