LeaseThis.com Creates New Online Advertising Model Eliminating Industry Problems of Click Fraud

First Time Popular Domain Names/URLs Are Widely Accessible to Advertisers Via Flat Rate Leasing Model

June 12, 2007; 05:04 AM
LeaseThis.com, the primary source for domain asset solutions, officially launched globally last week, providing advertisers with a new online advertising model that eliminates the ongoing problem of click fraud and makes popular domain names (also known as URLs) widely accessible and affordable to advertisers.

By offering advertisers a flat rate to lease a domain name, LeaseThis.com has eliminated the industry issue of click fraud, which is caused by repeatedly clicking on advertising links to purposely drive up the cost for the advertiser in a pay-per-click model.

“Online advertisers are losing money every day as a result of fraudulent clicks,” said Tom Cuthbert, president and CEO of Click Forensics, a leading click fraud auditing firm headquartered in Austin, Texas.  “In the first quarter of 2007, the average click fraud rate of pay-per-click advertisements appearing on search engine content networks was nearly 22 percent.”

LeaseThis.com bypasses search engines and directly connects the advertiser with the domain owner. Prior to LeaseThis.com, businesses also found it difficult to own a popular domain name unless they purchased it, in some cases, for millions of dollars. For the first time, advertisers can lease a domain name for a specified time period, with the option to purchase it after the lease has expired. LeaseThis.com contracts with the world’s biggest domain owners and has access to nearly four million domain names.

"The domain leasing business model, pioneered by LeaseThis.com, makes sense for a subset of premium domains, including those with seasonal and geo-specific traffic,” said Jordan Rohan, Managing Director and Internet Analyst, RBC Capital Markets.  “In my view, domainers currently monetizing exclusively through pay-per-click (PPC) providers should actively pursue trials of alternative monetization platforms such as LeaseThis.com."     

Because domain leases can be obtained for a certain period of time and at a fixed rate, LeaseThis.com is providing advertisers with the opportunity to brand their business online in a cost-efficient manner.

“Leasing domain names levels the playing field for businesses and allows them to market themselves more competitively online,” said Jonathan Boswell, CEO, LeaseThis.com.  “A chocolate company may want the domain name candy.com for the holiday season, but may not want to pay the huge price tag to permanently own it, especially if the advertiser only needs the name for a specific time period. Leasing domain names addresses this industry issue for the first time.”

In addition, research has shown that direct navigation, when consumers type category names directly into the browser and bypass search engines, is becoming more popular. According to a recent survey by Opinion Research Corporation for LeaseThis.com, 64 percent of Internet users surveyed bypass search engines and type keywords into their browsers with the hope of being directed to the right URL. And, 26 percent of users say they bypass search engines at least once a day.

“Coveted domain names are becoming even more important to businesses as direct navigation continues to grow,” Boswell added. “Advertisers want consumers to remember their domain names and go directly to their URLs, but certain domain names, such as new movies, often tend to be too long for consumers to remember. Leasing a specific domain asset helps extend the brand and attract more consumers.”

Advertising agencies also benefit from LeaseThis.com and can contact the company directly when they are searching for available domain names for their clients.  LeaseThis.com handles the search and all negotiations with the domain owners, saving ad agencies hours of time per domain name.

About LeaseThis.com

By leasing premier domain assets at a flat rate, LeaseThis.com guarantees advertisers all of the marketing power of the domain with none of the fraud. LeaseThis.com, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that open new marketplaces to advertisers and domain owners while eliminating the challenges advertisers and ad agencies face when working with domain assets. For more information, visit www.LeaseThis.com.