I have wrote about this before but when I strongly believe in something, I like to express it several times to my readers! Building a sales page for you domain name can increase the value of your domain name and increase your chances of selling it! Here is why and some examples of what I mean and what I do.

Increase value?

Yes, building a sales page can increase value in your domain name because of SERP’s (search engine rank placement). An interested party in a domain name is likely interested because of the keywords in it but if you can point out a nice natural search engine ranking, that increases the value in the domain name. Why? Because it is important to rank well in search engines for at least the matching term of the domain name for those that "search" for those keywords are those who are looking for the specific site! If the domain name ranks higher (or #1) already, that saves time for the buyer and the domain likely gets traffic because of the ranking or can nearly instantly if the term is marketed.

Increase chances of selling?

Yes, having a sales page can help you sell your domain name! Why? It is likely that when somebody is interested in a specific domain name, they will do one of two things. Use direct navigation and visit the domain name directly. Doing so, they will see the sales page and know the domain name is for sale and how to purchase it. Secondly, if they are not aware of using direct navigation, they will like visit a search engine and use the term of the domain name and do a search. If your domain name is not indexed, or not indexed well… it is likely they will not find your domain!

Simply using a domain name parking service will very likely NOT get you ranked very well in search engines. Having a sales page and using the very basics of SEO will greatly help your SERP and allow more eye’s on your domain name!

How do I do it?

I have used both Wordpress and a purchased software called XsitePro. Xsite cost me $197 but it has Amazing SEO, even better than Wordpress IMO using several of the SEO tool plugins. Why this is, I am not sure, but I almost always can get a site in the top 5 in search engines within a couple months after building a sales page using XsitePro (and using the SEO tools provided). I have ranked well using Wordpress, but seem to do better with XsitePro.

Another reason why I like using XsitePro, is because it is VERY easy to create a one page site and you can simply create tons more after you have a template and the text you want to use! It is a lot easier than Wordpress.

Examples

Generic Domain Name ~ HandTrowel.com is a sales page I created using XsitePro. The domain name was indexed when I "parked" the domain name at Google but couldn’t be found using the matching term (meaning, it didn’t rank very well parked). I built the sales page and launched the site and within about two months was on the first page of Google for the matching search term, hand trowel. The exact matching term is searched about 4,400 times a month, so it was pretty good to hit p1 with a sales page. About a month later I ranked in the top 5 of the natural listings. I even climbed as high as # 2 on Google for the search term hand trowel. I currently rank # 3 but have stayed in the important top 5. Not only do I get more traffic because of the higher listing, I increased the value of the domain name and put it in a place to be seen by my target buyers!

Brandable Type Domain ~ SEOBuddy.com This domain name was very similar to the above. When I parked it, I didn’t get much traffic and it was very likely not to be found by anybody in the search engines! I built my sales page and BOOM! I built this sales page on Jan 27, 2010. So in less than 3 months I rank # 1 on Google for the matching search term seo buddy. If somebody is researching the term for potential use, not only will they see the domain name is ranked #1, they also can see it is for sale without even clicking due to my terms used in the meta description.

This helps in several ways because the searcher can see the listing and tell the domain name is for sale with out even clicking anything! It increases value in the domain name because it ranks # 1 for the matching search term, which will increase traffic and save the buyer TIME in getting it to rank well.

NoScrubbing.com holds a # 3 natural ranking on Google for the search term no scrubbing. Again, this would not happen without the sale page I developed!

Does it work every single time? No! I do have some domains that I have done the exact some thing as above and the domains do not index well for what ever reason. PaintPail.com I can’t seem to even get indexed but use the same technique as above. GripTape.net I got indexed but it doesn’t do well at Google for SERP’s for the matching term but those are the only two. The majority of time, they rank well and most of the time rank very well.

Overview

These domain names would NOT rank so well without this very simple development. You do not have to be a master at web design or creating a web site. These sites are very simple, you just have to DO IT!

The templates that I created and show above are about as simple as you can get. I add in sales text explaining a little bit  about the specific domain name and put a little bit of focus on the easy to do SEO (page titles, meta description, use keywords on the web page). Yes, XsitePro is $197 but I think is worth every penny for the easy of use and you can build as many sites as you want! Does it suck that you can only use it on the one computer you download it on, yes! Once I build the sites, I rarely go back and do anything to them anyway, so it doesn’t matter to me! Secondly, I almost always use the same computer. Being able to spend a few minutes on a domain name creating a sales page web site and getting it to rank well in SE’s for the matching term to the domain name is priceless at $197 IMO! One domain sale will cover that cost easily!

Doing a little bit of development, even a simple sale page is much better than just parking your domain name if you are focused on selling it! Getting a P1 ranking in Google never hurts your chances of selling and will likely put more eyes on your domain name! This SERP will also increase the value of your domain and give you an extra selling point or the KEY selling point to your buyer. You can add some adsense (easy to do in XsitePro) if you would like or some banner ads, but that is up to you. I either like to put a focus on Selling a domain or Parking it to make money or full development.

Building a sales page can help get your domain indexed for its term (and likely more), increase the value in your domain name by getting the SERP(s) and easily allowing interested parties to know the domain name is for sale! The longer you "put it off" and not build one, the longer it will take to rank better in SE’s and the less chance you have at selling your domain name. If you do not care about the SERP’s, increasing your value of your domain name or easily allowing your customer to know your domain name is for sale… just keep on parking your domain!

