Read my review to discover whether Global Domains International (GDI_ really will take you for “The Ride of Your Life“…
Or simply leave your butt stationary in the dirt!
So without beating around the bush, dive straight in…
Quick Overview:
Name: Global Domains International (GDI). AKA: Website ws.
Website: website.ws.
Cost: 7-day Free trial. Then $10/month – $40/month.
Owners: Michael Starr & Alan Ezeir.
My Score: 5/10.
But before sinking your teeth into this review for the lowdown on the opportunity…
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What’s Global Domains International (GDI) – Your “DOT WS” Address & Income For Life About?
Global Domains International allows you to purchase your own domain name, build a website, set up email addresses, access a bunch of extra features, and also earn a “residual income” as an Affiliate.
But here comes the twist…
GDI is actually a Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) business opportunity…
Enabling you to earn an income from the customers/affiliates you refer to the program (5 levels deep).
But like every MLM, the emphasis is on recruiting as many folks as possible, so your downline follows your footsteps instead of focusing on using the actual services.
Don’t get me wrong, some affiliates will use the overpriced services.
But it’s more of a “money-making scheme” if I’m honest.
Written down on paper, the 5-tiered system is the most perfect and flawless opportunity.
But as a previous member myself many moons ago…
It’s a tough biz opp to earn a part-time income with, let alone a full-time one (unless you have the Internet Marketing know-how).
OOPS, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now! MEOW.
Let’s Dive Into The Global Domains International Products/Services
There’s a bunch of services available for both customers and affiliates of GDI.
That I’ll break down to make the platform easier to understand.
From a ‘Customer’ Standpoint:
DOMAIN – Firstly, you can purchase a (.ws, com, net, org, biz, info, me, us, bz, in, name, tv, cc or mobi) domain name and change the DNS settings as you see fit.
Domain Privacy is also a service offered.
WEBSITE – You have the option to build a WordPress blog or a Drupal one, and switch on Gallery as well as Forum plugins to add additional functionality to your site.
EMAIL – Setting up your email address is as easy as ABC!
Select the domain name you want to work with (if you have several), create a mailbox prefix, hit the “Create Mailbox” tab, and Bob’s your uncle!
BUY & SELL – You have the opportunity to purchase domain names for the sake of creating an online business, and you can activate your own “Auction .ws” account to make it happen!
If you choose the domain “buying and selling” route, I endorse the Jaaxy keyword tool.
Because you can uncover “profitable” keyword-rich domains. 😉
As an ‘Affiliate’, You Get Access to:
GIFT CARDS – Purchase domain name gift cards for family and friends who would love their own web presence.
BONUS CONTESTS – Browse the boards for your current status with Weekly Superstars, Learning, Duplication, and Team bonuses.
ORDER GOODIES – Invest your money into Phone-Verified Leads, Business Cards, and enhance your “already cool” image with Toll-Free Voicemail options to build your opportunity.
UPLINE & DOWNLINE – View the affiliates in your team and contact your upline sponsors for help.
REPLICATED SITES – There are 21 different affiliate sites to promote for sucking in new customers/team members.
MARKETING KIT – Print off a selection of different fliers to get the word out.
BANNERS – Select from a number of flash and animated GIF banners for your website.
HIT LOGS – Monitor the activity of your visitors.
COMMISSIONS – Last but not least, the important bit… Your commissions!
Discover how much money you’re earning on a monthly basis.
So as a paying member, you sure do get heaps of features to access.
In addition, there’s a variety of training video tutorials that you can access on the Basics, Bonuses, Extras, “How To’s“, Marketing, Video Blogs, and WordPress categories.
The training is designed to help you make the most of the services as well as building your GDI biz.
Any Help & Support You Can Depend on Inside Global Domains International?
When it comes to support, you have a number of options.
Firstly, there are live chat groups with your upline and downline.
Secondly, there’s a members’ forum for connecting with other affiliates.
While the first two options are beneficial…
I think support would be a lot better if there was a 24/7 “live chat” feature for all members’ to quickly and easily help one another.
Thirdly, you can also contact the support team using a request form.
Additionally, there’s the documentation if you want more help.
And there are even the tedious “small print” pages if something is really bothering you.
How Much is Global Domains International Gonna Cost You?
To start with, you get 7 days to try GDI for free, and then a monthly fee is taken from your bank or PayPal account.
For the “BASIC” membership level, you pay $10/month for a .ws domain name and all the features above.
