The “internet of things” (IoT) has created a new and interesting demand for IP addresses. As IPv4 addresses become scarcer their value continues to increase. The marketplace is a speculative one, but potentially highly lucrative. As an investor, you can buy IPv4 block addresses in hundreds or thousands in order to hold on to a large cache of these potentially highly valuable commodities. But there is another interesting business opportunity involving the sale of IP addresses.
The whole value of an IP address.
Buying IP address blocks is something that large businesses have been doing for years. By creating your own network of internet attached devices you can negate the potential for connectivity trouble as you continue to expand your network of business operations. This is essentially the “internet of things” problem in that each of our new devices can connect directly to the internet: security cameras, elevator access, an army of smartwatches, computers, cell phones, and routers that extend the usable range across the entire campus.
In our homes, we can now install doorbells that route video straight to our phones, turn on the thermostat or car with the click of a button while lying in bed, or start the washing machine from the commute. These all require IP addresses, so procuring a block of IPv4 locations to assign them access space can create the constant connection that we all seek with our devices.
IP addresses also direct to digital commodities.
The IPv4 address of a web page also acts as its tag, or name when searching for content. You can type the IP address into your browser and be directed straight to the page you are looking for. By typing, “www.twitter.com” you are functionally directing your browser to look up the IP address associated with that domain name, and then it takes you to it. As such, the IP address acts as both the directions and the object at the end of the trail. This means that an IP address can become as valuable as the commodity it names.
Google, for instance, is an incredibly valuable search engine that exists in the digital space. Its brand name is valuable and therefore so is its IP address. Your own digital content, therefore, is valuable beyond simply its ad revenue. Building your audience increases the value of your domain name and IP location at the same time. Meaning you can expend effort building a following and then sell the location and brand of your site for a major gain, taking your mailing list with you on to the next venture in blog creation.
Alternatively, you can buy an already established site and its corresponding IPv4 in your field of specialty and take over the content creation functions of the space in order to continue growing the page’s following and ad revenue potential. It might be helpful to think of an IP address like a billboard. Even though it is a digital location, it acts as a physical advertising space like a sign on the highway. The more traffic that drives past, the more valuable that particular sign is to its owner — the more a company will pay to place their ad on that specific sign.
Careful curation of IPv4 address space will give you access to expanded traffic and as an extension an expanded ability to generate capital through your site. Whether you start out with an investment in an already productive site or begin with a ground floor operation, building routine followers of your page’s content will give you greater access to both monthly revenue and the ability to sell your IPv4 for a serious payday if you choose to move on to another project.
Consider the power and value of IP buying and selling carefully — there may be a future in it for you and your brand.