news A Second Look At GoDaddy/Afternic Search

[Bob Hawkes]

I have done a follow-up to my first article on the changes that replaced Afternic domain search with general GoDaddy domain search, and also obtained additional information from company representatives. The article is now published at NameTalent.

Here is a short summary of key results based on searching for 67 names in various categories that are listed on Afternic, and seeing what was shown and suggested:

• Searchers that enter a full name with dot and extension will be presented that name, as far as I can see in all cases.
• Without dot and extension, most, but not quite all, legacy extension names will be presented if the search is for exactly that term and if they are priced. Afternic names listed with Make Offer will not be presented.
• I could only check .ca national extension names, but they were always presented, and probably that holds for other.
• For the names I checked, all .xyz did appear in results if the exact term is searched, with or without extension.
• I had mixed results for the small number of single word .io and .co that I checked, some were in results, some were not.
• Only a few aftermarket names are presented in the 45 results for each search. The vast majority are available hand registrations (see article for the full breakdown).
• Similar names available on Afternic to the search term are sometimes presented.
• Matches across dot are not presented unless the exact name is searched (i.e. if I search for the name planners.page it will show if entered that way, but not if I search for PlannersPage or PlannersPage.com). I don't know why, because their system does understand correctly to promote available hand registration across the dot.
• Other generic country codes like .me and .cc, even though in the old Afternic the exact term would be in the top half page, are no longer presented within the search results even when the exact term is used in search, again unless the search specifically includes the dot and extension, such as example.me.
• The AI-powered search at GoDaddy does not show aftermarket names.

Also see comments from GD representatives about how infrequently Afternic search resulted in sales, and the way they were monitoring the situation.

The most seriously impacted names are alternative country extensions and new extension names, or any names using make offer.

There is a very simple solution. The Afternic splash page, if we can't have the previous Afternic search, should simply have a link to GoDaddy Auctions. (instead of general GoDaddy search). That effectively displays sensible aftermarket names without confusion of a search dominated by hand registration suggestions. In many ways (see article) it would be an improvement over the old Afternic search, and would meet the goal of GoDaddy branding and GoDaddy purchase integration.

The full article has detail on the extensive testing that I did (searched for 67 different names and analyzed the 3000+ search suggestions from GD search). Of course precise results will continue to change, and may vary with searcher location.

Please read details at: https://nametalent.com/2024/03/a-second-look-at-afternic-godaddy-search/

-Bob

@James Iles FYI
I hope GD will consider changing to show GoDaddy Auction search, rather than GoDaddy general search, for visitors to the Afternic site.

 

[Jannes]

Thank you for digging into this! I have 3 .ai names listed, all priced, and none of them is presented without entering dot and extension. It seems a bit weird considering how hot AI-domains are at the moment. Maybe someone with more .ai names could chime in.

 

[Mister Funsky]

I hope GD will consider changing to show GoDaddy Auction search, rather than GoDaddy general search, for visitors to the Afternic site.

Well said...thanks for all the research and results.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Thank you for digging into this! I have 3 .ai names listed, all priced, and none of them is presented without entering dot and extension. It seems a bit weird considering how hot AI-domains are at the moment. Maybe someone with more .ai names could chime in.

Thanks for adding that. I did the trials with my own names, and had no .ai to check.
With how heavily they are promoting hand-reg .ai I had thought they might appear, but from your experience do not.
Thanks again,
-Bob

 

[Lox]

considering how hot AI-domains are at the moment.

Hot? Links to Top 50 Gen AI Consumer Web products and Mobile Apps (scroll down and check extensions). .. dot ai % ... dyor . No further comments.

... heavily they are promoting hand-reg .ai

Devs build-pump-and-sell apps backed by Open ai etc api and domain flippers are the target... whales are mostly interested in something else, in Qu (2030), IoT (2025) or Robotics (2035), especially after the EU AI + Data regulations and upcoming UN , USA and China rules.

Regards

 

[Jannes]

Hot? Links to Top 50 Gen AI Consumer Web products and Mobile Apps (scroll down and check extensions). .. dot ai % ... dyor . No further comments.

Thanks for the link, but I have no idea what you're trying to prove or disprove.

 

[enterscope]

Godaddy's plan is to destroy the domain aftermarket, clearly.

