3 things GoDaddy ought to do ahead of shutting down Uniregistry Market
Uniregistry has some great features. It would be a shame if they went away.
Uniregistry might shut down this year as it is consolidated into GoDaddy. There are a number of things regarding Uni’s domain marketplace that I hope GoDaddy integrates into its existing systems ahead of shutting it down.
Category keyword targeting
Uniregistry is the only parking platform I’m aware of that lets users set category targeting for their domain names. This is notable to avoid having Google’s algorithm target trademark terms for your domain name.
Let’s say you own the domain name Apple.com. Left to its own devices, the parking algorithm might show keywords related to mobile phones, computers, etc. That’s problematic. With category targeting, you can set this domain to point to ads related to the dictionary meaning of the word, e.g., fruit/food. This is critical to avoid cybersquatting claims.
Parking reporting
Afternic’s domain parking reporting is atrocious, both in the classic and beta systems. At a minimum, it ought to let you download a .csv of your parking data. Ideally, GoDaddy creates a good interface for viewing the data on the website. But a .csv option would be a good first step. (Update: there is a csv download in the beta. It only shows domains with traffic.)
Buyer data
In an ideal world, GoDaddy would integrate Uni’s self-brokering system into one of its existing platforms. But with its fresh commission structure and desire to push things to its own brokers, I doubt that will happen. Yet Uni provides the best data to domain owners regarding who is inquiring regarding their domains. They provide IP addresses, emails, names, links to LinkedIn profiles, etc.
Even if GoDaddy gets rid of self-brokering, it needs to provide more data to domain owners. At a minimum, domain owners ought to see how many inquiries were made on their domains and what the offers were, even if they are below the floor price. This is critical data for deciding whether to renew a domain. Right now, you have to ask your account manager for this data. It ought to be integrated into the Afternic dashboard.
It has been three years since GoDaddy disclosed the buyout of Uniregistry. Shutting it down is inevitable, but I hope GoDaddy integrates the best of the Uni market into its own services ahead of shutting it down.
