Marchex to set up Neighborhood Blog Network
Trial to be tested in Seattle.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/editorial/marchex-to-build-neighborhood-blog-network/1313
I’ve never been that excited by the zip code domains that Marchex owns. Domain names are interesting when they get type-in traffic for no other reason than the keyword weight or gravity of the name. The only zip code domains that get any type in traffic (of measure) is 90210.com and net and those names get traffic because there was a popular show named 90210.. not because you and your neighbors are typing the name to see what’s happening at Nate and Al’s on Beverly.
As cool as it is that Marchex has those zips, they could have rolled out the exact same blog network concept if they registered M90210.com (for Marchex-90210) or paid nothing and just launched subdomains like 90210.marchex.com as full sites. People don’t type those strings either but doing subdomains would have saved them $700,000 a year in renewal expenses.
I have a few zip code domains that I run PPC on and I think certain ZIPs will get traffic and have resale value as third-party stand-alone sites.. but I think this blog concept could have been done without the names and the good zips as names won’t offset the bad on PPC alone.
Marchex’s other domain names could be worth more than their present market cap so they can probably do whatever they want on this execution and get away with it. If they’re right on this particular implementation then I will have learned something.
Frank,
It appears Marchex is trying to do the unthinkable, ie, squeeze water out of a rock. This zipcode thing won’t fly.
Another potential disaster, clearly this company needs an shakeup with management and their biz development group. If they spent all the time they have wasted on the zip code and now local content iniative on simply building out their top 10 sites into fully functional web properties they would be far better off. I like to see companies going to the community neighborbood approach since I own a few neighborhood specific niche sites (move.com is also going neighborhood specific) and I think this niche has potential and will grown in value.. but not along the lines of where they are going… I think they temporarily are missing the easy low hanging fruit and losing out on millions of revenues..
“clearly this company needs an shakeup with management and their biz development group.”
Agree, bring back Yun Ye…this bloated company badly needs a trim down.