Would you use domain parking to monetize AtomicWarrior.com?

Yesterday, I discussed how to use the huge open directory project, DMOZ.org, to find deals on domain names. The example I used was Atomic Warrior, a website that still gets decent traffic even though it had not been updated since July 2005. I may be able to purchase the domain from the owner for a bargain price (unless he reads this post). If I were to make a deal, then the question is… should I use domain parking to monetize the domain?

Apply standard domain name analysis

Domain parking revenue comes 100% from type in traffic. Therefore, the domain name should have either generic keyword value, brand value, or something intangible that would lead someone to type in “atomicwarrior.”

Here is my quick analysis based each value factor (on a scale of 1-no value to 5-very valuable):

• Keyword value – 2. Each keyword is generic. However, there are two keywords combined and they are not obviously related. Plus, “atomic” is only used as a retro term.
• Brand value – 1. None at this time, unless Comedy Central develops a spoof animated series about an anti-hero, space ninja who is tasked with infiltrating Spacely Space Sprockets headquarters.
• Intangible – 1. Or maybe I can do my own YouTube video about a space ninja who takes down the Spacely Space Sprockets mega-corporation.

Past traffic is not an indicator of future traffic

A fair amount of traffic still goes to the website, even though nothing has been updated in years. Plus, the site has some backlinks which could help drive traffic initially. So, I should be able to make a small profit no matter how bad the domain name is, right?

Not likely. Even if I optimize the keywords, the people who are visiting the website are there for that exhilarating “Atomic Warrior” community experience. Additionally, the traffic is not sustainable as those backlinks are likely to dwindle over time.

The Verdict: No Parking Zone

If I were to purchase Atomic Warrior, I would not park it. The long term type in traffic is not significant and the current traffic would have a horrible click through rate. For more information on this subject, I recommend reading DomainerPro’s post, Monetizing Domain Names of Former Websites Can Be a Challenge.

The best bet to monetize a domain like AtomicWarrior.com is to develop and rejuvenate it as a video game community. That is actually something I am interested in and would have fun doing.

Or I will have to buy a ninja costume for my YouTube video.