.biz Can .Biz ever have any success?

[Sparhawke]

I know that everyone here hates it, and that longterm considerations are never took into account by most of us but every extension has a chance of getting to the top spots regardless of anything else and even if you do have the fabled .com the type in traffic pales in comparison to direct search.

With this in mind there seems to be some startlingly good names available for a cheap pick-up by anyone...so has anyone ever had the idea of taking a long term 10yr punt on some on the basis that with .com prices going way above the realms of all but the richest companies that those in the lower realms will want a piece?

15 years ago I don't think anyone could've guessed the insane prices that domains would go for when they were picking them up for what seems now to be such a low price, and there are still many many millions of people still to come online...

 

[Datalife]

I haven't been marketing my .biz domains yet, but I got 2 generic ones already aged for years.

I suppose there is a possibility of selling them to end users, especially those with offline businesses who don't really want to get into the whole internet thing....

The problem is end users don't come here. And when they do, they get influenced by all the .com hoopla.

 

[SiberForum]

Why not? I suppose that good web sites makes domain name popular - so go ahead

 

[bmugford]

It depends what "success" means. As a reseller the answer is yes as the entry cost is very low for top tier terms.

There are far more end users in the $500 - $2500 price range than the $100K+ price range. Not everyone is looking for, or willing to spend the money on a category killer .COM. Many people will explore alternate options. Among those options is top tier keywords in reasonable alternate extensions.

While domainers seem to hate .BIZ, it is not like a .WS or .CC. There are 2M+ regs and many of them are actually developed and in use.

Certain terms fit .BIZ better than others. I know I could easily sell a domain like Landscaping.biz, but other terms like legal/medical can often be inappropriate in .BIZ

Brad

 

[Kate]

.biz is not even a second choice, it's a third of fourth choice when you missed on the .com/.net/ccTLD and want to shout to the world: look I'm too cheap to afford a decent .com.

Saying that, .biz has been around for nearly a decade. The star never shone, and there is no reason to expect it's going to become popular all of a sudden. In fact, an influx of new vanity extension would probably marginalize it further.

Of course, 15 years ago, domains were not so valuable. But bad domains seldom turn into good domain even with age.
Now if you're finding great names available, the question to ask yourself is how come... :gl:

 

[MicroGuy]

The answer is "No"!

There is a reason that .BIZ has not been successful (and never will be), it's simply not needed, neither is .US, .TV, .CO, .ME, .WS, .CC, .PRO, .TEL, etc., etc.

The supply of Internet domains has expanded to ridiculous proportions through the introduction of these various "new" TLDs. The .BIZ was conceived at a time when the Internet frenzy was at its peak, the Nasdaq was soaring, and Yahoo was trading at $400 a share (intraday 1/4/2000). Everyone wanted a website and good .COM domain names were disappearing fast.

However, it wasn't until 2001 when the extension first became available and by that time the tech bubble had burst. It came along a little too late to catch the ride. And it never caught the attention of the public.

Now here we are nearly 10 years later and not a single major company uses .BIZ. Add to that the fact that every year additional TLDs are being introduced, further increasing an already excess supply, while fewer and fewer businesses are rushing to build out websites. Most established businesses already have a website.

The bottom line is there is simply too much supply in terms of domains. The entire Internet could technically operate on one single domain. As was mentioned before, everyone knows that .COM, .NET and .ORG are the main street slash uptown addresses of the Internet, and businesses are willing to pay for a good name in those extensions.

Therefore, as domainers we should forget all other extensions and focus on these golden three TLDs. Delete all other domains from your account and help to restore the natural balance of the Internet.

Don't ask what .COM can do for you, ask what you can do for .COM.

 

[enlytend]

not a single major company uses .BIZ

O.biz (though its not their primary site)

You'll also find some popular portals for the gaming industry: gamesindustry dot biz, casualgaming dot biz.

(One of those was a 4 figure domain sale.)

The lower pricing tier make them attractive to small businesses, IF they can understand why keyword dot biz can be more beneficial than somebadbutavailableforregfees dot com.

Those smaller sales don't make headlines but they add up.

terms like legal/medical can often be inappropriate in .BIZ

Agreed!

If you're thinking of investing in the extension, be picky - think: strong keywords, commercial, small business interest. Just say "no" to the weaker names.

