Which Sites Have Great Content But Should Sell Better and Be Bigger Than they are?
 

Having the best content doesn't always lead to have the biggest or best converting site. Which sites do you think have great content but should convert better and be bigger sites than they currently are?

I will start with DigitalDesire.com.

I would love to hear your thoughts on where it can be taken and what it should do to grow and further the J. Stephen Hicks legacy.

I have a lot of ideas myself :)

Funny that Digital Desire is the first one mentioned. I've actually recently reached out to Mrs. H to discuss that with her :thumbsup

I am guessing this is aimed more at the owners than the affiliates and flybys?

Other wise it's pure speculation on weather the site is doing well or not.

Not long ago someone listed a site/program for sale and I was stunned at how low the income he posted was. I thought they were much bigger and had a lot more traffic than they did.

Which site are you talking about?

First site to come to mind as well.

True. It's very speculative. Many sites that we may deem failures in terms of website revenue are generating crazy numbers in broadcast (hustler, private etc)

I think the site would have to pivot a little. Mainly because the core market Stephen catered too is now very small and is being satisfied by instagram, snapchat, and facebook. So there has to be some moves to be more relevant today and something worth joining.

The other problem is the girls that made Stephen $$$$ are no longer getting into porn/adult/nudity. Kyla Cole and Veronica Zemanova's of the world are no longer there from what I've seen. So it starts with becoming more relevant in that way.

Looking for leads?

Stephen has some absolutely stunning sets of both Veronika Zemanova and Kyla Cole. I also think he had some of the best Shay Laren sets too, among others.

While not entirely on topic, I think the sites mpahlca is working on are going to rock. He has such a great eye for the minutest of details.

"Great Content" is misleading....

Which sites have 'niche leading content' is a better question. A site like FacialAbuse is not 'great content' unless you like that niche, but if you do, there isn't another site with better content for that audience. FetishHits has very solid BBW content, JAVHD does very well with content for genuine Japanese fans, Yanks is the best female solo content, LifeSelector has killer content for interactive story driven fans, Manica does a great job with non-english global audience content, Payserve does well for Euro teen and urine, Teamskeet consistently adds great content for a bunch of niches.

These days you have to start with the niche first and then discuss all the rest. A general talk about what makes good content generally is like asking 'what site converts the best' without any narrowing down of the traffic source being discussed. The above sites convert great, but as with all sites these days, only with the right traffic sources.


2cents

Agreed. There are however great girls out there. The homogenization of the porn and glamour business has just hidden them a bit. Many in Eastern Europe where we found Kyla and Veronica and Zdenka. Many are in a softcore market that has no real penetration in the USA. My old classmate Petter Hegre has a good line on them for his site.

Sent you an email Shap. :thumbsup

Something like that :thumbsup

Doing research. I know there is a decent amount of sites and companies that need some help to get to a higher level and I know I can help them do it. Obviously not all of them want help. Not all of them would want to work with me. But if i can find the right fit could be a win win and nice $$$ for everyone:thumbsup

GREAT POINT! I actually was thinking that after i posted. Well said!!!

I was going to stay out of this thread (and promise this is my only post) but I was thinking what any site with great content really needs is .... more traffic. Sure, a new design or focus may also be needed, especially if the conversion rate is ridiculously out of whack, but generally the only thing holding any paysite back from "that next level" is traffic.

In other words, even with MY shitty sites (beat everyone to it heh), double my daily traffic and I'm retired. :)

Having said all that, Shap's advice is consistently top notch.

Why stay out of this thread?

You get my point on this. Most adult companies are small operations and being really good at content is hard enough on its own. It's hard to be good at marketing and creating great content.

Oh just normal healthy paranoia. LOL :)

Yes I totally get your point. Marketing is a whole separate skill set. My philosophy is perhaps different than some (or most) but that's the beauty of marketing. You test out what works for you. :)

gaytube.com is I ,like. Make more money as pay site in future

There are next to no sites with high quality content that aren't doing great. Anybody with enough knowhow to produce that great of content in 2015 is smart enough to know how to upload to tubes and if its truly that great, tubes would basically be enough to spark the success. Its actually rather easy to drive traffic when your content is above the rest

There are a few sites by large companies that come to mind, however due to the fact they didn't turn into large successes in very little time like their flagship sites, im sure they are just letting them sit there (basically still not off the ground so i dont even consider them), a reason for them not turning into massive sites is they are spreading their brand thin by using the same models, same everything. Thats what happens when you run a well dry

If anybody thinks there are many, its typically due to the fact they dont know of the reason the content hasn't allowed them to take off

Maybe the discussion should be, why peoples content isn't as good as it could be?

