Type-in traffic: Hidden Value of Domain Names.

Is your website capitalizing on type-in traffic?

There are many options available to website owners looking to increase organic search traffic or website traffic in general.

From pay-per-click advertising to paid ads to search engine optimization to guest blogging to link building to minisites, the average website owner or person looking to increase website traffic does not know where to begin.

Each of the previously mentioned options attains their respective pros and cons.

Each option should be seriously considered and heavily researched when making a final decision about how to effectively increase website traffic.

However, I want to share with you the hidden value and potential of owning exact-match domain names.

More importantly, I want to discuss a hidden secret that most fail to realize or have no clue in the world that it even exists for exact-match domain names: Type-in traffic.

By the end of this post, I hope to shed light on an opportunity that your website or business can and should take advantage of to increase overall website traffic.

What is type-in traffic?

Let’s begin with what type-in traffic is before we get into the nuts and bolts of why it should be considered a silent marketing weapon used by your business.

Type-in traffic is the term that is used to describe the visitors of a webpage or website who land on that particular page or website by entering a particular word or phrase in the address bar of a web browser.

A common example of type-in traffic is how potential customers in the masses tend to search for products and services.

Let’s say you were looking for a CRM Consultant in Austin for your small business.

As a potential CRM customer, you open a web browser and type in “Austin CRM Consultant” into your preferred web browser of choice.

Most web browsers will append .com to the end of your search phrase when using the address bar (i.e., Safari is most known to do this although Internet Explorer, Chrome, and FireFox have limited capabilities).

In this example, .com is appended to your search phrase “Austin CRM Consultant”  or the potential customer types .com by habit and is now referred to the website AustinCRMConsultant.com.

And this is known as type-in traffic.

Yes, it’s that easy to take advantage of type-in traffic, seeing you own the exact match domain name of the desired keyword or keyword phrases.

Type-in traffic increases direct website traffic

There is no better system to increase direct website traffic than type-in traffic.

This is a better system to get direct traffic compared to hyperlinking text, placing links, or even paid ads on other websites.

Type-in traffic is direct navigation to your website, bypassing all of the search engines, paid advertising, and competition.

Of course, to take advantage of type-in traffic, you must own the exact match domain of the keyword phrase the potential customer is typing into the web browser address bar.

Finding exact match domains so that you can take advantage of type-in traffic can be a bit cumbersome, to say the least.

Many business owners have found tremendous success using exact domain names that are locally or city-focused (e.g., AustinCRMConsultant.com).

In comparison to local exact match domains, category-defining domain names or generic domain names are very hard to come by (e.g., WholesaleBridalDresses.com, BulkJunkRemoval.com, CommercialLandscapes.com, etc.).

Generic domain names are effective but quite a challenge to find as all the exact match names, preferably one and two-word keyword domains, are either already registered, or fall under some sort of trademark policy.

But let this not stop you or allow you to become disheartened in your search to find exact match domains to capitalize upon type-in traffic.

Although it depends on the industry or niche of your business services, there is always an opening to create new words and associate products or services.

How to find type-in traffic keywords and their associated search traffic

As we discussed earlier, it is very challenging to find and stake ownership of keyword-specific or exact-match domain names.

Almost all 2-3 keywords and keyword phrases are registered domain names.

Again, it is possible to find a keyword-specific domain using a variety of tools.

There are numerous paid and no-paid tools, and companies which serve this purpose.

You can use those services to find a perfect domain in any niche.

There is a Google Adwords Traffic Estimator and Keywords Tool, now both combined and known as the Google Keyword Planner, for “guestimating” type-in traffic in which you can search your keywords.

Based on the traffic of the keywords entered then you can visit a domain registrar (i.e. GoDaddy.com, Web.com, etc.) to check the availability of the keywords as a domain name.

If the domain is available, you can register it.

However, in the event you are unable to register a keyword or keyword phrase as a domain name due to it being unavailable, then purchase domains via the following options:

• backorder services
• auction websites (i.e., SnapNames, NameJet, etc.)
• contacting the domain owners directly using who.is
• or try domain leasing

In addition to using keyword suggestion and traffic tools as described above for finding domains to register, owners of exact match domains seeking to capitalize on type traffic must create a measurement or reporting system, or use web analytics to monitor type-in traffic.