However, if you choose to buy additional domains, it’s gonna cost an extra $10/month for each one, which is a big rip off, in my book.
The reason being is that it’s a “money-making scheme” which I pointed out earlier in this review.
$5 goes to your upline (5 people get $1 each) and the other 5 bucks goes to GDI.
The more domains you buy, the more money your upline pockets from you.
To opt for the “PREMIUM” package will set you back $40/month. Which again, is a stupid amount of money to splash out.
As a premium member, you get extra features and you’re also entered into a daily lottery draw.
The program chooses 3 winners per day.
And if you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ll get random members’ (without sponsors) placed into your downline.
The following costs are also optional:
Domain Privacy = an extra $1/month on top of each domain you buy.
Ultra Phone Lead packages = $30 – $300.
Vistaprint Business cards start at $2.99.
The Marketing Kit is free.
Although, you will need to invest in a printer, ink, and paper if you don’t already have them lol.
The Toll-Free Voicemail, I’m unsure of because the “Server Page” for the price details was “Not Found.” UGH!
Unfortunately, when you combine the expenses, it’s not exactly gonna be a cheap opportunity to build is it?
How GDI’s Commission Structure Works
OK, I’m gonna simplify the money-making process as much as possible with the opportunity.
Because I know how MLMs can be as confusing as hell when it comes commission structures/comp plans.
Let’s say you introduced Bob, Sue, Brian, Katie and Dave to your GDI team on (Level 1).
They then introduced 5 people each to their teams (Level 2) = 25 members.
Who bring in 5 more friends each (Level 3) = 125 members.
Those 125 people sign up 5 new affiliates each (Level 4) = 625 members.
The 625 affiliates recruit an additional 5 people each (Level 5) = a 3,125 member strong team!
For Illustrative Purposes Only.
If every person in your 5-level deep downline pays $10/month for the BASIC plan, you get 10% commissions ($1/month from every member).
A residual income of $3,125/month sounds totally AWESOME, right?
When some downline members upgrade to the $40/month plan, you will get paid 14 times more on level 1 and 4 times more on levels 2 to 5.
In addition, you can earn a $100 BONUS for every 5 paid members you refer in a 7-day period.
Plus there’s a $5,000 “Heavy Hitter” BONUS if you have what it takes to bring in 1,000 paid affiliates in a 4-week period!
But a dream income like that isn’t easily achieved because you need to be a “lean, mean, recruiting machine” to hit the jackpot with GDI.
And the only way to do that is by learning HOW to become a Super Affiliate and working your socks off like a true Spartan Warrior!
Can you say A’oo, A’oo, A’oo!?
PROS vs CONS of GDI
PROS
- 7-day Free trial
- Get your own personal domain name
- Build WordPress/Drupal sites and create email addresses
- Various video training tutorials
- Qualify for a variety of Bonuses
- Build teams of affiliates (down 5 levels)
- Affiliate tools & resources available
- Help & Support is provided
- Earn a passive income online
CONS
- Domain name extensions are limited
- Both monthly plans are overpriced
- Only 10% monthly commissions from each basic member in your team
- The monthly membership cost is required to remain as an affiliate
- It’s difficult to build (unless you have the right skills)
- The business on a whole can be costly if you purchase phone leads and fliers, etc
- GDI is not BBB accredited
Final Thoughts: Is Global Domains International Worth it?…
While Global Domains International (GDI) offers you training, tools, support, and also an opportunity to make money online…
I don’t particularly rate it as the best starting point for a newbie.
I’ve never been keen on the “MLM” business model.
Because you end up splashing out on overpriced products/services, and you’re also encouraged to fork out extra for promotional materials, including phone leads.
To succeed in MLM or affiliate marketing, in general…
You really need to learn how to be skilled at building an online business because earning an income isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Yes, GDI provides some valuable training.
But it’s not substantial for creating a successful business from scratch with the opportunity, in my book.
The Bottom Line: GDI is “LEGIT” but the products/affiliate resources could cost you an arm and a leg in the long run before you see any profits.
So on that note, I give it a thumb’s down.
If you’re looking for a better way to start earning an income on the web that’s not gonna leave a hole in your pockets.
And also provides you with tools, training & support…
==> Start Your Brand New Biz For $0 Here!