And just for the sake of conversation, i'll go along with the idea that there are some that have got off the ground and just haven't reached as high of a level of success as you would think they should be able to. It would be due to one of these reasons im sure: 1) generic models who have shot with everybody and aren't in high demand 2) they have no eye for content and just producing run of the mill content, its not just technicality/lighting of shoots that make it high quality 3) they have no idea how to make models look their best 4) the male actors suck 5) LIGHTING! 6) shot with euro models 7) too soft and artsy 8) no male (softcore)

im sure i can think of others but theres a list of 10 things that it seems every company fails at. the few that succeed are doing them all right, and people are in awe about how great they are, its rather surprising that most still dont see the formula that works

Not sure what you mean

I second the more traffic comment. Sure you could improve ratios some, but that can only go so far.

and to add to my last post

BTW -- talking about ratios and asking peoples advice about ratios is silly, the bigger you are, the "crappier" your ratios are. webmasters sometimes judge paysites by ratios, when infact, a site with poorer ratios has already reached a high level of success most likely. they were just late to it. when sites are crappy and underexposed, theyll convert better. conversions are a silly thing to consider when speaking about success

brazzers converts like shit because theyre heavily promoted. theyre heavily promoted because they sold alot, for ages.

if your ratio sucks and its underpromoted (not a success yet), content is garbage. no such thing as a site with a poor ratio that has good content unless its already had its success for a long period of time

Strange hypothetical question, nobody is creating good content without any knowledge of marketing. Cost is too high

I have to imagine youre asking this question so you can find some sites that haven't achieved success to possible partner with? (or just looking for ideas?) If so, I will gladly point you in their direction if you email me. However they are all going to be backed by larger companies who think they can probably do it on their own and theres generally a reason why they aren't off the ground (there would need to be further investment on one of the sides to correct these issues before going forward - more production - and given they didn't like how things slowly started, they would be reluctant)

There is a huge number of older companies that still create great content but aren't flooded on tubes and aren't really pushing their product.

Maybe you have an outdated opinion on whats "great". If a huge number, care to share a couple?

And given the original post, you are suggesting there is a huge number of older companies that still create great content that aren't at a very successful level? Because thats what the thread is regarding.

If they are old, they are at a very successful level already. If you mean they are launching new sites and they aren't achieving success, then its either not good content or you have a unrealistic expectation on whats successful in 2015

What do you think is great? As an example of great content (big or small) I would say Braz, metart, hegre, 21sextury ddf, xart.

What do you think is good content?

Many are successful. I don't mean not successful I mean guys that are nowhere near optimized, ie making 50k a month when they could be making 100k.

Exactly. Outdated. Youre just naming big companies.

Firstly, if you mean those are big companeis putting out great content and not successful, they are successful? So not sure how thats proving your point.

Secondly alot of those sites, if launched now, wouldnt' be successful, they cornered a market and achieved success in a massive industry during its prime years. Met-Art could not succeed today, its too softcore. With the introduction of tubes in 2008, surfers have had access to more graphic and harder content for 7 years now, softcore was great when people were just happy to get access to porn

I thought you meant significant room for improvement (or significantly less successful), if you mean not as optimized as they should be. You can include every company in adult that launched before 2010, they do not spend the money they need to in order to improve things because it wouldn't be worth it just to slow the decline down a bit. And that much change wouldn't change the direction, hell if anything, alot of change to a large company trying to maintain itself would probably do more damage than good.

Met-art for example, too softcore, they can't just change to hardcore.

Brazzers, too fake and studio and everybodys already seen their stuff, its just saturated as they've been successful for ages. Sometimes there just isn't much you can do, which is the case for all these old companies.

What they can do is expand on their brand with unique and relevant content, however most that work for these companies rather just sit back and bank their profit because they no longer see a reason to invest a ton back into this industry when they've seen their dated content drop so fast

You dont think theres a reason no old company is spending money to keep relevant with the same old product? It makes more sense to expand, websites top out

I assume theres a handful of owners from these large companies that have other areas to invest their money into, which they prefer over the return of adult in 2015

So tell me.

1 what is great content now?

2 what do you run?

Hardly any sites have great content . Because people in adult generally are not very knowledgeable when it comes to the market

How many sites have great content technically? Quite a few, how many lack in atleast oen of the areas i mentioned in my list, 95 percent.

Blacked.Com is about the only site that comes to mind right now. X-Art is another , however they also have topped out. I could go and find a few smaller sites that have great content at first glance, but as i said in my previous post, its just x-art launching new brands with the same exact stuff and bringing nothing new to their second website as they are still using the same sources

And what do you run?