Measuring traffic and ROI just as you would other marketing channels is imperative.

If you don’t measure how well your domains are performing, then how will you know exactly how effective an exact match domain is in regards to type-in traffic or any other traffic?

Exact match domains capitalizing on type-in traffic are elusive and expensive

As type-in traffic for a domain increases, so does the value of the domain and vice versa.

Just like with anything in life, the early birds get the worm. Or in this case, the early buyer gets the domain.

You will find most lucrative exact-match domains have been registered for 5-10, or even more years.

Because of their age and scarcity in the online marketplace and internet marketing, you may find very lucrative domains are sometimes priced very expensive, sometimes in the low-to-mid hundreds of thousands or millions depending on the domain name itself.

These same domain names are treated and valued very much like physical real estate – meaning they are sometimes available for lease when not available for purchase.

When you find a domain worth registering, purchasing, or leasing, it’s in your best interest to make a move to present your best offer, no low-balling.

Should you not, your competition will take advantage of this lucrative secret, slamming and locking the door on your business consistently generating traffic, and greater customer growth and revenue.

Let type-in traffic supplement your SEO strategy

Again, the real beauty of type-in traffic is the free traffic from potential customers which is more effective than any SEO technique or strategy.

“Why,” you ask.

Well, domain owners of type-in traffic domains have no need to spend much on other traffic-generating or internet marketing methods.

Type-in traffic should not be viewed as an end-all, be-all.

Type-in traffic should be viewed as a greater cost-effective marketing channel in addition to other marketing channels.

See, type-in traffic does not play by or adhere to the same rules or algorithms as pay-per-click advertising or any other search marketing.

You can ask any SEO specialist, consultant, or firm, and each will definitely agree that it’s easier to rank exact match domains on the first page of any search engine (i.e., Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) if the keywords match exactly with the domain name.

As long as your website content has been optimized to be unique and bring value, and not in violation of search engine optimization methodologies, then your website will rank well.

All you have to do is dedicate some time to search for a relevant keyword and exact domain name for that keyword, that’s it.

Again, type-in traffic is a results-oriented technique that costs nothing compared to SEO.

Type-in traffic technique is more valuable than SEO sometimes due to websites being over-optimized or under-optimized which affects search engine rankings and results.

In general, SEO needs more time and dedication whereas type-in traffic is a one-time process and you tend to increase traffic for a lifetime while at a fraction of the cost of performing ongoing SEO.

Does type-in traffic really generate sales?

Yes, it does. Consider an average user or potential customer looking to buy a computer online.

Think about how this potential customer searches when using a search engine to find some results, clicking from search result to search result listed on the first result page of their chosen search engine.

Now think about the same potential customer entering Computers.com into his or her web browser’s address bar and navigating to your website.

They will have bypassed paid advertising and search engines altogether to be shown one option, your company.

This surely makes the sale happen as your website seems more legitimate compared to others because you own the domain and are seen as a credible source.

It is very tough to provide statistical details on how many people tend to type generic names directly.

However, according to Nielsen ratings, the average person visits 895 domains each month and 1 in 6 searches are by type-ins, and this traffic is 2 times more likely to convert to a sale compared to search.

Can type-in traffic be a hidden source and powerhouse for your website?

In closing, it is my hope to have exposed to you what an asset it is to own exact match domains pertaining to your industry or niche keywords and keyword phrases.

You may have to pay more than a pretty penny to register, purchase, or lease an exact match domain, but the long-term rewards are well worth the investment.

Owning exact match domains with respectable amounts of type-in traffic will help you not only lower your marketing and advertising spend and increase your ROI, but these domains will help you remove all middlemen between you and your potential customers.  

In addition to other paid marketing channels (i.e., SEO, pay-per-click advertising, banner ads, etc.), type-in traffic is a great technique when implemented and executed in a practical manner.

Again, type-in traffic is somewhat an unknown little secret not shared by many in the online marketplace due to how cost-effective it is in comparison to the monster results in what it can provide a business.

Some businesses own hundreds and thousands of these domains and are forever locking the door on competition to generate greater customer growth and revenue.

Will your business be the one to capitalize on type-in traffic?