Co-Founder & CEO — Above.com – A Trellian Company
Twitter: @above_domain | Facebook: /above.domain
Q&A
Describe what your company does, why you chose this focus, and who benefits from the work that you do?
Over the last 10 years, Above’s platform has evolved to include solutions for virtually every kind of domain investor pain point.
Whether buying, selling, monetizing, registering, or renewing, Above provides exactly the right kind of data, tools, technology, and services needed to maximize your results.
Why did we build this platform? As our own domain portfolio grew in size from 1997 to 2007, it became far too time-consuming to continuously analyze test data and manually point each domain’s traffic to the highest paying service month after month.
So in 2008, we built a platform that used big data and technology to automate the entire process. It was designed to send each domain visitor, in real time, to the highest paying monetization channel option. We quickly launched this platform under the brand name Above.com and made it available to domain investors free of charge.
Soon after the launch, our own portfolio had a huge revenue increase of over 50% thanks to the way traffic was constantly being redistributed to the highest paying channel. Clients have been very happy with their revenue results as well. We are happy to share recent client case studies.
I should point out that from the beginning, the most lucrative monetization option for qualified traffic pointed to our DNS has been our Maximizer Advertising Channel, which enables premium advertisers from company-owned Trellian Direct Search Network to bid on domain traffic. Not many people realize that 10 years ago we were early pioneers in selling domain traffic to direct advertisers. Or that we very carefully monitor our advertisers.
Over time, Above.com’s platform grew to include portfolio management tools and services to help investors analyze data, make decisions, and improve results in all areas of domain investing.
What factors have contributed to your company’s growth and success to date? How do you see these elements evolving in the future?
Simply put, Above.com helps domain investors maximize revenue, cut costs and save time managing their portfolios. That has been the key to our growth and success ever since our launch in 2008.
Another key to success is that we have never stopped evolving. We are constantly investing in technology and big data in order to enhance the domain portfolio management solutions we offer.
What can attendees expect to see from your company at NamesCon Global?
Since this article is being published after NamesCon Global 2018, I can tell you that domain investors visiting our booth were most interested in learning more about the following three solutions we offer.
First, they asked about our Maximizer Advertiser Channel, which generated traffic revenue lifts of well over 400% for some clients this past holiday shopping season.
Second, they asked about our Consolidator Tool, which saves time and effort by pulling whois expiration dates, DNS settings, and registrar names for domains spread out across all your registrars.
And third, they asked about our Brokerage Service, and how we leverage our experience to get deals done.
For your readers who did not attend NamesCon, please contact us for details on how you can benefit from these, and other, Above solutions.
How has NamesCon made an impact on your company?
We have been a NamesCon sponsor and exhibitor from the beginning. NamesCon has always provided a great opportunity to connect with clients and prospects from around the world. There is nothing better than building relationships with people face to face.
