Parked.com Review 

A foreward: This is a review of Parked.com - and is not intended to be a sales pitch or a solicitation of any kind. I typically try out new domain and marketing services, and find interesting differences amongst them all!

For starters, I've been looking into various domain name parking services including SEDO and Bodis. I've had no results with SEDO, and Bodis was too negligent to mention that they are no longer accepting any more customers. I've heard nothing but bad reviews for both of those services on various SEO and webmaster forums. Other services charge as much as $99 for domain parking. As a marketer - I have no plans to spend money wherever it is completely unnecessary to do so!

I was referred to Parked.com by a member of Digital Point Forums who has experienced regular, decent results from this service. Previously, I've never even heard of Parked.com. I signed up to the service and have several of my higher-profile domain names running their parking service.

Why Should I Park My Domains? 

Think about it: you probably have a certain number of domain names that are collecting dust in your domain name service account. Although you can never truly know this - some of these domains may be getting a couple (or more) direct visits per day, either by people who are searching for the name directly (such as typing it in their browser), or stumbling on it through an internet search, somehow.

Don't be surprised at the latter scenario - the internet can be a surprising place, where anything and everything shows up at one point or another.

In other cases, some of your domain names may already have aged backlinks from many years ago. Other domain names you own might have been previously owned, and were advertised at some point in time.

Domain names, as you probably know, are becoming collectors' items: cybersquatters are buying them en masse, as great names are becoming difficult to find. Similarly, names you own may be of value to someone else, much like how one man's trash is another man's treasure!

The resolve: Put these sedated domain names to good use! By parking them, you're creating a landing page where visitors will be able to be presented with relevant links. These pages can sometimes appear to be relevant sites, and each click brings in a profit. Is it underhanded? Not quite - because it is completely legit, legal, and will not result in negative repercussions from search engines! Imagine the profit that a top keyword or phrase might bring in...use your Google AdSense knowledge.

Parked.com Requirements: 

• New Registrant Approvals: New registrants are put on a waiting list, unless referred by another member
• Domain names: You need a minimum of 10 URLs
• Tax Info: You're required to fill out a W-9 form
• Self Promotion: You cannot buy traffic to your parked pages, you cannot entice others to click ads
• Restrictions: Inappropriate URLs are not allowed (adult, porn), URLs that previously hosted websites of this nature is not allowed
• Payment Frequency: 2x per month

Parked.com's Parked Pages 

Parked.com's statistics page gives you the bare-bones essentials, including RPM, CTR, RPC and revenue. You can sort your domains into folders you designate, to find them more easily. Each domain has its own dedicated statistics chart, hit counter, and all of the aforementioned statistical data.

I think the disappointment of Parked.com lies in the fact that your parked pages are 100% auto-generated, so you're pretty much at the mercy of the keywords that are found within the domain name itself. There are no other influential factors given to you as a customer - such as user-defined keywords - making this a service that is probably not desirable to anyone who doesn't own a URL with a keyword within it. This, of course, makes the service less desirable for URLs that are "made-up" words or phrases.

Parked.com will generate a small content area with a contextual image (based on URL keyword context), and PPC ad links. Of course, you're paid when a legitimate web user stumbles upon the page, and clicks a link. The amount you'll be paid is entirely unknown, and is based off of unseen factors including the target niche, backlinks, visits and other data.

Parked.com Parked Page Screenshot 

Above: This is what a parked page using Parked.com looks like. This screenshot is from one of my 3-letter, 1-number URLs (a LLNL.com).

Note that the contextual ads that show up are all over the place in terms of topic: ranging from networking software to male enhancement pills. (To be fair: this is an unfortunate side effect of most domain parking services).

What You Get with Parked.com's Service 

• A landing page with a graphical image, auto-generated to your site name's keywords.
• Relevant ad links (similar to Google AdSense contextual links) that are generated from your domain name keywords.
• Daily updated analytical reports of your domain name's click through rate, clicks per 1000 impressions, revenue per 1000 impressions, geographical visitation map, hostname and referral visitor tracking, and your landing page's hit counter.
• Reporting tools, ability to save reports for future statistical analysis
• Portfolios to sort your domain names by whichever category you choose (by industry, etc), for quick reference.
• Payout settings let you choose how you want to get paid: payment options include PayPal, Check, Direct Deposit and International Payout.

Joining Parked.com 

Parked.com has a waiting period for new registrants. Parked.com states: "If you have a referral you are most likely to be approved quicker. We do not accept all applicants, so please be thorough in explaining your situation to increase your chances for approval on our system."

The banner below is a promo for new registrants. If you found this review to be helpful, please sign up through this banner and try out Parked for yourself!

Conclusion... 

Parked.com Pros 

These are the positive aspects of Parked.com in my opinion. Vote up on the ones you agree with, if or when you have used Parked.com!

Parked.com Cons 

...and here are the negative aspects. Once again, if you're a Parked.com customer, vote on the comments you agree with: