Is .COM always best?

[Aspiring Billionaire]

I'll be among the first to say that dot-com rules in terms of domain name investments, and that ccTLD's don't even feature on my top-5 list of domain extensions as a domainer. But when it comes to local products and services, could the dot-com actually come second to the ccTLD?

As a consumer, when I search for local products and services on the internet I tend to use the .co.za TLD because it makes sense to find a local entity for plumbing or insurance quotes here in South Africa. I can understand that the exception would most likely be America, as the .com entities are likely to be based in the America's.

I'm fairly new to domain investing and find it disturbingly disappointing how decades have passed with still no real domaining end-user market here in South Africa, with the few who do know about it investing in a bunch of .co.za domains that don't sell very well because of the fact that there's no market for them in our third-world country.

Surely the type of TLD is something that should be factored into the equation when having end-users in mind. Could this be an opportunity with a substantial amount of potential (in relation to country-codes worldwide), or is it a gap in the market not really worth pursuing for a domainer. What are your thoughts?

 

[DNScholar]

Yes, I think .COM is always best.
ccTLDs and gTLDs can act as support domains to .COM

 

[gilescoley]

Yes, I would focus on .COM, especially when starting out, move into cctld's later on when you understand what sort of names sell

I have a bunch of .co.za names a swell, and haven't had much luck with them, Im from Durban but living in Oz now


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[Ab Peter]

Almost always.

 

[Atta]

If you look at the current sale statistics, then YES! But I believe, it wouldn't remain same for forever. Market is changing rapidly. There are many new tech startups who are preferring .io instead of .com and there are many more such stories.

.COM market will not remain same after few years I believe.

 

[hxp]

Article is pretty old, but I believe it's still true:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/tech...s-are-a-safer-harbour-than-com/article535454/

 

[Atta]

Article is pretty old, but I believe it's still true:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/tech...s-are-a-safer-harbour-than-com/article535454/

*** This is partially true in fact ***

The only hype is created by so-called 4L .coms which are almost(!) useless which it comes to develop and put them live.

But Yes, one or two words .com still top the list.

 

[doubleU]

Most ccTLDs are well established and are now the first port of call for many developers within their respective countries but for a global/international presence .com is usually preferred.

 

[golan]

.com is almost always best.

The exclusions may be:

• Local markets (then ntld's)
• Nonprofits, government-like, politics, social issues sites (then .org)
• Some tech cases (then .net/.io)

 

[Kate]

.com is best for domain investors because it's used all over the world. Your buyers can come from anywhere.
When you sell ccTLDs most of the time the buyers are from the host country of the ccTLD. The pool of potential buyers is therefore smaller. And of course that depends a lot on the maturity of the extension.

.co.za is probably the only African TLD that has some aftermarket value. There is a market but it's limited (as far as I can see, I'm no expert). If you own truly great keywords I think you'll always get some interest from time to time and hopefully make sales if you are patient.
I have always preached for ccTLDs and I think domainers should own a few .co.za in their portfolio. They are cheap to register too. We get inquiries .co.za the occasion but so far no sale. The problem is that even the few end users who understand domain names are not willing to pay the price.

 

[gilescoley]

I have had 2 low offers on CloudSolution.co.za but thats it

 

[DnEbook]

In Australia .com.au rules, most .coms here are of age. It was later on the .com.au became the common standard. A business aiming for worldwide would have both the .com and the .com.au. For sales alone I would have to say .com is the best as it can be sold worldwide. Interestingly .us is the complete opposite is seems

 

[deez007]

.Com will always be the preferred TLD, I dont think that will ever change.

Other TLD's still have their place but none of them would ever out value a .com

 

[Fancy.domains]

Yeah, .COM is the best if we are talking value. At least for english keywords.

I would prefer to own: Insurances.com more than: Insurances.ninja :P

Seriously, it is like comparing gold with iron. Sure, you want the gold bar much more than the iron bar, but can you afford it?

 

[dordomai]

I'll be among the first to say that dot-com rules in terms of domain name investments, and that ccTLD's don't even feature on my top-5 list of domain extensions as a domainer. But when it comes to local products and services, could the dot-com actually come second to the ccTLD?

As a consumer, when I search for local products and services on the internet I tend to use the .co.za TLD because it makes sense to find a local entity for plumbing or insurance quotes here in South Africa. I can understand that the exception would most likely be America, as the .com entities are likely to be based in the America's.

I'm fairly new to domain investing and find it disturbingly disappointing how decades have passed with still no real domaining end-user market here in South Africa, with the few who do know about it investing in a bunch of .co.za domains that don't sell very well because of the fact that there's no market for them in our third-world country.

Surely the type of TLD is something that should be factored into the equation when having end-users in mind. Could this be an opportunity with a substantial amount of potential (in relation to country-codes worldwide), or is it a gap in the market not really worth pursuing for a domainer. What are your thoughts?

In some countries(actually many) ccTLDs are stronger than .com and are the better investment if you target only a local market but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is worth investing in them.

A few examples where the ccTLD is more popular than .com: .ru, .de, .fr

 

[Fancy.domains]

In some countries(actually many) ccTLDs are stronger than .com and are the better investment if you target only a local market but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is worth investing in them.

A few examples where the ccTLD is more popular than .com: .ru, .de, .fr

Yeah, it is same with .SE. Swedish names in .SE is much more worth than the .COM version.

 

[dordomai]

.com is better even for many local startups because multilingual websites are becoming more common and businesses don't want to be limited to one market only.

 

[lau]

Yep, always.

 

[Abdillahi Abdillahi]

Diversifiying your portfolio is very important. But it is always important to have good .coms as they are very easy to sell.

With that said, some country extensions are very and a lot more easier to sell than .coms

 

[Ngoc Pham]

yes, I also think .COM is King.