Why do domainers prefer certain domain extensions? Are .co.uk and .com really better?

[miked]

Doodlebug's recent thread about .me.uk domains got me thinking. I've always gone for .co.uks and .coms, thinking they were they only extensions worth acquiring, and have only recently picked up a few other extensions. But why? I can really point to no reason other than some abstract notion that these are seen as somehow more solid and reliable.

But why should this be the case? Of course .co.uks and .coms have a much higher public visibility, so isn't only going for those a tacit admission that they're purchased with regard to the opinions of others, for resale rather than development? That's strange for me, as I always buy with the intention of developing, so shouldn't I consider other extensions?

Just wondered what you all thought about this. Why do domainers prefer some extensions over others? Are .co.uk and .com really better? Or are you one of the people that happily trades and develops all types?

Interested to hear your thoughts...

Mike.

 

[DarrenTSO]

As far as I am aware Google still places precedence to some extensions over others, all other things being equal.

You also have the aspect of longterm commercial viability - Whilst you may be able to generate search engine traffic, it can be difficult to build a brand on anything other than a mainstream TLD. There's also the issue of trust - customers appear to trust certain extensions more than others.

 

[DarrenTSO]

Edit: sorry for the double post!

 

[Edwin]

When UK companies have cumulatively spent tens of BILLIONS of pounds in the last decade advertising online, and nearly always promoting .co.uk, it's hardly surprising that it is the most trust-inspiring extension.

 

[HariSeldon]

Why do domainers prefer some extensions over others?

Any established domainer with a strong portfolio of .co.uk will quite naturally (whether consciously or subconsciously) champion .co.uk over those upstart .org.uk domains.

Domainers are only human (alledgedly ) and have a vested interest in discouraging other extensions from weakening the value of their own assets - and you can't really blame them!

 

[accelerator]

If you are looking to develop domains, then it depends on your marketing strategy as to how important the extension is. If you are going for a pure SEO approach, I would say the extension becomes less critical. I develop domains in a variety of extensions, although I do try and get the .com / .co.uk if it's available, but I don't mind developing in lesser extensions.

If I was going to spend marketing budget on promoting the domain, I would want .com / .co.uk.

If I was looking to trade domains, then extension becomes very important too. There is much better profit to be made if you have the key domain extensions. That's because normally the domain buyers will be interested in marketing or branding the domain, where extension is critical.

Rgds

 

[doodlebug]

Good thread Mike and Accelerator is right with what he says, as far as I am concerned if I can get a .me.uk ranked then why not ?

 

[Edwin]

If you look at the top 50 largest e-tailers in the UK (according to Hitwise) there are 22 .co.uk sites, 27 .com sites and 1 .net site

http://www.hitwise.com/uk/press-centre/press-releases/imrg-hot-shops-feb-10/

 

[julian]

very true - thats why I like to mix it up a bit with cantankerous comments

Domainers are only human (alledgedly ) and have a vested interest in discouraging other extensions from weakening the value of their own assets - and you can't really blame them!

 

[julian]

If you look at the top 50 largest e-tailers in the UK (according to Hitwise) there are 22 .co.uk sites, 27 .com sites and 1 .net site

http://www.hitwise.com/uk/press-centre/press-releases/imrg-hot-shops-feb-10/

yes - did you notice all the generic/keyword .co.uk's in that list..

 

[Edwin]

For the nth time...

If you're a huge household name, you don't NEED a generic (though you could still benefit from buying it and redirecting it to your existing website).

If you're in the 99.99999% of businesses that won't make the Top 50 list, then there's probably a lot more upside in making good use of a generic - the more obscure you currently are, the more upside there will be in harnessing that generic for SEO, PPC, offline promotion, word-of-mouth marketing and so on.

There are 2,150,000 businesses registered for VAT/PAYE in the UK (according to the government stats at the link below).
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1238

Of the above, 58% are incorporated companies i.e. approx 1,250,000 companies.

