Sedo pushing fresh TLD services

Firm releases brochure and starts more heavily marketing its fresh TLD capabilities.

Sedo is starting to more aggressively promote services to fresh top level domain applicants, counting adding a couple ad banners targeting them on its home page.

The firm’s four page “Sedo Fresh gTLD Services” brochure (pdf) highlights services the firm provides prior to launch, during sunrise and landrush, and following a domain fully launches.

Ahead of launch, Sedo will help registries determine which second level domains ought to be held back as premium, and how to price them. Although most of the premium sales will happen post-launch, it will begin what it calls “pre-brokerage” for premium domains even ahead of sunrise. It will also create promo sites for the registry and build lead lists.

Additionally, Sedo is upgrading its auction system to handle sunrise and landrush auctions, and promotes its existing 1 million+ user base as a key selling factor.

Following general availability, Sedo wants to play an active roll in aftermarket sales.

A number of firms are offering similar services. The closest competitor is Afternic/NameMedia.

Few firms have the data on aftermarket activity that Sedo and NameMedia have, and I think it is notable that all open TLD applicants at least talk to these firms to understand the opportunity. I’m afraid that some registries are overestimating revenue from premium sales, and I trust that the two big aftermarkets are helping them get a realistic understanding.