When .Com is taken, would you use other TLDs for the same name?

[keninuk]

Just noticed that one of the members had sold some domains with .info, even though the .COM TLD was already taken for that name by some one else.

If there is a web site out there already with a .com TLD (say mysite.com) why would any one use a minor TLD such as .info to create mysite.info?

I mean, most web surfers would automatically click on mysite.com and so the mysite.info would basically be sending business to the .com site.

Is it not true that All big and successful websites on the web use only the .COM TLD?

I can not think of a single MAJOR site that uses a minor TLD such as .info.

So my question is this.
Would any one of you use a .info TLD to make a site for a domain which is already out there with a .COM?

 

[nielsencl]

If the .com has a site, this can certainly "steal" some of the traffic from other TLDs, but even if there is a site on the .com, having a site on one or more of the other TLDs can also do well, or even better than the site on the .com.

The .com may get some traffic from people typeing in the domain and using .com out of habit and not the real TLD for your site. But this is more of a problem only with more premium domains. While we all type in some domains, most people use bookmarks or other links to visit sites. Many people also type domains in at Google to then click on the link.

So if type-in traffic is not really a concern you can take almost any TLD and put a good site that has been optimized and promoted and it should do quite well. Before DomainTools.com started using that domain they were Whois.cc and I think they did very, very well before making that change.

 

[Sparhawke]

I agree with the above, I know of a great many domains that use other extensions, even with the option of using the .com

I don't know quite how it happened, but people got this wrong impression back in the late 90s that if you do not have a .com then you are a worthless company...maybe because of all the advertisement.

Still, that simply means there are more domains for me to take that while they may not have the top tier they will still do well if they end up on the first page.

 

[XDuncan]

I never settle for anything except .com, unless I am pursuing a weird niche like one letter domains in a ccTLD.

You can call me crazy, but then again you probably aren't making 200 ROI on every domain registration you make.

 

[a.singh]

Probably not. I try to just stick to .coms if possible and the business name I want is not available, I just spend some more time coming up with something else.

 

[Archangel]

Personally, I'd develop a .com/.net or perhaps a .us, if the site is geared toward the US-only market. Otherwise, I wouldn't use another extension.

 

[Blake]

I agree with the above, I know of a great many domains that use other extensions, even with the option of using the .com

I don't know quite how it happened, but people got this wrong impression back in the late 90s that if you do not have a .com then you are a worthless company...maybe because of all the advertisement.

Still, that simply means there are more domains for me to take that while they may not have the top tier they will still do well if they end up on the first page.

So true!

I call it the .com tunnel vision....You can only see .com as a viable source of sales/business opportunities. You spout out useless facts about your extension and ramble on how any other is garbage. Well honestly that's fine I like a balanced portfolio and I lean heavily towards .info because in the last 16 months I took 2k and invested into the extension and so far have made around 36k and I still have 4600 domains in my accounts.

So ROI talk is for the birds..... .info is truly a viable extension with some impressive room to grow.

Scenario as it stands today.....jump on the .com bandwagon and fight with 20 million other users for scraps at drops......or fight with 2000 people for .info drops?? Hmm....and keyword power is not dependent on extension and google shows little to no favoritism...It's all about content and relevancy to your sites terms/etc

Anyway I wasn't going to comment on this thread but I felt the need to vent and say all you .com pioneers keep chiseling away day in day out....I'll take my money to .info and find the gold patch :P

Cheers

Blake A. Worthington

P.S. No offense or direction this comment is made at...just an observation and point of view

Happy 4th

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

You can still get some great one-word keywords in .us for cheap, which you cannot in .com.

Don't get me wrong; I prefer .com, but I'm not interested in ones that have no search value.

*

 

[lexisdomains]

Although .com is extremely popular, this is generally the case only for United States citizens.

As of late, we have been witnessing large CCtld sales (.DE, .TV & .Org); many of which are more lucrative than .com.

So in my opinion, registering a CCtld could prove to be a wise investment.

Just my 2 cents,

 

[.X.]

It all started with .com , And remains .com , Going back through the years i can only think of four times that i "Typed" in any other extension, Those four times being .net - .co.uk

I like .us and .org a lot, 85% of my portfolio consist of .com

It doesn't really matter how much a name has search term, People are going to type in .com , So the same name in any other extension will need search engine indexing to get traffic Imo.

I have never had any pure type in traffic from any other extension than .com

 

[lexisdomains]

O' really?

It doesn't really matter how much a name has search term, People are going to type in .com , So the same name in any other extension will need search engine indexing to get traffic Imo.

I have never had any pure type in traffic from any other extension than .com

I would encourage you to check out Google.de search index an see how many .COM's you see in the sponsored links section or even the standard search results - I'd say it's less than 10%

.COM Test

1. Go to Google.de
2. Type in the term Tickets or Hotel
3. Now.. How many .com results do you see?

My point is - while .com is undeniably popular here in the US, it's popularity is not as strong in other country codes such as european countries.

 

[.X.]

I would encourage you to check out Google.de search index an see how many .COM's you see in the sponsored links section or even the standard search results - I'd say it's less than 10%

.COM Test

1. Go to Google.de
2. Type in the term Tickets or Hotel
3. Now.. How many .com results do you see?

My point is - while .com is undeniably popular here in the US, it's popularity is not as strong in other country codes such as european countries.

