Do you remember a time when domain name parking was a legitimate and profitable way to set up a stream of passive income? Well… things have been changing in this respect for a while, and now Google has introduced a change that will affect anyone wanting to make some cash from domain name parking.
What is domain name parking?
When you park a domain name, you’re simply setting aside a domain name that you’ve bought and do not intend to use straightaway. This means there is no website connected to it, nor are there any email addresses attached to it.
There could be a variety of reasons for this. You might want to grab a domain name that you intend to use later, to make sure no one else steps in and buys it. You might want to launch a new business or product, purchasing the domain for it early in the planning stages to make sure you have it ready.
In the meantime, you might park it. And if you do, why not put some ads on it while it’s sitting there? Some domains will fare better than others when it comes to being parked. If the domain is a word or term people are likely to search for, it may well bring in traffic even though there’s nothing on there for people to read just yet. If you put ads on it, you might occasionally get some clicks – and you can then earn some cash from those. The more parked domains you have, the more revenue you may be able to bring in.
New Google ad accounts will be opted out of the parked domains market
This means that anyone signing up for a new Google ad account won’t have any of their ads on parked domains, unless they decide to opt into it. This switches the current situation for current ad account members, who are automatically opted in unless they decide to opt out.
This could well mean fewer advertisers will have their ads displaying on parked domains. Some may not even be aware of the change. For those who own one or more parked domain names, there could be a drop in revenue. There are likely to be fewer advertisers with ads showing on these domains. This in turn will mean there is a lot less competition, which will reduce the value of the ads displaying on these sites.
So, while this looks like a good move for those who want their ads displayed on certain sites, it could be another downward turn for those seeking revenue from domain name parking. The change happens in October 2024, so we’ll be looking closely to see what the outcome could be. Could it be the beginning of the end for domain name parking ad revenue? It will surely drop in value, so it depends how many such sites you have and whether a drop in income would mean they are no longer viable. We’ll be watching closely.