 

[clarkemarketing]

In my opinion, the new GoDaddy ranking algo increases the value of .com .net .org .co .io and ctld's, and decreases the value of all others (especially single word .whatever's that used to always rank for that word in Afternic). At the end of the day, visibly matters and if GoDaddy is showing a name to more potential buyers it's more likely to sell.

 

[Jay]

There is a very simple solution. The Afternic splash page, if we can't have the previous Afternic search, should simply have a link to GoDaddy Auctions. (instead of general GoDaddy search). That effectively displays sensible aftermarket names without confusion of a search dominated by hand registration suggestions. In many ways (see article) it would be an improvement over the old Afternic search, and would meet the goal of GoDaddy branding and GoDaddy purchase integration.

The full article has detail on the extensive testing that I did (searched for 67 different names and analyzed the 3000+ search suggestions from GD search). Of course precise results will continue to change, and may vary with searcher location.

Please read details at: https://nametalent.com/2024/03/a-second-look-at-afternic-godaddy-search/

-Bob

Your solution is exceptionally well put together and would help solve the immediate downfalls I see in the routing of traffic when arriving at godaddy.com after being redirected.

As a former GoDaddy employee, I can say with some certainty that the product manager/exec who made that call made some friends in C3 (Customer Sales and Support) who are commissioned and retain their jobs based on sales they bring in and almost guaranteed made some enemies on the aftermarket side of the house. There's no way the existing comp structures for the Aftermarket and Premier Service teams stay the same.

I'm very curious about the long-term play for Dan.com as well. At one point, it was discussed that they intended to consolidate the GD Aftermarket offerings to include Dan.com and Afternic. I seriously hope they stop and think extremely hard about who it was that actually fueled GoDaddy's rapid growth and success....DOMAINERS AND WEB HOSTERS/DESIGNERS.

If it wasn't for Wild Wild West Domains and all of the reseller turnkey websites (plus some raunchy ads), GD wouldn't have stood a chance at achieving their level of international growth in the time that they did it. An incredible amount of customers were acquired simply from fly-by-night resellers letting their accounts expire and then active customers rolled into GoDaddy.

My fear is that they'll do something stupid with Dan.com and get rid of that style of marketplace. TO THE GD PM that may eventually read this: include ALL Dan.com domains in GD searches with a small Dan.com note above the name (similar to how premium names are listed now), and have them redirect to Dan.com for the sale if a domain only purchase or keep and process through GD if they're buying additional products. Don't convolute Dan.com's simple style for a niche type of user by adding it to the whole product catalog. Keep that separation approach similar to how main street hub was handled.

That's all, I digress. If all else fails, just call in leadership's toddlers again; it's how the godaddy dude in the old logo was born

 

[Garet]

Your solution is exceptionally well put together and would help solve the immediate downfalls I see in the routing of traffic when arriving at godaddy.com after being redirected.

As a former GoDaddy employee, I can say with some certainty that the product manager/exec who made that call made some friends in C3 (Customer Sales and Support) who are commissioned and retain their jobs based on sales they bring in and almost guaranteed made some enemies on the aftermarket side of the house. There's no way the existing comp structures for the Aftermarket and Premier Service teams stay the same.

I'm very curious about the long-term play for Dan.com as well. At one point, it was discussed that they intended to consolidate the GD Aftermarket offerings to include Dan.com and Afternic. I seriously hope they stop and think extremely hard about who it was that actually fueled GoDaddy's rapid growth and success....DOMAINERS AND WEB HOSTERS/DESIGNERS.

If it wasn't for Wild Wild West Domains and all of the reseller turnkey websites (plus some raunchy ads), GD wouldn't have stood a chance at achieving their level of international growth in the time that they did it. An incredible amount of customers were acquired simply from fly-by-night resellers letting their accounts expire and then active customers rolled into GoDaddy.

My fear is that they'll do something stupid with Dan.com and get rid of that style of marketplace. TO THE GD PM that may eventually read this: include ALL Dan.com domains in GD searches with a small Dan.com note above the name (similar to how premium names are listed now), and have them redirect to Dan.com for the sale if a domain only purchase or keep and process through GD if they're buying additional products. Don't convolute Dan.com's simple style for a niche type of user by adding it to the whole product catalog. Keep that separation approach similar to how main street hub was handled.

