Why is .com so much more valuable?

[krx]

Why exactly are dot coms so much more valuable (at least in the vast majority of instances) than all other extensions? If a term or phrase (e.g. "good domain") has great OVT (50,000? 100,000? 300,000?) but the domain name itself (e.g., gooddomain.com) has no OVT, why couldn't the potential traffic for that site (that the OVT suggests is there) be just as well developed for a dot net or dot us? Why are undeveloped domain names that are worth BIG BUCKS in dot com literally worth nothing in all other extensions?

 

[BostonDomainer]

traffic and the fact that people's mind default to .com when typing due to it being the first major extension and highly branded by major intl. corps.., also, most of the time (not all) when people think and see .com they think legitimacy. It's a .com world and the other extensions are alternatives (in most cases),

 

[krx]

traffic and the fact that people's mind default to .com when typing due to it being the first major extension and highly branded by major intl. corps..

That seems to be the perception - that high OVT means there will be a lot of type in traffic - but is it the reality? I've checked a number of high OVT domains and they don't get ANY type in traffic. For example...

Discount Hotel gets 478,000 OVT but DiscountHotel.com gets only 177.
Orlando Travel gets 86,000 OVT but OrlandoTravel.com gets 0.
Flight Attendant gets 32,000 OVT but FlightAttendant.com gets only 67.
Fluorescent Lighting gets 18,000 OVT but FluorescentLighting.com gets 0.

These domains have great OVT but little to no type in traffic, at least according to OVT. And I didn't have to hunt for these example; they were the first ones that came to mind. I think this may be the rule, not the exception.

also, most of the time (not all) when people think and see .com they think legitimacy. It's a .com world and the other extensions are alternatives (in most cases)

I think that's true. I just wonder how much the profitability of a site (for the enduser) depends on the extension. For example, is it that much easier/cheaper to market and develop a dot com than a dot net or a dot ws or whatever? Or is it mostly just the perception that 'ya gotta have a dot com!'

I guess I'm asking what additional challenges/expenses owners of high OVT domains would encounter developing non-dot com extensions?

 

[BostonDomainer]

Overture no longer exist so that's a pointless route now a days. There is a disparity between ovt with extension, ovt without extension and traffic realized. The other thing you have to realize is that Overture only checked the singular and never the plural. So "Used car" might come up higher then "used cars" despite the latter being the more popular term/trafficed term.

Traffic of popular keywords will always spill over to the .com if the non .com is developed.

 

[r72gs]

Try this tool as a replacement for overture. It's more up to date.

http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html

 

[syed1994]

In brief, .com's are usually more valuable, for example if someone want the weather, they will just place .com on the end (because most people will think .com as it is popular, not to mention that they were the first). People usually don't develop using high value domains, they make profit out of an auction or so.

The domain has no ranking because no one would search for the keyword term (if it is not developed).

 

[krx]

In brief, .com's are usually more valuable, for example if someone want the weather, they will just place .com on the end (because most people will think .com as it is popular

I know that's what everyone says but that really only applies to a very limited range of dot coms (e.g. weather.com, shoes.com, cars.com). See the examples I gave above. Those domains have high OVT and are quite valuable but get virtually no type-in traffic. So, in general, it doesn't really stand to reason to say dot coms w/high OVT are more valuable than the same domain name in a different extension BECAUSE they get more direct type-in traffic, right? Am I missing something?

People usually don't develop using high value domains, they make profit out of an auction or so. The domain has no ranking because no one would search for the keyword term (if it is not developed).

That's my point. Why couldn't you (or the enduser) just as easily develop the traffic on another extension?

Try this tool as a replacement for overture. It's more up to date.

http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html

Thanks. I've been using this as well. The numbers for KD are for a year, right?