GoDaddy search bar returning .co by default

[campout]

I just noticed that if you type a word into the GoDaddy search bar, it is returning .co availability instead of .com.

I think the .co registry is paying GoDaddy for this privilege. And in the meantime, if you have names listed there through Afternic, it is un-ideal.

I own the pictured name in .com. It is in Afternic premium for sale at $995. Yet it shows nowhere on this page, let alone as the first result like it normally would.

My .com exact match is not even in the box that shows up below with all the alternatives:

Only a user who includes ".com" at the end of the search query will see .com as an option:

 

[usernamex]

Am curious if anyone else can reproduce this if a domain is listed directly at GD instead of or in addition to Afternic

Would love to hear official commentary about this @Paul Nicks @Joe Styler

 

[Constantin S]

Same here, it's happening to me for like 3-4 weeks at least.

 

[DNGear]

They have removed .xyz too.
It seems they are giving preference to registration rather than after market.

 

[Asfas1000]

Probably a glitch....it only happens with locale set to US English. If you change laguage/country, it will return the .COM as default.

 

[Joe Styler]

It is a part of a test they are running. Premium domains will appear again shortly and of course if you search for the .com it will show up.

 

[anantj]

I'm probably not a part of the test that @Joe Styler mentioned.. Or they reverted it. I'm seeing the .com now:

 

[urlurl]

i have voiced my opinion on the .co showing as the first result (unless you put .com) in the search results.

I absolutely hate it, to the point i use other platforms to search available names

it's just a big waste of time for me to enter .com... or have to add .com if i forgot the first time.

 

[urlurl]

i wonder how many extra sales they made on '.co' by unsuspecting people who didn't notice it wasn't .com!

 

[urlurl]

in addition, i was told the .co only shows when the .com is not available... which is total BS on their part

 

[JB Lions]

What a horrible test. I guess to test out how many .co regs they can get.

Tried a few I have listed with Afternic Fast Transfer and get Yes! Your domain is available. Buy it before someone else does. with a link to get the .co

The .com listed further below.

Just like a search engine, you should always return the most relevant results first. .com being the #1 extension in the world, should come back as the first option. You are hurting sales with those listing with Afternic and other ways (plus your cut of those sales), and you're also possibly contributing to poor user experience, since you might have some people getting the .co, thinking they were getting the .com. Then you might have to deal with those complaints, returns etc, all because somebody didn't think things thru and made a bad decision to try this out. Think long term customer acquisition. Bad experience, they might take their business elsewhere.

 

[Vito]

I agree. This is a horrible tesr.

Its sneaky.

Its tricking people into buying a typo of dot com. Most non domainer/regular people probably will not realize it until a day/week, maybe even a month later.

But our Afternic/GoDaddy dot com domains that we usually see as premiums on GDs checkout page not being there unless you specifically type in the dot com, thats the part for us that really sucks.

I am a big GD fan, but i am not happy with this little "test". I hope this test ends shortly like Joe has said.

 

[Michael M]

It is a part of a test they are running. Premium domains will appear again shortly and of course if you search for the .com it will show up.

I do not believe this is the best thought out idea. I understand GD might be trying to boost .co registrations, or overall registrations because most .coms are taken - but when someone is typing a name in a box and not including the TLD they are pretty much assuming they are searching for the .com

In most cases they are not going to buy a .co, they are going to buy it not realizing it is not .com, or they are going to have buyers remorse soon after.

This could cause GD to lose sales from user confusion and cause domainers sales from not having that premium placement we are paying 20% commission to receive.

I don't think the most popular domain registrar should be defaulting their domain searches to .co (even with the .com available.) It makes no sense from an end user perspective. Though, I can't speak to any monetary benefit to GD.

I hope this "test" ends soon.

IMHO...

(For the record: not a GD hater. In fact I prefer them and have a huge chunk of my portfolio there)

-Mike

 

[Michael M]

It does not even include the .com in the package of 3 when available... Just seems like an odd idea.