That's all, I digress. If all else fails, just call in leadership's toddlers again; it's how the godaddy dude in the old logo was born

I like your thinking and logic but it feels contrary to GoDaddy's current philosophy and operating style. It is sad to see superior platforms and competitors acquired and gutted rather than integrated or maintained but I don't think it is accidental. You would know better from the inside but my outside view that is most sympathetic is that it is hard to integrate new technology with GoDaddy's existing archaic, legacy technology.

 

[Jay]

I like your thinking and logic but it feels contrary to GoDaddy's current philosophy and operating style. It is sad to see superior platforms and competitors acquired and gutted rather than integrated or maintained but I don't think it is accidental. You would know better from the inside but my outside view that is most sympathetic is that it is hard to integrate new technology with GoDaddy's existing archaic, legacy technology.

One can only hope, right? I find it sad to see how tech M&A has evolved over the past five years.

While I'm no longer at GD, at least when I was, a massive portion of the tech was undergoing significant overhauls and, in some cases, being replaced altogether. Don't let the crappy UI/UX fool you, the tech behind it all is incredibly robust. That said, the "API highways" among these various technologies make integration relatively easy.

If history is repeating itself, the blocker of their progress is uncollaborative executives with Ivy League degrees and little to no industry experience backed by PMs with godawful access to customer feedback.

As someone who has been using GD since he was ten years old, I really do wish things went much differently with the company.

 

[Fayaz Ahmed]

Nice info. Thanks as always @Bob Hawkes

I've checked two of my .xyz names without TLD
— both added to Afternic through DAN.
— both single dictionary word .xyz name.

GoDaddy: my .xyz name doesn't appear anywhere.
Dynadot: my .xyz name is the first one in the list.
NameCheap: my .xyz name is the 4th one in the list.

I'll have to check what happens if they are removed from DAN and added directly to Afternic.

 

[Garet]

One can only hope, right? I find it sad to see how tech M&A has evolved over the past five years.

While I'm no longer at GD, at least when I was, a massive portion of the tech was undergoing significant overhauls and, in some cases, being replaced altogether. Don't let the crappy UI/UX fool you, the tech behind it all is incredibly robust. That said, the "API highways" among these various technologies make integration relatively easy.

If history is repeating itself, the blocker of their progress is uncollaborative executives with Ivy League degrees and little to no industry experience backed by PMs with godawful access to customer feedback.

As someone who has been using GD since he was ten years old, I really do wish things went much differently with the company.

At its core, GoDaddy's technology may well be robust but it can be so glitchy and feels non-robust to this end user. For that reason, I was open to my now debunked theory of archaic legacy tech being to blame for many issues. Frankly, I want their technology to be robust AND reliable.

GoDaddy was a disruptive influence in a good way (see NetSol) in the early days. Now I root for competition if only to have a positive influence.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

My fear is that they'll do something stupid with Dan.com and get rid of that style of marketplace.

I have no inside information, but I have the same fear. I hope if enough of us point out the strengths and differentiating characteristics of Dan vs Afternic that won't happen. But we will see.

Thank you for your insights based on a former insider view.

-Bob

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I've checked two of my .xyz names without TLD
— both added to Afternic through DAN.
— both single dictionary word .xyz name.

GoDaddy: my .xyz name doesn't appear anywhere.

Thanks so much for this information. After you posted, I realized that the .xyz I had checked were all listed directly at Afternic, not through Dan propagation, and all also had Fast Transfer activated. So while my xyz appeared, your experience suggests that not all xyz will appear. Thank you for conducting the trials.

-Bob

 

[Jay]

At its core, GoDaddy's technology may well be robust but it can be so glitchy and feels non-robust to this end user. For that reason, I was open to my now debunked theory of archaic legacy tech being to blame for many issues. Frankly, I want their technology to be robust AND reliable.

GoDaddy was a disruptive influence in a good way (see NetSol) in the early days. Now I root for competition if only to have a positive influence.

Honestly, as much as I didn't want to mention it, what you're feeling on the front end is the result of disorganized executive direction. As a result, an identity crisis of desired usable functionality is ongoing, and odd UI/UX iterations have occurred, resulting in that glitchy feel.

I wish things had evolved differently when Blake exited, but I feel a shifted laser focus on stock performance has been apparent ever since his last day in office.

Only time will tell my friends!

 

[Bob Hawkes]

.org .co .io and ctld's, a

Just to clarify, in my testing most country codes will not appear at all (the only exceptions being the national country code of the searcher, and in some cases .io and .co).