You do not have to do your whole portfolio today. Start with doing 1 domain a week…. or 2 a week or whatever! If this interest you, consider doing it but you do have to start as it will not get done by itself!

I know people often look for a cheap escrow service when selling domain names that are not that high in value. Paypal is not always the safest and it is always best to use a domain escrow service for both the buyer and seller security of the transaction. Here is a break down of the most popular domain escrow services and which ones are the cheapest to use and what you need to do in order to get the lowest price.

A break down of the cheapest domain escrow services that I could find:

• Sedo.com No Minimum ~ 10% of sales price IF the domain is parked at Sedo and listed as a Fixed Price (category I TLD)! (cheapest under $249 sale price)
• Escrow.com $25 minimum ($1-$769)
• EscrowDNS.com $25 minimum or 7% up to $5,000
• Moniker.com $50 ($1-$500.99)
• Afternic.com $60 Minimum or 3% (not listed on Afternic)

So if you are selling a domain name for $150, your best option is to have the domain name listed on Sedo.com, with the DNS set to ns1.sedoparking & ns2.sedoparking.com . Set the domains listing as a Fixed Price and enter a price of $150. Direct your buyer to the listings page and have them use the Buy It Now option of $150. Your fee (seller) would be $15 with escrow included.

Escrow.com, EscrowDNS.com and Moniker escrow, you would simply just start a transaction with the service of your choice and would not need the buyer to use a "buy it now". Based on the sale price you enter, will decide the fee based on the above mentioned.

If you plan on using Afternic’s escrow, be sure your domain name is NOT listed with Afternic. If it is, remove it and then start the transaction. If your domain name is listed with Afternic, you will be charged based on the service you have selected for the promotion level of the specific domain name. Basic is 10% and Expanded or Premium is 20%.

Based on the above information, you should be able to decide which escrow service will offer you the cheapest price for your transaction. Below explains the 3% Sedo escrow process as it is a bit tricky. You will also find below some payment tips for Sedo to avoid paying any "extra" fees as well.

Most people know that Sedo.com offers escrow but many do not know they offer really three different types that include the escrow service. One of those is the 3% (min $50) of the domain names sale price, another is 10%, $50 minimum (make offer listing and accepting an offer directly on Sedo or sending it to auction) and the other is stated above with the fixed price and parking with the service 10%, no minimum.

Understanding these and the fees that go along with each, can save you some money or help you decide which escrow service is the right choice for you or how you list your domain names for sale. All of the above escrow services are pretty easy to use, just by using the service in the normal way, but Sedo’s 3% ($50 Minimum) is a bit different and I wanted to be sure to explain that one a little bit more. So how do you get the 3% ($50 Min) domain name escrow service at Sedo? Again, the 3% can be deceiving, because Sedo charges a minimum of $50 for category I TLD’s. Minimum of $100 for category II TLD’s and a minimum of $150 for category III TLD’s (view TLD category listings here) so keep that in mind based on your domains sale price.

External Domain Escrow Service

Your domain name can NOT be listed on the Sedo marketplace. If it is, remove it BEFORE you email the below data.

You will need to email the following information:

• Domain name
• Agreed Price (USD/EUR/GBP)*
• Seller’s full name and Email
• Buyer’s full name and Email 
• Seller’s Sedo Login Name
• Buyer’s Sedo Login Name
• Which party has agreed to pay the Sedo commission fee (3% of the sales price)

The email address you need to mail the above data to is: transfers@sedo.us

If you are the seller (the likely one who will start this process), nicely ask your customer to open a free account at Sedo or simply create one yourself and provide your buyer with the login data. Once they have done this, they can provide you with their "Sedo Login Name" or if you do it, you will have that info. The rest of the data needed, you should have already. If you do not have a Sedo account yourself, sign up.

Once the information is emailed to Sedo, the transaction will all take place within your Sedo Accounts. Simply follow the directions provided in your Sedo account for payment and transfer of the domain name. Be sure to always only follow what is posted in your account. Never act on an email alone.

Paying tips at Sedo (share this with your buyer, because keeping them happy is key if they want to purchase from you again)

 Sedo doesn’t charge any more than 3% ($50 Min) of the domain names sale price but extra fees could come into play based on the payment option used! Understanding the payment structure ahead of time can save you (the buyer) money.

 Sedo accepts Visa or Mastercard payments for US and Canada buyers UP TO $500. What does this mean? If your purchase is $500 or under, paying with a credit card! No fees will be added on!

Sedo considers a Paypal payment as an "express payment option" and UP TO $500 does not add on a fee. You can pay via Paypal UP TO $5,000 but anything over $500 will have a 3% fee added on. (this basically covers "paypal fees" on there end which I personally think is BS, but that is the way it is.)

Sedo accepts Wire Transfer. No fees will be added on to the domain transaction no matter the price, but you may be charged at your bank to do a wire transfer.

Overview

Knowing the 5 escrow services above and the minimum fees should help you decide which service will provide you with the best price, yet still providing the secure transaction you are looking for on lower priced sales! Each transaction is a little bit different based on sale price and TLD, so you will have to decide which option is best for you to use. All 5 services that I have stated above are trusted services I have used in the past! Sometimes it is the way you list a domain name (sedo) which decides if you will get the lowest price. Having the knowledge of these prices will now allow you to make an easier choice of which service to use based on your sales price and TLD of the domain name you are selling.