Domains / Themes / Brand

[Alan]

Domains & brand? OK here is a question for your thoughts. I currently sell one single niche plugin - and I do that through a domain that has no relation to my 'main' brand, and woocommerce.

I am about to launch a few more paid for plugin version of free plugins I have out there, and move to Easy Digital Downloads. My business will be taking the plugin side more mainstream - in fact if it works, plugins will be the major part of my business.

So I have dismissed using the unrelated domain ( don't worry about SEO I have that covered ) - I think I have 3 choices
1/ subdomain e.g. plugins.example.com - with new theme suitable for selling domains
2/ a derivative domain, e.g. exampleplugins.com - with new theme
3/ use existing domain e.g. example.com/plugins and just have sub pages related to plugins - restricted to existing theme (until I change stuff )

3 is obviously easiest.

What are your thought?

 

[columbo]

I think this all hinges on your main domain.

It is mature? Does it pull more rank in Google? If so, I would just go for option 3.

another option is to do both - option #2 and #3. Thus hedging your bets.

 

[Alan]

The main domain is mature ( few years) and OSE gives is a DA 25 PA31 (home).

Although 90% of my traffic I drive from articles on a blog site of mine that although only says it has DA of 18 ranks really well in niches - so changing outgoing links is no big deal for me ( that is why I think I have SEO covered )

 

[Free.stockphoto.com]

Hey @Alan, I'm going to assume you're talking about Wordpress plugins. If the bulk of your prospects are like me and source their plugins from WP's plugin library then do you really need to setup another domain? Would it be better to name the plugin in a manner that would reflect the search terms of your target customers?

 

[fisicx]

Set up a separate plugin domain.

 

[Alan]

@Free.stockphoto.com as you know the WordPress repository only lists free plugins, and the donate option simply doesn't work as less than 0.01% of free plugin users actually donate.

My post was about selling paid for plugins. As I mentioned I'm not worried about SEO, a free plugin in the repository with limited functionality is one method of marketing a paid for plugin elsewhere.

There are market places for plugins, but they set the selling price which doesn't take account of the value add / size of market.

To sell a plugin, you need a domain, at least to manage payments, licence keys and updates.

The free plugin repository is a fine thing for users, with some 50,000 plugins. However with no obligation on authors to provide support or updates can in some cases be a false economy. If people were more generous in donating then there probably would be less abandoned plugins. It is generally agreed by professional plugin Devs that the donation model is a failed experiment, leaving the plugin repository as a place to either 'give back' if you have something you feel like giving away or a place to get leads via the free-mium model.

 

[fisicx]

However... with the right plugin in the repository the upgrade option can work very well.

I've got a plugin with about 500 installs. So far over 100 have upgraded and I've had 5 commissions for bespoke versions (and two more in the pipeline). A total earnings of over £4000.

What makes the difference is a dedicated support website where I have all the examples, instructions and shortcodes.

 

[Alan]

@fisicx I know I could look but will ask here Are your support examples behind the paywall for purchasing the plugin? If so what content restriction plugin are you using?

 

[Free.stockphoto.com]

@ Free. stockphoto. com as you know the WordPress repository only lists free plugins, and the donate option simply doesn't work as less than 0.01% of free plugin users actually donate.

My post was about selling paid for plugins. As I mentioned I'm not worried about SEO, a free plugin with limited functionality is one method of marketing.

Not keen on the Freemium+Upgrade model (Free to use basic version + upgrade for full features)? You'd still be able to have a separate domain and sell the Premium version but there's an awful amount of eyeballs that must hit that WP plugin repository.

 

[Alan]

I'm not sure what your point is?

You say use the free repository, which is no good for a commercial enterprise. And you say you are not keen on the freemium model - which is the only viable way of using the free repository commercially.

You are not making sense - can you explain?

 

[fisicx]

@fisicx I know I could look but will ask here Are your support examples behind the paywall for purchasing the plugin? If so what content restriction plugin are you using?

This is the plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/quick-interest-slider/
This is the support site: https://loanpaymentplugin.com/
On the examples and other pages I've indicated if a particular option is in the pro version.