The vast majority of presented alternatives are available hand registrations, rather than any Afternic offerings. Of those few that are presented, I agree .com is favoured and that is logical.

-Bob

 

[Fayaz Ahmed]

Just to clarify, in my testing most country codes will not appear at all (the only exceptions being the national country code of the searcher, and in some cases .io and .co).

The vast majority of presented alternatives are available hand registrations, rather than any Afternic offerings. Of those few that are presented, I agree .com is favoured and that is logical.

-Bob

I got .me, .io, .co, .tv, .la etc. in multiple single dictionary word searches.

However, the result is not always consistent.
Sometimes they appear, sometimes they don't.

 

[SuperBrander]

The problem with sending people to the auction page is simple: most people who want to buy an aftermarket domain just want to search the inventory. They don't want to participate in an auction so sending them to a page that says auctions and is listing auctions is confusing. Sure, filtering at the auctions page allows people to search the inventory and get aftermarket results if they choose "advanced search", then "type" and then the "Buy it now" or "Offer/Counter Offer" options, but how many random people (who aren't domainers) would actually get to a page that says it's listing auctions and conduct such a search to get the relevant results?

Afternic's advanced search or the filtering system available at auctions.godaddy.com needs to be available to the general public at Godaddy.com. For whatever reason, Godaddy decided to put the filtering system that actually works behind a pay wall (Domain Academy) and at auctions.godaddy.com. It's mind-boggling why Godaddy is trying to hide relevant aftermarket results from potential buyers who arrive to Godaddy.com. Airo is currently useless and suggests garbage hand registrations and the main search has a laughable search filter where people can't even choose which extension they'd like to get in the results, not to mention any option of filtering by a keyword in a certain position, eliminating numbers/hyphens/special characters etc. The very basic filtering system is also only presented after an initial search must be conducted, without any filtering options.

Godaddy needs to let people search the aftermarket inventory directly from Godaddy.com with a great filtering system and without people having to jump through hoops or getting bombarded with garbage available domains (that are available for a reason). Godaddy is supposed to be educating customers about the importance of having a great domain, but instead they let a half baked AI and a faulty search system that doesn't allow people to properly filter, suggest pigeonshit. Everybody should pretend to be a potential buyer with specific needs and try to use Airo or the actual search at Godaddy.com and get any helpful result/suggestion. I assure you, at the moment you won't get it.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

They don't want to participate in an auction so sending them to a page that says auctions and is listing auctions is confusing.

It is a good point. Considering that most of the listings at GD Domain Auctions are in fact not auctions, it might be a good time for them to rename it Market or Marketplace or something similar that could include all of BIN, MO, closeouts and auctions. They could also include simple links for buyers only interested in one type of sale.

-Bob

 

[DomainRecap]

This change is absolutely insane and it essentially means that GoDaddy is monetizing our traffic (that was intended for our marketplace listings) towards selling more of their competing domains and other products.

I think all these "make more money.. or else!" investor threats have driven the GD execs totally insane and they're now grasping at straws trying to create more and more profit. They'll take any long-term business risk by stealing anything from any of their linked companies just to make a few measly bucks today.

Just look at their bizarre monetization of the GoDaddy Valuation/Appraisal tool - a minimum payment of $1200 USD just to access it now. Insanity. At what point does GD start selling off employees to human traffickers'?

And as there is now no possible way to directly search the Afternic marketplace, it also makes you wonder what everyone at Afternic is doing while people are using fruiting around at GoDaddy?

Fashioning a noose? Writing the great American novel? Sleeping? Faxing out their resumes? Joining OnlyFans?

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

This change is absolutely insane and it essentially means that GoDaddy is monetizing our traffic (that was intended for our marketplace listings) towards selling more of their competing domains and other products.

Well, it's very clear now that there are sponsored domain extensions that show up with these searches. So, yes, your domain names are being used by GoDaddy for ad revenue.

Are you really surprised by that?

It's a clever business model for the company, albeit likely a detriment for the Afternic domain seller.

 

[DomainRecap]

Are you really surprised by that?

No, but I am a bit surprised they went that far as it's bound to anger some customers.

If GD pulls this same type of search scam with Dan or gets rid of it entirely, I am definitely jumping ship.

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

Understood.

If your Afternic landers had ads (i.e. sponsored alternative domains) showing up like that, you would want ppc revenue or a perceentage of an alternative domain sale from your lead.

It's good to explore which marketplaces are best with their search results for you domain listings.