Excellent post

I have been hoping and praying for the net to evolve beyond the .com type in habit. It is slowly, .in has become a prevalent player, I expect .in to prosper in the future, That by the mere population of India. Other country codes wont fair as well Imo, The lack of population keeps most using .com

I see your point, And it is well made

 

[Archangel]

You are of a rare breed, my friend. Many ppl will think of .com when they hear of a URL but that doesn't mean ALL will. Take a look at ccTLDs (in many countries, they are preferred over the .com) and domain hacks (love.ly, eat.it etc). While having a .com might seem best, you could receive a load of type-in traffic to your alternative extension. I have .infos that receive type-in traffic.

It all started with .com , And remains .com , Going back through the years i can only think of four times that i "Typed" in any other extension, Those four times being .net - .co.uk

I like .us and .org a lot, 85% of my portfolio consist of .com

It doesn't really matter how much a name has search term, People are going to type in .com , So the same name in any other extension will need search engine indexing to get traffic Imo.

I have never had any pure type in traffic from any other extension than .com

 

[.X.]

You are of a rare breed, my friend. Many ppl will think of .com when they hear of a URL but that doesn't mean ALL will. Take a look at ccTLDs (in many countries, they are preferred over the .com) and domain hacks (love.ly, eat.it etc). While having a .com might seem best, you could receive a load of type-in traffic to your alternative extension. I have .infos that receive type-in traffic.

I have generic nice one word .us names that don't get any type in traffic, Well, They do get a few, but that is most probably by curious domainers, Not average net users. How many "Average" net users even know about domain hacks?? I would think not many.

As per the thread, Would i purchase the same taken name in a cctld, Yes, Only if it is taken in most other cctlds, And i would most likely only purchase it to flip it to another domainer.

 

[Archangel]

1.) Domain hacks are popular and well-known. I know that's hard to believe. Even I didn't at first.

2.) Curious domainers would visit a domain but no one interested in a potential site would? Kind sir, I have many @ parked.com and most of these domains have multiple searches done after a visitor arrives. The typical uninterested domainer wouldn't do this. I think you are merely speaking of your portfolio, as I'm speaking of mine. I cannot fathom why you believe non-coms get no type-ins from interested ppl.

I have generic nice one word .us names that don't get any type in traffic, Well, They do get a few, but that is most probably by curious domainers, Not average net users. How many "Average" net users even know about domain hacks?? I would think not many.

As per the thread, Would i purchase the same taken name in a cctld, Yes, Only if it is taken in most other cctlds, And i would most likely only purchase it to flip it to another domainer.

 

[galwin]

I always go for .com and cctld

 

[.X.]

1.) Domain hacks are popular and well-known. I know that's hard to believe. Even I didn't at first.

2.) Curious domainers would visit a domain but no one interested in a potential site would? Kind sir, I have many @ parked.com and most of these domains have multiple searches done after a visitor arrives. The typical uninterested domainer wouldn't do this. I think you are merely speaking of your portfolio, as I'm speaking of mine. I cannot fathom why you believe non-coms get no type-ins from interested ppl.

I have found in my particular case, The vast majority of my traffic comes from google - ask.com . I just looked at my analytics, It shows that only 3.26% of my traffic is pure type in traffic. I am lazy too, I use google to get me where i am going lol. In the years i have been domaining, I have had little success getting type in traffic. I myself very rarely have ever typed in a domain name, I have always found it via search engine and book marked the url.

 

[bmugford]

I would almost always take a great keyword in an alternative extension over a mediocre .COM for development.

Very few .COM get massive generic type in traffic, and most of those that do are out of the price range of 99% the people here. The vast majority of traffic is generated from search engines.

There are various benefits to having an exact keyword match domain such as - SEO, memorability, credibility, etc.

The price for excellent keywords in alternative extensions makes them an attractive option for end users or development.

Brad

 

[BitcoinDK]

I always go for .com and cctld

I agree completely.

There is a reason it is called "dot com millionaire" and not "dot info millionaire"

If you are making a serious business, stick to .com and the cctld's that you are targeting.

If you are making a non-commercial site, you can use .org.

If you are making an event or marketing-stunt of some kind, you can use extensions like .info or extension-hacks.

But don't build your serious business on other extension then .com. I know I know, now I will get replies saying, what about this and that company they are big and doesn't use .com. Yeah, but how many of them are there? They are only the exception that proves the rule.

If you are domain-reseller, you can of course buy other extensions and try to fool others to buy them from you.

When I started out I also bought many domain names with other extensions. I thought "wow, so many good names available! I must grab them now before others find out these hidden gems!" lol how stupid me.

There is a reason such domain names are available and not registered.

Now my 90% of my portifolio are .com and the rest is cctld's.

Best regards,

 

[bmugford]

If you are domain-reseller, you can of course buy other extensions and try to fool others to buy them from you.

You are not "fooling" anyone selling them alternative extensions. Many end users would prefer a domain like PestControl.us or Landscaping.biz to JoesPestControlService.com or TucsonLandscapingDesigns.com

The reason they are attractive to end users is they are buying an excellent keyword for a small fraction of the price of a .COM. The vast majority of end users have a small budget so the choice ends up coming down to a mediocre .COM vs. superior keyword in alternate extension.

Many end users choose the superior keyword.

Brad