The “if nobody buys this domain, I’ll just develop it” mantra is, in my opinion, one of the most dangerous attitudes you can have as a domainer. Not because development is bad, it most certainly isn’t. But rather because most domainers don’t really understand what the term “development” means in 2018 and beyond.

They wrongfully assume that a decent domain will pretty much develop itself… it won’t.

It gives you an edge. A sometimes much-needed credibility boost. Sure. But there’s a limit as to just what a domain can do for you, especially in the absence of a proper development strategy.

Therefore, many investors take a good domain, slap a mediocre-looking website with some equally mediocre content on it and are then surprised when they notice traffic and money are nowhere to be found. This isn’t development, I’m afraid. It’s just a very poor backup plan that most domainers put on a pedestal to get a (false) sense of comfort.

Did you overpay for a domain? No problem, just think about the gazillions of dollars you can easily make by developing it.

Is your turnover rate less than optimal? Don’t worry about it, you can just develop a few domains when/if you feel like it and the money will come pouring in.

… see what I did there?

Again, the main problem is the false sense of comfort domainers derive from this improper understanding of development.

As someone who has run hosting businesses, development businesses, a small escrow service, an auction platform, a YouTube channel and so on, I can tell you first-hand that development is hard and complex. It goes well beyond slapping some content on a website and waiting for that sweet, sweet revenue to come pouring in.

Can it be done? Sure. But it requires a completely different skill set than investing in domains. Two completely different dimensions. If you don’t have these skills, you can certainly acquire them but it will take a lot of time, a lot of trial and error. If you’re a successful domain investor at this point… was it easy to become successful? Of course not. You’ve learned, made mistakes and the whole enchilada. The exact same principle is valid when it comes to meaningful development.

My #1 word of advice is this: if you have zero or next to zero experience as a developer, please eliminate the “I’ll just develop it” backup plan from the equation. Look at your activity as a domainer as if that backup option doesn’t exist and take it from there. Unfortunately, development isn’t a magic pill that can turn a sub-optimal domaining strategy into one that makes financial sense 🙁