Your Friend, Neil 😀
If you have any questions or thoughts on GDI, that you’d like to share with us – We’d LOVE to hear your comments below…
I am running an Active affiliate Team For GDI 2020 and I give out 100 leads a day for the invitation system, Simply put GDI is a way to get a free website, if you make more then 10 a month to cover the fee why would you ever quit?
You left out mentioning alot about the company such as IDNs, Auctioning, and Duplication and Weekly Bonuses, even achieving just 1 bonus is enough to keep your domain active for the next year, it certainly isn’t a way to get rich quick, but for stable income with growth its dependable, conisdering there is nothing to drop ship, stock, break or return.
That’s great!
I see where you’re coming from because I was once in the same position with GDI, where my referrals covered my monthly fees. BUT you have to learn how to successfully market the opportunity properly from an internet marketing standpoint if you are to build a big team, earn a sustainable income, and keep the bonuses stacking up.
Unfortunately, I didn’t possess such skills and GDI’s marketing material wasn’t exactly substantial for success when I joined years ago, which is why I quit.
GDI has no doubt gone through some changes, so I’ll look into it again and update this review at some point in the future.
Great review about Global Domains International. I would have to agree that it is not a good alternative for getting into online blog/affiliate marketing for a way of making money.
I too am a member of Wealthy Affiliate and the benefits are so great! Nowhere else can you get such great training, one-on-one support, the ability to talk with the owners, a great forum to help build your business with others and all the tools you could need to get going!
Thanks, Matt’s Mom! LOL.
To blog with GDI will cost you a small fortune because you’ll still have to find the right advanced training and invest in a keyword research tool if you’re gonna rank in the search engines with your content.
Glad to hear it, fellow WA friend! 🙂 I certainly can’t disagree with you on that because WA is the BOMB!
If you were to purchase everything you required for online success separately, you’re looking at $100s per month.
Hey great post. I have been involved in a lot of multi-level marketing things and all of them were extremely hard to work. I even did pretty well with Amway for a while. The problem I have always had is it’s hard for your downline to match your potential.
I remember in Amway they would tell you that you would have to build a line 10 deep to find one good person. If you only get to build it 5 deep that doesn’t matter.
Cheers, Calvin! 🙂
I agree, it’s really tough to become successful in the MLM world! One of the big downsides to network marketing is constantly trying be motivate your team to put in the work, which you shouldn’t have to do.
In the real business world, everybody should be responsible for their own success and not have to rely on a team to do it for them. Period.
With Amway, GDI or any MLM opportunity, it’s a numbers game! Yeah, it may take 5, 10 or even 20 people until you actually come across that “super-star” downline team member. But as a network marketer, you need to be setting an example for your downline and leading the way by continually promoting products and building your team.
Hi Neil. I’ve been duped into an MLM in the past and once you mentioned that GDI was one, I immediately scoffed and knew it was bad news. Sure, maybe some people can make the $23,000ish for busting their butt, but they’ll likely ruin all their relationships getting to that level for creating their downline.
Plus that image you have at the top of the fancy car… I shake my head at the site or anything like that because you know it’s just a marketing gamble. I’d like to think I’m not a shiny-object-syndrome person anymore. Thanks!
Hello, Sarah 🙂
MLM is not a good business model, despite some network marketers making money from it.
That’s the thing with GDI and MLM, in general, because is it worth putting money before your family and friends?
Another thing with MLM is when you’re at the top of the pyramid and a highly successful “hustler”, you put yourself in the limelight which isn’t always a good thing.
GDI sure loves to promote that red Ferrari. Perhaps you get one free with membership?! LOL. Gald to hear you’ve grown out of that syndrome too.
Neil
Hi Neil,
This is an interesting review of GDI.
These days you can buy a domain name from any reliable domain registrar, you can buy website hosting from any reliable web host, and actually be building something for yourself which I think is a much better use of your time and resources.
Kind Regards,
David
Hello, David!
Cheers, man! 🙂
I totally agree because you can buy a domain name and hosting from other providers, and it would still work out cheaper than GDI’s over-priced services.
Yeah, I why waste your time building an MLM when you can focus your attention and efforts on creating a successful website (just like mine).
For all the resources and 24/7 support I need (including multiple WordPress websites), I pay ONLY $359/year here. Or it’s $49 per month for the folks who are on a budget.
Neil
Hi Neil,
I have often wondered if anybody actually made money with GDI… well at least two people are, the owners. Gleam and Razamataz of the marketing takes “shining sh*t” to a new level
GDI is definitely more of a miss than a hit and I’ll be giving it a big miss.
