Thread: Those sites that we don't talk about

If I had a successful online business I would not want to be associated with an adult website.

I think that people mostly go one way or the other.

All adult or not at all.

From another forum I use this seems to be the case.

The website owners that post in the adult website section seem to be concentrated pretty much only in that sector.

Most Visited Web Sites (see #160, 139... if you don't count subdomains like maps.google.com, these sites are more like #15-20.)

The top adult sites are making bank. I mean the guys that own these are multimillionaires, but there is so much competition it's not even funny.

Originally Posted by myelbow4

Most Visited Web Sites (see #160, 139... if you don't count subdomains like maps.google.com, these sites are more like #30-40.)

The top adult sites are making bank. I mean the guys that own these are multimillionaires, but there is so much competition it's not even funny.

It's mind blowing because one of the sites mentioned in the article I thought was just a pop up that got on people's nerves when they went to certain sites but boy was I wrong. Now I am thinking, as many guys that brag about their SEO skills on just this forum alone it would be hard for me to believe that not one has put his/her skills to the test in such a lucrative market. It defies logic.

Originally Posted by Alty

If I had a successful online business I would not want to be associated with an adult website.

I think that people mostly go one way or the other.

All adult or not at all.

From another forum I use this seems to be the case.

The website owners that post in the adult website section seem to be concentrated pretty much only in that sector.

Thanks. My only argument would be is ...if the only deterrent would be having one's good business name associated with smut it would not be hard to create a separate entity to run this business under that would keep the true owners identity anonymous. Just like studies show which type of people actually spend money on these sites and it could very well be that guy sitting next to you in church every Sunday but no one will ever know because he can do it anonymously. Even the world of toys and adult products have evolved to keep your business very private.

Originally Posted by Yussef

According to Google’s DoubleClick Ad Planner, which tracks users across the web with a cookie, dozens of adult destinations populate the top 500 websites. Xv###, the largest adult site on the web with 4.4 billion page views per month, is three times the size of CNN or ESPN, and twice the size of Reddit. LiveJ### isn’t much smaller. YouPo##, Tub##, and Porh## — they’re all vast, vast sites that dwarf almost everything except the Googles and Facebooks of the internet.
The main difference between adult and non-adult sites is the average duration of a visit: For a news site like Engadget or ExtremeTech, an average visit is usually between three and six minutes; enough time to read one or two stories. The average time spent on an adult site, however, is between 15 and 20 minutes.

I think it has to do with the fact that "adult entertainment" is a very taboo subject. It's considered wrong by society at large in many countries including the US. In fact, it's illegal in some countries (I hear though dangerous, it's really big business in those countries...).

I had a suspicion that adult-oriented businesses did well, but I had no idea they did that well! Seriously, I've thought about getting into that niche before, but no lie I'm just not brave enough to do right now. I'll admit it, I'm scared of how people would treat me if they knew my business was "adult-oriented." But then, that right there tells you, it's a blooming business because people (myself included) are scared to talk about it, some even pretend it doesn't exist like prostitution, which is also (right or wrong) big business.

Originally Posted by leono

I think it has to do with the fact that "adult entertainment" is a very taboo subject. It's considered wrong by society at large in many countries including the US. In fact, it's illegal in some countries (I hear though dangerous, it's really big business in those countries...).

I had a suspicion that adult-oriented businesses did well, but I had no idea they did that well! Seriously, I've thought about getting into that niche before, but no lie I'm just not brave enough to do right now. I'll admit it, I'm scared of how people would treat me if they knew my business was "adult-oriented." But then, that right there tells you, it's a blooming business because people (myself included) are scared to talk about it, some even pretend it doesn't exist like prostitution, which is also (right or wrong) big business.