 

[Kate]

There is a reason that .BIZ has not been successful (and never will be), it's simply not needed, neither is .US, .TV, .CO, .ME, .WS, .CC, .PRO, .TEL, etc., etc.

I don't think that putting ccTLDs in the same basket as artificial extensions like .biz or .tel makes any sense.

O.biz (though its not their primary site)

Overstock is a particular case.
We all know they want to secure O.com one day. That's the only reason why they got o.co & o.biz, to strengthen their TM.
Visit o.biz: did you notice the very prominent link to overstock.com on the top of the page. It says a lot imo.

The lower pricing tier make them attractive to small businesses, IF they can understand why keyword dot biz can be more beneficial than somebadbutavailableforregfees dot com.

In fact .biz is the small fry extension. That is one reason why it got little recognition.
Its only raison d'être is to provide an alternative for keywords you couldn't get in other established extensions.
I personally think that any self-respecting end user that is reasonably Internet-savvy does not want to look like a latecomer, and pick just whatever extension was left.

The Internet users may be clueless about domain names, but many if not most will still instinctively notice that some domains are clearly not first grade, and might perceive them as less trustworthy.

 

[John Baron]

i vote yes for .biz - i like the sound of it and i had saw many sites using it . it will not be .com/.net but i do see a bright future for it

 

[main]

I don't really see a big future for .biz. There are only around 250 .biz sites in the top 100,000 sites right now and a lot of those are porn based.

 

[enlytend]

Visit o.biz: did you notice the very prominent link to overstock.com on the top of the page. It says a lot imo.

Because Overstock.com is their main site. O.biz is a specialized sub-site for B2B type items. But yes, they're apparently kind of fond of collecting single letter O domains.

In fact .biz is the small fry extension. That is one reason why it got little recognition.
Its only raison d'être is to provide an alternative for keywords you couldn't get in other established extensions.

I agree, but when I say small business, I'm talking local businesses like Tony's pest control, Pete the locksmith, Joe's landscaping, Jane's dog grooming, Sue's hair salon. Not enough budget to buy a-list .com's, maybe not even up for the .net or geo + keywords (assuming those aren't long gone), more likely to either register their own brand (which isn't BAD, but doesn't help bring in new business) or some convoluted monstrosity that doesn't build brand OR have any keyword mojo.

DogGrooming.biz is (imo) much better than "acleandog4utoday.com." - it's certainly WAY easier to optimize for local search, among other things.

 

[Kate]

When you're a small business that is local in nature, I think .us is a much better option than .biz, when you don't need the global reach of .com.

 

[gazzip]

"Can .Biz ever have any success?"

No, .co is going to wipeout the need for all other domain extensions including .com...now where's my pom poms :o



.

 

[MicroGuy]

I don't think that putting ccTLDs in the same basket as artificial extensions like .biz or .tel makes any sense.

Yes. As long as ccTLDs are used as intended then you make a good point. But I wonder how many .TVs and .MEs are actually used as intended. The .ME was not designated for personal websites Mr. Parsons.

 

[lincolndsp]

in general, all GTLDs other than .com and .orgs (if used for non-profit cause) are simply "hacks" . this is how it works. that's why .biz will do good in "-business" domains only.

 

[the_poet]

Agreed!

I don't think that putting ccTLDs in the same basket as artificial extensions like .biz or .tel makes any sense.

 

[akcampbell]

I see quite a few .biz domains on the sides of vans and lorries in the UK. The keywords are usually the company name rather than something that would appeal to domainers so I don't think they were bought on the aftermarket. Usually, the company was some kind of trade, haulage, plumbing etc. However, if that's the sort of keyword .biz is meant to excel with I'm not convinced by the recent sales on Namebio. Floors.biz sold for $200 with TravelAgent.biz selling for $300. Neither are developed. There are exceptions, Shutters.biz sold for $1,875 and the website is a half decent template although it lacks a physical address.

The things that I see lacking in .biz are poor keyword availability versus sales volume and values. Only the top 20,000-30,000 .biz keywords have a chance of selling for more than a couple of hundred bucks but there are 2m registered. The natural buyer for a .biz either doesn't have much money or if they have the money because they own their own plumbing or landscaping business, they don't have the motivation to spend it on a domain name because local recommendations drive their business more than search engines.