 

[Joe Styler]

We constantly test things here. This is just one of many.

 

[Kpett]

I just saw 2-aa.com on the dropped/deleted list. So went to GoDaddy and just typed in 2-aa ... and it returned 2-aa.co is available. 2-aa.com is listed as being available below, about the 6th item down, after .org, .net and some others. So then I typed in 2-aa.com in the search bar above ... and it returned 2-aa.com is available - which is what I wanted in the first place.

Not a fan.

 

[forge]

I noticed this a long, long time ago (haven't the foggiest when) but probably Joe can verify/dispel that this wasn't the first time for such a "test". It was also .co.

 

[HotKey]

If the user isn't typing in the extension, why should the results bring up a registered .com, when it is clearly not available for registration? This search is done at Godaddys main site, not Afternic. If a user want to visit an aftermarket platform for resale domains, than they can. You're selling a transfer really, not a new registration.

Why are we assuming everyone is looking for a .com anyways? There could be far better fits for their name, .com is just one extension in a plethora of many. No need for all the other hand-registration opportunities to be held hostage by an already taken name.

 

[JB Lions]

If the user isn't typing in the extension, why should the results bring up a registered .com, when it is clearly not available for registration? This search is done at Godaddys main site, not Afternic. If a user want to visit an aftermarket platform for resale domains, than they can. You're selling a transfer really, not a new registration.

Why are we assuming everyone is looking for a .com anyways? There could be far better fits for their name, .com is just one extension in a plethora of many. No need for all the other hand-registration opportunities to be held hostage by an already taken name.

It's available to Buy Now. You don't need to have it thru Afternic for it to show as Buy Now, you can just have it at GoDaddy.

Generally people will pick the .com if it's available. Everything else is what people usually settle for, second choice. Unless it's a case of a .org, where sometimes that fits better, or a cctld if that works better for them. .com is far away the #1 choice tho.

Let's just look at this instance.

Do you think people would rather have a .com or a .co?

 

[HotKey]

There is no such instance, because the choice isn't limited between those two. The .co first return is merely taking advantage the coms historcial favourability. How are all the other extensions going to be successful it if we constantly expect .com to be the only solution? There will never be a market for them if they are always buried under this bias.

Sure it's available to Buy Now, but the assumption now is that the user is looking for a $900 registered domain.

 

[JB Lions]

The .co first return is merely taking advantage the coms historcial favourability.

What does that mean? .co is taking advantage of being very similar to .com?

Goes back to what I said earlier, it should come back with the most relevant results for any search. You may disagree but it's not bias that .com is the #1 choice, it's reality.

Sure it's available to Buy Now, but the assumption now is that the user is looking for a $900 registered domain.

The assumption is they want the .com, which is usually correct. It's offering up a chance to buy the .com right now. Lots of sales happen that way, so it works.

You can type in something that's available to hand reg in .com and they're putting .co first. That's not in the interest of the user. That's either for GD or somebody is paying them to put .co first. For me the .co is $3.70 more for a hand reg over a .com. There will be some people thinking they were getting a .com. Again, just a dumb move.

 

[alcy]

no point in complaining about premium listings. cause you pay 0$ to have your items showing there. 20% commission is after sale. not some upfront listing fee.

but yeah.. better make it like before.

com is king so put it on top. then show the trash.

cheers.

 

[Vito]

Dot co trkckery is done.
Test is over now.

Dot com shows up for available domains and afternic domains are back on top.

Interesting test. Hope they get some complaints from people who later find out they got screwed w a dot co. I am still a GD fan just hope this didnt work out the way they thought. Seems too sneaky for the worlds leading registrar.

Thanks for the observation and thread Nat.

 

[Joe Styler]

It was a 24 hour test. We test things all the time but that one is over now.

 

[wwwweb]

In all honesty it lingered longer than 24 hours, given the majority of godaddy traffic is US based, it is a tricky situation to be recommending a Colombian country code. It was done via the superbowl a few years ago also. The low registration with the high renewal, is this extensions claim to fame.