My sociology professor would have had a ball with this topic. But writing this post I couldn't help but think about the guy that started MissTravel.com. I am sure he wasn't the first guy to have such a basic idea but how many guys before him let the idea sit in the corner's of their brain because of what they thought people would think about them? And yes Brandon Wade and his business were called all types of names E-pimp, Prosti-travel etc. etc. but what I want to give him credit for is finding a way to walk in the land between the 2 worlds of dating and the risque. Regardless of what you think about the man he clearly knows how to think outside the box and it worked. One adult site gets 4.4 billion views per month I think that is almost the equivalent of every adult over 21 on earth viewing this particular site every month? And in 2 months..Forget it. That tells me that there are a lot of hypocrites in the world that feel that they can buy it but it's wrong for you to sell it. I just find some cultural taboos and moral dilemmas more about posturing than living your truth and being a good person. I have some of the same issues with pawn shops and liquor stores but guess what? I still patronize them from time to time. I am a work in progress.

Originally Posted by Yussef

Let me start by saying that I am not trying to trash up the forum but I am the type of person that likes to find the elephant in the room. I am interested in this niche only because maybe there is a technique or 2 we could apply elsewhere. I read a lot of articles and blogs about internet biz, visit forums, listen to podcast, watch videos yadda yadda yet I hear virtually no one mention that they are making money as an affiliate in adult sites or have their own site, or even know someone that makes money with adult sites.


I am also not trying to make this a moral argument so please don't start with that. It's just that I read some of the stats on adult sites and realized that there must be a lot of guys involved that just never talk about it and I know that these stats have to be tempting to even clean cut everyday marketing guys. Again I am not advocating for anyone to get involved with this I am just one that likes to ask WHY and how can I learn from it and apply it to something else?


Here is an excerpt from an article I read:


According to Google’s DoubleClick Ad Planner, which tracks users across the web with a cookie, dozens of adult destinations populate the top 500 websites. Xv###, the largest adult site on the web with 4.4 billion page views per month, is three times the size of CNN or ESPN, and twice the size of Reddit. LiveJ### isn’t much smaller. YouPo##, Tub##, and Porh## — they’re all vast, vast sites that dwarf almost everything except the Googles and Facebooks of the internet.


And


The main difference between adult and non-adult sites is the average duration of a visit: For a news site like Engadget or ExtremeTech, an average visit is usually between three and six minutes; enough time to read one or two stories. The average time spent on an adult site, however, is between 15 and 20 minutes.




I can't link to the article on extreme tech without getting this post filtered but the numbers were interesting.


So are adult web site owners and affiliate marketers mixed in among the guy next door crowd, but they just don't talk about it? Or are they sleezy back alley guys that just run adult sites and nothing else matters? If I were a betting man I would choose the former.


Regardless of what direction your moral compass may be pointed in it's hard to ignore the fact that porn sites get a lot of traffic and some make a lot of money. But I am trying to figure out why people don't talk about it. It reminds me of professional bodybuilders ( non natural) who talk supplements, diet, nutrition, workouts etc. but never mention steroids while everyone is thinking it from the moment they lay eyes on one of those beast or beast-ets.


Can someone chime in and help me out on this please for my own personal info. Is this the dirty little secret of the marketing world or do most marketers stay away from this?

One last thought. I do not need nor want instructions or forum sites about getting into the biz I am just curious about how marketers approach the subject? Is it like a mutual fund where everyone diversifies and keeps a few in their portfolio but only talk about the politically correct ones? Or do most legitimate marketers stay away from this because it's smut? I think I heard Frank Kern and a few others say when they first started they dabbled a bit which made me wonder how common is it to be in this biz as a marketer?

It's simple: steroids are illegal, and porn is politically incorrect.

That being said, I agree that porn is an extremely lucrative business, and am also interested in hearing what anyone in the industry has to say.

If anyone is interested in trends etc. I highly recommend reading
(URLS REMOVED) Even if you're not into the adult industry (as I am not into it myself), the mobile / tech trends discussed are generally a step ahead of the ones on other tech sites. I think online porn has generated a lot of push to mobile compatible video and so on. There are a lot of interesting topics on XBiz about mobile advertising, conversions, and so on, that you can get ideas from and apply to other sectors of online/tech.

There's a lot that ordinary tech industries can learn from the adult tech trends. Here are some of the sections I recommend on XBiz:

(URLS REMOVED)

I hope I don't get into trouble for posting this thread but I do find the facts interesting. I also heard somewhere a while back that the adult entertainment industry test and set a lot of the quality standards for new and emerging video resolution.

