Sedo Article - The Internet and the Spanish Revolution

[thefabfive]

This past year, Sedo has seen the importance of the Spanish language in the domain world simply skyrocket. With 420 million Spanish-speakers worldwide, only a measly 80 million of these are online, making just 18% of Spanish-speakers on the web. In comparison to other language groups, Spanish is in third place following English and Chinese.

Currently, one in ten Internet users are Spanish-speaking, however this figure is increasing by leaps and bounds. The number of Spanish-speaking Internet users has grown 231.1 % in the last six years (2000-2006). This growth rate defeats that of English-speaking Internet users at 135.2 % over the same time period. Naturally, this astounding increase also means massive growth of Spanish domain traffic. For example, trabajo.com (work.com) received 18,000 visits in October 2004, while the same domain received 27,000 visitors just last month.

So... why isn't Sedo interested in IDN? Seems they're touting Spanish language domains (and noting that Chinese is ahead of both English and Spanish). It doesn't take a sharp mind to extend this thought to IDN.

Oh, I know... because Sedo only reports on opportunities long since gone. I expect an article from Sedo on IDNs in a year or two.

[ChinaStar]

Great to finally see at least an article leading towards a logical discussion...

I think theyre tune will finally change within the next few months.

[touchring]

Originally Posted by ChinaStar

Great to finally see at least an article leading towards a logical discussion...

I think theyre tune will finally change within the next few months.

Yep, if you go by what tat Acro on DNF says, people just won't type non-asciis. What a mule!

[ChinaStar]

I read through that discussion and it was disgusting how English has suddenly become the language of the internet... and type ins for that matter.

There is clear evidence that this is going to work, no point in wasting breath arguing with an unedumacated retard like Acro.

[touchring]

Originally Posted by ChinaStar

I read through that discussion and it was disgusting how English has suddenly become the language of the internet... and type ins for that matter.

There is clear evidence that this is going to work, no point in wasting breath arguing with an unedumacated retard like Acro.

This guy's a desporado, he has been blasting idns since the 2004s. Seems like he got funds locked up in low traffic .info or .biz. Market funds are limited, he has to pay his renewals every year, so i guess he is feeling the pressure from idns and maybe also .mobis.

[Alphamale]

I think the underlying message in this thread is that SEDO go to the trouble to tout foreign domains but dont even bother to mention IDN's.

does this aptly sum up SEDO's attitude to IDN's? It's almost like they are Acro-ing them.

[Clotho]

Could anyone please link this discussion? I couldn't find it.

[thefabfive]

Originally Posted by Clotho

Could anyone please link this discussion? I couldn't find it.

It was in the Sedo newsletter, but I couldn't find it on their site.

[bwhhisc]

Originally Posted by Clotho

Could anyone please link this discussion? I couldn't find it.

The "Acro" thread is at DNF called "IDNs dropping like flies"- 16 pages and counting. Amazing that persons who speak foreign languages can totally bury their head in the sand and feel that "internet users worldwide" will want to keep URLs in English regardless of options to use native languages.

Others will have to provide the link for SEDO.

[thefabfive]

The entire article from the Sedo newsletter:

FEATURE ARTICLE
The Internet and the Spanish Revolution

By Antonio Marzo, Director of Spanish and Latin America Markets


This past year, Sedo has seen the importance of the Spanish language in the domain world simply skyrocket. With 420 million Spanish-speakers worldwide, only a measly 80 million of these are online, making just 18% of Spanish-speakers on the web. In comparison to other language groups, Spanish is in third place following English and Chinese.



Currently, one in ten Internet users are Spanish-speaking, however this figure is increasing by leaps and bounds. The number of Spanish-speaking Internet users has grown 231.1 % in the last six years (2000-2006). This growth rate defeats that of English-speaking Internet users at 135.2 % over the same time period. Naturally, this astounding increase also means massive growth of Spanish domain traffic. For example, trabajo.com (work.com) received 18,000 visits in October 2004, while the same domain received 27,000 visitors just last month.


