After the Overture Keyword tool was taken offline because of resource issues. Yahoo Japan released a tool with the stats just for agencies.
Now it’s back for the public. You have to be an advertiser though. Good thing is many Japanese business’ do list with Yahoo & will be able to use the tool effectively for marketing. I doubt there will be a generic API for this. They learned their lesson the first time.
I used to write that search technology can not make the connection between a keyword in Japanese with the ASCII(Romaji) term.
I am proved wrong. Yahoo Japan does use this. It doesn’t go into domains (as far as I know) but they do have the technology I found out. I’ll update how this works on another blog.
The former “Overture Keyword Tool” becoming a tool just for agencies & becoming way more relevant was a great move for the markets that use it.
The tool became more relevant to “Our” client’s campaign which was better to give customized estimates.
Everyone is the world using their API or resources unfortunately did not bring Yahoo revenue.
In Asia Yahoo is more important as a search engine than Google & these tools were vital to us.
One of the greatest things that I noticed was that without the tool. I have seen less domains being sold that are just popular buzz words. Overture Keyword Tool was notorious for this. Google Keyword Tool & the Yahoo Agency Tool doesn’t do this.
I’m not into domain investers wasting their time on unused extensions or selling keywords that are just a buzz word.
Pay a big fee now & then realize it’s just a TV show name etc. Or maybe those in IDN investors just got smarter also. This change just keeps the new comer from registering bad domains.
Of the top of my head I can think of several places to find these highly searched for buzz words but will they bring any business customers is what matters.
I’ve got the development bug recently.
I think that domain parking will get better this year for Japan but I know more information about what the companies are doing than most. For some of my domains though I am going into development.
I’m at a good point where I have key Japanese business owners to venture into a commercial development plan.
I should have the first site up for this new venture within the next two months.
Having all the insights from working at one of the top agencies in the world & not being able to contribute is killer.
Anything I produce from this will certainly be a great study to further better business in Japan using IDN domains.
Can’t write more than this now.
Also don’t know what I’m looking more forward to, developing or being invited to the Miss Universe Japan Finals.
Miss Universe Japan finals probably…
I sent a bunch of IDNs to an associate to look over.
I’m big on compatibility which clients also look at. I noticed for the first time that gmail parses IDNs if they are ccTLDs.
I sent some dot comes & dot jps all of them one domain per line.
The dot coms did not turn into links.
Test for yourself, to see if it works.
I was looking from the web & mobile.
This is just an FYI
I have great domains in both dot com & jp but I like to look at the reality of what technical issues there are.
Last night I was talking to an associate of mine at a tech related event here in Tokyo.
Seems like there are actually 4 public domain backorder services here in Tokyo that work with getting dot jp domains.
This time last year there were only 2. One was public & one was on a you have to know someone basis.
Anyway the Japan drop catching services have just started basically & there is lots of things still to workout.
All of the companies do have very strong corporate connections which is vital.
Can’t say things are going to go Max this year but a domain market is starting to develop.
Hopefully one of these services will let me get a few of the domains they beat me too in the drop.
I didn’t realize that there were already 2 “public” Japanese domain drop services.
PSI-Japan & Onamae.com both have Japanese domain back order services.
Actually I knew about the Onamae one from years ago as I wanted them to get some domains for me. If you knew someone in the company they could do it for you. I actually beat them & just registered the domains myself.
But they should be getting more competition now since they are offering this as a public service.
Onamae Domain backorder service
http://www.onamae.com/campaign/backorder/
& PSI Japan Backorder service
http://www.psi.jp/content/view/461/854/
It has been heavily advertised in press releases here in Japan but I guess I haven’t been paying attention to most domain services here. I think you can expect some other services to spring from Onamae.com. I know about something else they’ve started from years back too.
The more services that in the local market, the more domaining can grow as a business.
Currently they is still needed services that are missing.
One of the things that happens, can happen, & will happen is mistaken IDN registrations.
A lot of times we see what see like prime terms being sold for cheap in various languages.
For example you will see something like
“Cheap Hotels” in Russian or other languages.
You buy it, hold it for a few years then show the first Russian friend you have that comes over your house.
Only to find out there are 3 other terms better than yours or worse yet it’s a common misspelling.
I’ve bought at least two of these & others have two.
This is one thing that keeps many investors out of the IDN market.
I have lots of domains so all my regs are good is not enough.
One question that should be asked up front by buyers is
“Is this the main term?”
I don’t think that I asked that for my nonJapanese purchases years ago.
Only recently looking through my portfolio did I notice this.
Since I am only a bystander in the IDN market. I like to look at it from a unbiased standpoint.
Only info I can give is for the market of Japan where I am an advertising professional.
Good luck & happy hunting.
Both: IDN & ASCII
One of the reasons why I chose investing in IDN. jp is to have the more likely chance of getting both.
Such a simple concept. Both IDN & ASCII version of a domain.
I tried to inform IDN investors before that this is a great concept.
If a company is willing to buy an IDN imagine if you had both versions?
This doesn’t work for every domain but there are some terms in languages where there would only be one way to write it.
The recent sale on DNJournal for the German domain actually proved this.
Many people are just IDNs or just ASCII domains but it would be good to realize having both would be great.
With IDNs I’m on hold mode at the moment & just giving advance to global clients & ad agency staff worldwide.
For the Japanese markets I only have a few
but domains like
LosAngeles.jp
NewYorkCity.jp
HokenHikaku.jp
Rome.jp
etc make sense in both versions.
Things that only made sort of since in the domaining world, that no one else would understand.
This is a list of things that I always wondered about with in domaining. This of course is my personal opinion.
1. .CC means credit card or .ws means web site
Turning a CCTLD into whatever you think it should be just to sell a domain is just plain wrong & makes no sense. Even if .CC did mean Credit Card how many keywords does it actually go with that makes sense. The only ccTLD that did make sense looking at it this way was .TV but when you leave the English market TV doesn’t stand for TV everywhere.
2. Is it a Zero or the letter o l00k.com
These domains should be put out to pasture. They don’t have a place in the real world. People can only purchase these by mistake hoping to get the term they “think” that they purchased.
3. Doma.in Hacks
Ok I understand that some great services like Bit.Ly or Del.icio.us started as domain hacks but most of them were hand regged & not bought on the after market. Is it worth you thinking up a great domain hack & sitting on it for several years waiting to convince someone to buy your domain instead of simply making something up & hand regging it themselves?
4. Dictionary Term
The domain is in the dictionary so it has value. I saw this from a few years back & it made me realize that buying terms in other languages was a smart move when people marketed domains just because it’s in the dictionary. Words that you never heard of used before in your life.. Don’t register them.
5. Looking for a Short, brandable Pronounceable Domain
Back when I had time to look at domain forums this actually was a great lunchtime activity & funnier than watching Dave Chappelle Show. This post was almost guaranteed to bring about words & letter combinations in English that I personally had no idea became pronounceable in the English language since I left the States. Domains like Brupr.com, or Xugta.com ,Fyfd.com. I believe a web site should live & be a home or city & your domain is a doorway to that living site. These domains are just plain ugly.
6. Four Letters that make no sense
For God sakes make up a word or put two together instead of 4 random letters together. The human brain can remember more than 4 letters easily.
Anyway look for good siple commercial terms & you should be all right. Think about the target company for the domain & then say to yourself if I was the marketing manager in a recesssion would I buy this domain to start a campaign?