I run solo websites, just sold them off and either going to get into hardcore myself as i see a huge opportunity there, or else i'll take a job with a big company so i am able to take advantage of some of these opportunities

It was the sole reason i sold

Well done! :thumbsup

Its softcore. The ideas wouldn't go far. The best thing they can do is continue to focus on bringing in new talent.

Are you being patronizing because what could you possibly be saying well done to? You asked a question, i gave my input. Are you insulted?

Well, you certainly have a limited view when it comes to adult, great content and what constitutes a "successful site" in 2015. LOL Some of us take a broader view.

First, other than the Ruseful sites and Blacked, there are VERY few new paysites launched since 2010 that are anywhere near a Brazzers, Met-Art, etc in size and scope. There's also little to no way for a paysite to expand to that level in 2015. The affiliate model is essentially dead, the traffic sources have consolidated and production has been cut across the Industry by 50%. So we need to define what "success" means in 2015. I will venture this definition:

A website is "successful" if it makes a profit.

There ya go. Now you can discuss the SIZE of the profit all day long but the Old Truth remains: either make it big with one-mega site/brand or get there via a thousand little steps. I now believe the only way to "get there" (without major capital investment) is via a thousand little steps. Each step tho has to be "successful" (profitable) and you have to be able to manage them all, that's the trick.

And my aren't you confrontational. My guess is Shap was genuinely happy you sold and assumed you made a profit. I can assure you it would take more than your pissy comments to insult Shap. LOL

The thread topic mentioned 'best content', etc - he was referring to high quality content. It has nothing to do with limited view of success. There are no small-mid sized companies with 'best' or 'amazing' content, or they would not be small-mid sized.

Ill say it again, this has nothing to do with what level we determine as a success. Dont be sensitive and biased due to your own sites/content ;)

lol dont be naive.

first he asked who i am, even though my sites are posted in my signature, he made sure to ask twice. and also when the post was based around my plan and not about selling, he responded with a thumbs up and no further questions or comments. showing he wanted to end the conversation by giving a condescending thumbs up. im not an idiot :1orglaugh

what do you think is more likely, that hes insulted that i thoguht his question was strange or that he wanted to end the conversation there and was super happy about me (a person eh doesn't know) sold, even though he doesn't know if i made a profit or if it made sense long term, to sell, etc etc

Pissy? I gave my input that might not align with what you thought, welcomed any opposing opinions and was more than willing to discuss any of those opposing views in detail.

Please share where which exact comments were pissy? lol and why they might insult shap? because i thought the question was silly for the reasons i stated? is that pissy?

How about you take other peoples opinions with a grain of salt and give your opposing views and why you think im wrong to have that opinion instead?

You want a debate that actually leads to learning something, youre going to have to deal with somebody with an opposing view that doesn't sugarcoat things sometimes. Otherwise this thread would have been full of people just posting websites to see where they can improve things. Not actually getting to the real reason he posted the thread. The thread was made for him to better himself (however that may be, i dont know yet), could be for knowledge of whats doing well now or the knowledge of howcome some sites aren't, possibly even to seek out opportunities, but in the end, it will be something that helps him grow. It wasn't to see how digitaldesire could increase sales 10-15 percent to delay its inevitable decline

I'm saying well done because you built something and were able to sell it and now work on something new. Why would I patronize you for that?

What am I supposed to be insulted by? Maybe I'm missing something

Anything in adult can be sold. And I havent began to work on anything new yet. So I dont believe it warrants a well done without knowing anything. But I dont expect you to say , yeah i was being a bit condescending and writeoffish, lets continue the conversation. (easier to plead ignorant than admit to being condescending) lol so ill just say...

OKAY :thumbsup

^ weird, look how that comes across :1orglaugh

I'd conjecture our content is the best in its niche. Sure I'd like more sales. I think that is just my own limitations preventing some next level stuff. I'm good at business. Not great.
Duke

Shap normally says "well done" just before he makes a job offer :winkwink:

I don't think we've ever done any business together (maybe I'm wrong) but clearly you don't know how I am. I was genuine with my "well done." I thought it was something you were proud of so I congratulated you on it. If you aren't I'm sorry.

I haven't taken any of your posts insulting. But now reading your follow up I take it you wanted me to take them as insulting?

:thumbsup: love it

I could go into so much detail about your program but considering I feel like I will just offend more people. I do have a quick tip:

First tour I opened, every single scene preview looked identical, a crop out of each of their heads, giving the impression that all the content is identical. You need variety on a tour.

I would go further but only if you want more advice

Email me duke at dukedollars