This surge in traffic has been accompanied by a large improvement in the Latin American economy, and most notably from Spain, a country that only 30 years ago freed itself from the clamps of fascist dictatorship. In fact, Spain may be the most under-rated economic success story in recent years. Since the fascist dictatorship, this country of only 45 million people - roughly the size of California – has become the eighth largest economy in the developed world, expanding over 40% in the last decade alone. The economic upswing in Spain and in Latin America, combined with the rising penetration rate of Spanish-speakers on the web, has also encouraged many companies to start advertising in Spanish on the Internet. More competition over Spanish keywords, inevitably leads to higher PPC rates for domain owners. Essentially, the Spanish domain market is still developing and has yet to reach its threshold.


Despite cultural and economic differences between the various Spanish-speaking countries, the .es ccTLD of Spain, España in Spanish, has received a warm welcome. For example, last year the .es ccTLD, driven by liberalized registration requirements and marketing, grew by 400% over one year. The traffic data surrounding this new liberalized TLD are quite impressive; Spaniards are increasingly likely to use their country TLD, but what is more surprising is that the .es is also the reference TLD for people on the other side of the Atlantic. Basically, Hispanics in the US have associated this TLD not only with Spain but also with the Spanish language, identifying the .es as a sign of Spanish content. Consequently, Sedo data shows that between 15-25% of .es portfolio traffic comes from the US and Latin America.


In some Latin American countries, the local TLD is also well developed. For example, Argentina has exceeded one millon .com.ar registrations, surpassing the ccTLDs of the US and Spain among other nations. Although this TLD is already well established, it is still possible to find good deals. For example, porn.com.ar, sold for 1,000 EUR, mobil.com.ar sold for 2,000 EUR, and ringtones.com.ar sold for 1,800 EUR.


Mexico´s own .com.mx TLD is also well established. However unlike Argentina´s impressive registration rate, there are currently only 170,000 registered com.mx domains. Considering that Mexico is one of the most populated countries in the world with more than 105 million inhabitants, and a mere 17% penetration rate, it is certain that this TLD still has major opportunities. Some of Sedo´s latest com.mx sales include:


Game.com.mx: $4,000
Gol.com.mx: $800
Contactos.com.mx: $1,000



Another key Spanish market is the Hispanic population in the US. Today, there are more than 44 million Hispanics living in the US— almost the same population as Spain. This number represents approximately 15% of the entire US population. What is more, this group is growing 4 times more than the average national population. By 2050, the US Census Bureau estimates that 25% of the US population will be considered Hispanic. In the L.A area alone, a whopping 80% of the population between 12 and 19 years old is Hispanic!


As the third most populous country in terms of the number of Spanish-speaking Internet users (exceed only by Spain and Mexico), with an estimated purchase power at around $735 billon, the US market has become crucial and companies are acting fast. Hispanic advertising in the US saw a growth of 20.5% last year which means better results for the PPC industry.


The TLD of choice for this particular social group is the .com, followed by their own country´s ccTLD and as previously mentioned, the .es, as a symbol of the Spanish language on the Internet. This leads us to speculate that perhaps we will see an increase in .us domains with Spanish terms in the future.


Although these ccTLDs have gained influence, and in some countries may even be as popular as the .com, the .com remains king of domains. The biggest Spanish domain sale in Sedo history was viajes.com for $300,000 in 2004. That same year, the biggest sale among all TLDs was juegos.com (games.com) for $1 million. This domain was re-sold last week to a gambling company; however the price has not yet been reported but is estimated to be between 10 or 15 times the 2004 purchase price. In other words, juegos.com will be one of the top five biggest sales ever. ¡Ole!



In response to the ever-increasing Spanish-speaking market in the US and in Latin America, I have moved from our Cologne, Germany office to our office in Boston to build a Sedo team to better serve these markets. If you would like more information, and/or would like Spanish language assistance, my team and I are at your disposal. Please feel free to contact me at antonio at sedo.com.