Does Google care about domain extension?

[imadam]

Hello guys,

This is just a short question to all you SEO ninjas out there. I have a .to domain I'm looking to develop, although as a SEO noob I'm a little unsure how the .to domain extension would index in Google. I was alway told to stay away from uncommon extension if you're looking for organic search traffic. Although is there any truth in this? Would appreciate your feedback!

 

[Sabre]

.to will do better in Tongo than in other countries, although it may turn through searches in other countries. There's no reason you can't achieve worldwide search listings but it is certainly more of a challenge.

Unless your domain is specifically aimed at internet users from Tongo, I would personally spend my time and money elsewhere. :]

 

[mwzd]

Depends on the domain and purpose imo.

It is tougher to rank exotic cctlds without substantial marketing budgets.

Google doesn't care as much about the extension as people would have you believe.

 

[enlytend]

.to will do better in Tongo than in other countries, although it may turn through searches in other countries. There's no reason you can't achieve worldwide search listings but it is certainly more of a challenge.

What Sabre said.

Most cctlds are assumed to be sites intended for that local audience and treated accordingly.

Another issue with "exotic" extensions (cctlds used outside of their native area and the less common gtlds): They suffer from the "WTF factor". If they DO rank for something, you probably won't get the same CTR as you would with a more familiar tld. This not only means less traffic, but pages with poor interaction for a given search lose their ranking over time.

 

[imadam]

Thanks for your help guys, means alot. This is a domain hack. What you've all said has got me thinking alot and I've decided to postpone this project. Thanks again!

 

[Sabre]

No problem - best of luck if you do decide to go ahead at a later date!