Finally, I don't think a text speak informal expression for business conveys the right message to a potential customer. When I think of .biz, I think of Ali G, baseball hats on sideways and fluffy dice. Biz is nice in a game on scrabble but ugly as an online vanity trinket, hack, business name, or marketing suffix.

One of the original strengths of .biz was that it was there in 2001 when there were few alternatives to .com but people were falling over themselves to buy a slice of the name space pie. As the pie grows, .biz has to compete against extensions like .tv and .me which are more memorable and brandable. 10 year punts on extensions that are moving sideways after nearly 10 years in existence don't make sense to me. There is no catalyst that is going to expontentially increase the number of .biz domains registered. They will go up in line with total domains registered or slightly fade as new gTLDs like .co that mean the same thing as .biz come along.

 

[JB Lions]

Yes. As long as ccTLDs are used as intended then you make a good point. But I wonder how many .TVs and .MEs are actually used as intended. The .ME was not designated for personal websites Mr. Parsons.

So what, that's what a lot of them are being used for and it works. Even new news like The New York Times Is Preparing Social News Service Dubbed News.me - The New York Times and Betaworks Launching Social News Site News.me

And the .TV works with names that make sense going along with .TV.

 

[MicroGuy]

So what, that's what a lot of them are being used for and it works.

Using under-age illegal aliens for prostitution works too, but that doesn't make it "right". IMO.

 

[JB Lions]

haha c'mon now. Comparing something illegal to using extensions with words that make sense. Lots of things start out with intentions, things change. Adapt.

 

[MicroGuy]

haha c'mon now. Comparing something illegal to using extensions with words that make sense. Lots of things start out with intentions, things change.

Nothing's changed, they are still ccTLDs?

Countries like Tuvalu and Montenegro ARE prostituting their extensions so I think it's a fair comparison. And don't forget that these countries ultimately control the fate of their extensions. One day one of them might decide they don't want yanks registering their names.

Big business understands this, therefore no serious company that does its due diligence will operate on one of these "whore" extensions without the .COM backup (in case of fire, redirect). IMO.

 

[JB Lions]

"Nothing's changed, they are still ccTLDs?"

Right but Google sees them as gtlds. And they're very recognizable to people since they're English words used daily. I just linked above to New York Times using news.me. There's going to be a place for other extensions since all the .com are pretty much gone, being used or cost too much. And the generations coming up will be more comfortable/adaptable to these other extensions. .com will always be first choice, no doubt, but if you can't get that, you move on down, just like with the site in your sig.

 

[MicroGuy]

"Nothing's changed, they are still ccTLDs?"

Right but Google sees them as gtlds. And they're very recognizable to people since they're English words used daily. I just linked above to New York Times using news.me. There's going to be a place for other extensions since all the .com are pretty much gone, being used or cost too much. And the generations coming up will be more comfortable/adaptable to these other extensions. .com will always be first choice, no doubt, but if you can't get that, you move on down, just like with the site in your sig.

If that makes you sleep better at night, keep believing it. Keep this thread bookmarked and check back in a few years. Best of luck.

 

[JB Lions]

I always sleep fine, just stating reality Plus, I only have a few .biz anyway, like some other extensions better. I have a little here and a little there. Also forgot to mention about this - "Tuvalu and Montenegro"

The average person, doesn't know and doesn't care, they see TV and me.

Another recent example, my own. I wanted this city/country.com. Guy wanted over mid XX,XXX, I bought the .me for like $9. He's not letting it go for any less. So move on down to another extension.

Side note - "Don't ask what .COM can do for you, ask what you can do for .COM."

Looks like the .com is yours also. Why aren't you using that instead of the .net?

 

[MicroGuy]

Looks like the .com is yours also. Why aren't you using that instead of the .net?

I'm using the uStream.TV Registration Protocol™. Since my background is in the ISP field I like using .NET, but if the need arises, I can reverse the redirect back to the .COM.

It's okay to own (and use) other TLD versions of a trade name, but if you're really serious, you must own the .COM ESPECIALLY if you're playing with fire, aka ccTLDs.

Otherwise, some ruler, in some far away land, might bring your World crashing down.