Originally Posted by hustleEveryDay

If anyone is interested in trends etc. I highly recommend reading (URL REMOVED) Even if you're not into the adult industry (as I am not into it myself), the mobile / tech trends discussed are generally a step ahead of the ones on other tech sites. I think online porn has generated a lot of push to mobile compatible video and so on. There are a lot of interesting topics on XBiz about mobile advertising, conversions, and so on, that you can get ideas from and apply to other sectors of online/tech.

There's a lot that ordinary tech industries can learn from the adult tech trends. Here are some of the sections I recommend on XBiz:

(URLS REMOVED)

I see there is a whole world of it that exist behind the scenes.

No moral judgement here at all, just a few things to think about for yourself personally.

Would you be proud to tell your parents, sister, brother, son, daughter, neighbor you were able to buy the house you live in, the care you drive your children to school in etc were purchased from the profits you made from a porn site?

If you can then have at it.

I agree with Alty on this one. You either have to tailor your site directly to adult content or have absolutely no adult content at all.

I watched a few YouTube videos and interviews with people in the adult film industry. Studio porn is taking a big hit due to the amateur stuff and has been since the mid 90s. But now, thanks to those sites mentioned in the first post, it's taking a huge hit since very few people want to actually PAY for the stuff anymore. I mean, they say that paying for porn on the Internet is like paying for sand in the desert.

The ones that people will pay for are the subscription 'fetish' sites or the interactive chat room type sites where the girl/guy/fish will do whatever you want.

As for me, I'm not cut out for the adult biz.

No other industry has had more effect on the Internet than porn. Most of the advances in video, webcam and site membership technology were because of porn. I believe there are many porn sites in the top 50 or even top 10 but the ranking services won't rank them fairly.
Internet porn is a multi-billion industry and ranks up there with many of the biggest industries..
I have no plans to get into the porn business but I have nothing against those who are in it. As long it's legal stuff..

Just a courtesy FYI, you guys are FREE to discuss this topic however I had to remove the references/url links to the X-Rated sites just to air on the side of caution. If you want to see these links, please PM the OP.

I simply don't know if linking out to an X-rated site will hurt my SEO rankings negatively. I have to play it safe. I'm sure I'm overreacting but I again, I simply don't know.

Makes sense to me MJ.

Better safe than sorry.

Originally Posted by MJDeMarco

Just a courtesy FYI, you guys are FREE to discuss this topic however I had to remove the references/url links to the X-Rated sites just to air on the side of caution. If you want to see these links, please PM the OP.

I simply don't know if linking out to an X-rated site will hurt my SEO rankings negatively. I have to play it safe. I'm sure I'm overreacting but I again, I simply don't know.

Hey MJ, sorry about that. No worries on the links, I'll make sure to be wary of that in the future

Originally Posted by 911Carrera

No other industry has had more effect on the Internet than porn. Most of the advances in video, webcam and site membership technology were because of porn. I believe there are many porn sites in the top 50 or even top 10 but the ranking services won't rank them fairly.
Internet porn is a multi-billion industry and ranks up there with many of the biggest industries..
I have no plans to get into the porn business but I have nothing against those who are in it. As long it's legal stuff..

This is basically what I was trying to say...

Originally Posted by MJDeMarco

Just a courtesy FYI, you guys are FREE to discuss this topic however I had to remove the references/url links to the X-Rated sites just to air on the side of caution. If you want to see these links, please PM the OP.

I simply don't know if linking out to an X-rated site will hurt my SEO rankings negatively. I have to play it safe. I'm sure I'm overreacting but I again, I simply don't know.

Thanks for being cool about this topic MJ I was a little hesitant to even bring it up.

Originally Posted by PatrickP

No moral judgement here at all, just a few things to think about for yourself personally.

Would you be proud to tell your parents, sister, brother, son, daughter, neighbor you were able to buy the house you live in, the care you drive your children to school in etc were purchased from the profits you made from a porn site?

If you can then have at it.

My main issue is if I can't work on it at my desk without hiding my screen then I must be ashamed, and if I am ashamed I shouldn't do it.