 

[Alan]

Very subtle - as your upgrade to pro isn't pushed on the landing pages, I think bespoke versions is pushed harder - fine in lower volume situations but could become unweildy with lots of versions.

Although customising plugins that you made is an interesting variation on getting commercial value.

Summary of thoughts
1) pay for features that are already built
2) pay for customisations
3) pay for implementations ( more appropriate for one of my plugins it is a parts of quite complex a jigsaw )

Back to my original question about domains, I don't think at this stage I want one domain per plugin, I think that is more appropriate for a mega successful plugin.

 

[fisicx]

On a lot of the customisations I use addon plugins and hooks in the main plugin. That way I can upgrade core without affecting the customisations. The addon plugins are usually tiny, just a single php and JS file. It also means they have to come back for changes. One client is on his 5th upgrade (he keeps wanting new features).

It's far simpler and more lucrative than building websites.

 

[Alan]

Yes add on plugins for customisation with hooks & filters - good approach.

Any herbert can build a WordPress website now a days with one click installs / theme customiser / page builders / plugins, but far fewer of us herberts can write functional code that adds value.

Those 'builders' are constantly asking for 'plugins that do this' ( giving an example site for instance with a complex form with sequence of selections / calculations ) which I would deem to be 'custom functionality', but it seems they expect a plugin to do anything and everything (that they can't code).

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Don't dismiss the free plugin/freemium model. A lot of people have built good businesses off of the back of it.

The WP repository is the first place most users will go to and not being there is missing the biggest marketing opportunity in your marketplace!

 

[Alan]

Don't dismiss the free plugin/freemium model. A lot of people have built good businesses off of the back of it.

I don't and I won't. When you have plugins with 50,000 downloads such as some of mine that is a massive audience to upsell to.

Although for really niche products, where there is nothing in the repository that does the job, it isn't necessary to always release a free version, as long as it is niche enough you can rank in Google.

But I have no idea what @Free.stockphoto.com is actually trying to say - what I am hearing him say is - use the repository - but don't use freemium - makes no sense to me - what other model is there? Donations doesn't work.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

When you have plugins with 50,000 downloads such as some of mine that is a massive audience to upsell to

Exactly - the pull to you page to promote other products is priceless!

 

[Alan]

Exactly - the pull to you page to promote other products is priceless!

Well I wouldn't say priceless - my analytics show a 0.1% click through ( 1 in 1,000 downloads ) interested in 'pro', so even with a reasonable conversion rate that isn't brilliant or indeed priceless

That said - the @fisicx method is more optimised - my repository pages just promote 'pro' where as his repository page links to the page for basic usage data - which would be much higher click through (but not necessarily conversion to pro as not as qualified - but more brand/opportunity awareness and opportunity if desired to use re-marketing) . Changes coming once I sort out what domain they will be landing on.

 

[fisicx]

And when you install my plugin all the tabs are there but when you click on them I display an 'upgrade to pro' message.

It's also cheap as chips which makes it more acceptable. I've got pro versions on 5 plugins and it pulls in around $20/day which is about $7000/year (I like passive incomes).

 

[Free.stockphoto.com]

I'm not sure what your point is?

You say use the free repository, which is no good for a commercial enterprise. And you say you are not keen on the freemium model - which is the only viable way of using the free repository commercially.

You are not making sense - can you explain?

WP allows free plugins that you can upgrade via purchasing a license. I've bought these upgrades to plugins that were initially free and downloaded from the WP plugin repository. Themes also work the same. Theme developers give away the theme with some basic functions (that allow some customisations) but for more advanced ones, you just purchase the upgrade.

By using the WP repository, you gain access to potentially the whole population of Wordpress webmasters looking to tweak their site by using plugins and themes. By giving away the basic version and using the plugin to showcase and push for a paid upgrade, you would have a much larger funnel than just a fully paid plugin via an external site.

Am I making sense? Sorry, it's late here in this part of the world

 

[Alan]

Not keen on the Freemium+Upgrade model (Free to use basic version + upgrade for full features)?

Ahah mis read you - you were asking me if I'm not keen on freemium. I thought you were stating you were not keen on freemium!

Yes freemium is marketing channel.