Approx. half of the businesses in the UK have websites i.e. at least 625,000 corporate websites. (Of course, some will have MANY websites, but that's a low estimate of the number of distinct Ltd or Plc companies with sites)

Now how many of those are household names? 5,000? 10,000? 25,000?

Even if we choose the (very high) third estimate, that leaves 600,000 businesses that have found a need to be on the web yet which people are unlikely to be seeking out in any significant number starting from a "brand" search. Not to mention the other 50% of businesses that don't yet have a web presence (many of them will need one in future).

That's a LOT of market for good generic domains!

Quick test: without using a search engine, but just from "knowledge", can you name 3 companies offering
- chicken coops
- dog sitting
- tax preparation
- camping furniture
?

Each of the above niches (picked at random) has at least 10 companies competing for Adwords (and MANY more companies competing in the organic SERPS), yet I'd be amazed if you could name even one or two companies that service any of the niches. Very few household names there - yet plenty of money being spent on the fight to be "first in mind" when potential customers come looking for that product or service...

Page through the Yell listings at http://www.yell.com/k/popular+searches.html and you'll very quickly come to realise that there are literally THOUSANDS of business categories in which numerous companies compete (often quite ferociously) to win business, yet where it's highly unlikely that anyone knows of a "leading brand".

 

[julian]

Edwin..

For the nth time...

If you're a huge household name, you don't NEED a generic (though you could still benefit from buying it and redirecting it to your existing website).

If you're in the 99.99999% of businesses that won't make the Top 50 list, then there's probably a lot more upside in making good use of a generic - the more obscure you currently are, the more upside there will be in harnessing that generic for SEO, PPC, offline promotion, word-of-mouth marketing and so on.

There are 2,150,000 businesses registered for VAT/PAYE in the UK (according to the government stats at the link below).
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1238

Of the above, 58% are incorporated companies i.e. approx 1,250,000 companies.

Approx. half of the businesses in the UK have websites i.e. at least 625,000 corporate websites. (Of course, some will have MANY websites, but that's a low estimate of the number of distinct Ltd or Plc companies with sites)

Now how many of those are household names? 5,000? 10,000? 25,000?

Even if we choose the (very high) third estimate, that leaves 600,000 businesses that have found a need to be on the web yet which people are unlikely to be seeking out in any significant number starting from a "brand" search. Not to mention the other 50% of businesses that don't yet have a web presence (many of them will need one in future).

That's a LOT of market for good generic domains!

Quick test: without using a search engine, but just from "knowledge", can you name 3 companies selling
- chicken coops
- dog sitting services
- tax preparation
- camping furniture
?

Each of the above niches (picked at random) has at least 10 companies competing for Adwords, yet I'd be amazed if you could name even one or two companies that service any of the niches. Very few household names there - yet plenty of money being spent on the fight to be "first in mind" when potential customers come looking for that product or service...

 

[ScottJ]

If you took a snap shop of companies who traded online 10/15 years ago I am sure many didn't bother that now do, so comparing a current list of top e-tailers with those that use generics would be misleading due to the infancy of the net.

Perhaps that will change in another 10 years?
You cannot presently measure the use of generics by lists of companies that have spent the last 20-100 years using traditional media to brand themselves, moving forward and not having only 4 or 5 TV channels starting afresh would branding not be harder than ever and more costly to get the same level of awareness?

I don't know but it will be interesting to watch new large players emerge and how they do it.

 

[doodlebug]

Good posts people, more useful and educational information from Edwin.
Thanks

 

[miked]

Some very interesting answers here. Agree that .coms and .co.uks have such weight behind them due to public awareness and past investment that they're going to be #1 for the forseeable future. Question is whether other domains are worth the investment in time and money it'd take to make them saleable. Suspect if a .info or .org.uk was developed so that it had a sizeable stream of visiotrs then it'd be easier to convince end users of value. As domains alone, though, perhaps not.

Oh well, have bought a .info that looks ok and will give it a go. Only £3.50, so not exactly a disaster if unsuccessful.