What’s the best domain registry site?
April 15, 2009
A client sent me this one-line email: What’s the best domain registry site?
My reply: The best is register.com (or they used to be… read on). The one we usually use (cheaper and still good) is 1and1.com. But then I decided to check the cost.
On the 1and1 site, they show the annual registration fee: $6.99.
On register.com, they don’t show any fee. So I called. I was greeted with a recorded message about how J.D. Powers says register.com offers outstanding customer service (blah blah blah).
Someone answers and immediately asks: “Would you like to hear more about custom website design?”
“No, I’m not the least bit interested. What I want to know is: How much is the annual domain registration fee.”
“I’m just the operator. I will connect you.”
4 minutes later… I find out. The 1 year fee is $35.00.
I point out that nowhere is this information provided on their site. I’m told “you have to go through the process and then it tells you.”
Now I know why Register.com charges five times more than 1and1. They have to pay for the toll-free call, the operator who answers, and the customer service rep who has the information.
They could post their pricing information on the website. But then, how would they justify the inflated cost? I won’t be recommending Register.com to any more clients.
BTW, here’s Register.com’s footer. Can you find the pricing link? I can’t.
Looking Cuil isn’t enough
April 13, 2009
Cuil http://www.cuil.com/ is a new Search Engine designed and developed by former Googlers. They claim to have created the world’s biggest index, and features to help you explore the variety and complexity of the web. By the way, Cuil is an old Irish word for knowledge.
Cuil Screenshot
At first glance, it does look cool (if not Irish). I did a search for a narcotics dealer from the 1920s named Paul Le Baron (don’t ask). The results look pretty. But without scrolling I see only one reference to a Paul Le Baron (a different person). For some reason there are multiple references to Woody Allen and a link to an Italian Wikipedia article on the Golden Globes. Maybe that’s what they mean by exploring the variety of the Web.
Google’s results for the same query aren’t so pretty, but they are FAR more relevant (even though I’m still not finding anything about the specific Paul Le Baron I’m looking for).
Google Screenshot
OK, let’s try something less obscure: Resolve Digital. Cuil results include our website at the top, but every other reference is for Digital Resolve (a fraud protection company). Google results have Resolve Digital at the top, then a Case Study on our site, and lower down the page, a posting on our blog. So my little 20 minute experiment demonstrates that Google is still the king of Cuil.
What Small Business Wants
April 9, 2009
Highlights from a survey of 741 small and medium businesses (up to 500 employees) conducted by Bredin Business Information reveals:
- Referrals, search, and educational websites are preferred sources of information on products or services online. Larger companies slightly prefer email newsletters to educational websites.
- High value is the most important purchase criterion followed low price and reliability. Least important: leading brand.
- Finding new customers is the top business challenge for companies with 20 or fewer employees. Companies with 21-100 employees are equally concerned with managing costs. Larger businesses are more concerned with managing costs, with customer acquisition second.
Bredin offers this information “to help marketers stay current on best practices in marketing to small and medium size businesses,” says CEO Stu Richards. I say, “thanks for the perspective, Stu.” Very glad to hear that low price is not the most important consideration.
One final note from the report: don’t minimize the potential impact of offline tactics like direct mail, print newsletters and trade shows. Consider them as part of your marketing mix.
Yellowpages.com Makes Me See Red
April 7, 2009
In an attempt to increase their visibility and get local Search traffic, we created a free listing for a client (Century Solutions Group) on Yellowpages.com. The problem is that AT&T changed their address and added irrelevant categories like “real estate agents” and “rental services.”
So I login to the account and click on “Edit Listing.” I see the Listing Summary with the info I need to change. But there’s no obvious way to change it, just a “Done” button.
I spend about five minutes going over every pixel and clicking back and forth, thinking there MUST be a way to edit this! I clicked on a link that says “Edit Listing” and I see a “Done” button. What am I missing?
Nothing, as it turns out. I call yellowpages.com this morning and after explaining my problem I’m told that there have been “a lot of technical difficulties lately and if you give me the information I can update it for you.”
“So I can’t edit the listing myself like it says on the site?”
“Some people can and some people can’t.”
“So how long does it take for you to make the changes?”
“It takes a week.”
“If the function doesn’t work why don’t you have a notice on the site telling people, so they don’t waste their time?”
“We’re trying to merge and getting everything on the same database is causing some problems.”
“Oh, OK,” [officially give up]