Hey, Derek!
Yep, there certainly are some people making serious money with GDI. And yeah, the owners are certainly the biggest money makers (cruising around in their Ferraris) since they’re at the tip of the pyramid.
I’m with you on that because GDI really is not the best opportunity out there.
Hey there Neil, I also learned years ago that any multi-level marketing scheme was a no go. Not unless you happened to be one of the first few people to join.
And really I’m not the type of person that gets off on hustling people, let alone doing it on a daily basis, you just end up chasing away your friends and family, and then you’re left alone with no money 🙁
Thanks, this was a great article on Global Domains International (Website.ws)
Kim
Hello, Kim!
When you’re a newcomer to the world of “making money online”, there are so many opportunities whizzing around, you simply can’t tell the legit and the scam ones apart.
GDI was the very first MLM opportunity I joined when I too was a newbie, but soon quit because I spent more money on promoting it than I made. True story!
I’m glad you made that discovery with MLM as well because the bad experience helps you to find something LEGIT further down the line. You’ll certainly find that the “hustlers” who have been in MLM the longest, tend to make the most money from it.
You have a good head on your shoulders and good morals, my friend! 🙂
I totally agree because as a Network Marketer you become the person that lights up the room when you exit and the one that makes people cross the street to avoid you LOL. It’s not a good business concept to be involved in.
It’s a pleasure, Kim!
Great review, and you hit the nail on the head. I joined up with GDI a couple of years ago, but it was through some other opportunity where GDI was just one of the things to join down the line.
It was a rather an expensive lesson to learn from, and my website didn’t look half as good as it does now being a member of Wealthy Affiliate at a fraction of the cost.
Thanks, Michel 🙂
It’s because I have a very big hammer! LOL.
I think I know what you mean because you basically join a system that persuades you to join multiple opportunities so you can plug your affiliate links into the “all-in-one” platform and just promote the one link instead of several.
However, many of the systems will turn out to be expensive because you’re encouraged to signup to a handful of MLM programs leaving you out of pocket and filling up your sponsor’s.
You definitely made the right choice to “jump ship” when it came to GDI. WA sure is the best cost-effective option. Period.
Interesting review on Global Domains International. I always have looked for the GDI as an alternative, but from your fantastic review, I just learned more and something new.
I think this is an MLM scam from what you say. Pretty crazy for what they can charge their members for with fees.
Cheers, Victor!
As a former member of GDI, I really don’t recommend the opportunity to newbies especially.
I can see where you’re coming from with the whole SCAM thing because YES, GDI is a rip-off. But at the same time, the program also provides value. So I’m gonna dump it in the “Borderline” category lol.
Let me start out by saying I do like the concept of MLM. Promoting good products at a good price and recruiting others to do the same. The problem I found with them is that, as you pointed out, you can get the same things and cheaper elsewhere.
GDI is obviously just another way to promote themselves at the expense of family and friend relationship.
Thanks for the heads up.
I wouldn’t say that all MLM programs offer great quality products for “reasonable” prices because most of the time they are very similar to other cheaper branded products found elsewhere.
GDI sounds like the perfect opportunity, but in reality, you’ll discover it’s an expensive scheme when you dig deeper into it. I agree with you on GDI, and every MLM opportunity follows the exact same pattern!
You will be known as the “HUSTLER!”
No worries, Roger!
Neil
Hi Neil
I am so glad to have come across your wonderful review of GDI.
Man, don’t these guys ever stop taking advantage of people who are seeking a way to earning online. Just looking at the complicated compensation plan of GDI, which is typical of these MLMs already sends me running off in the other direction.
If I wanted to start something online, I would as a newbie want to have step by step training, someone to “hold my hand” and take me through the process.
Unfortunately, it does not seem like the co-founders have my best interests at heart.
So, no way for me… Thanks
Roopesh
Hey, Roopesh!
I’m very happy you crossed paths with my review too! 😀
Well, it appears not. If they’re mega-successful at making money from vulnerable newbies online, it will be a never-ending process.
At least “Affiliate Marketing” is a more genuine route to take that doesn’t rip people off (like MLM).
Your running shoes will be worn out! HAHA.
I totally agree with you because the best way to build any successful online business is by having access to FULL training along with the right mentor(s). This is where GDI and most MLMs fall short.
I think ALL Network Marketing company owners put their own pockets first.
Neil