Should I purchase a '.com' or a '.co.nz' domain name?
This article points out some of the significant factors you should be thinking about when deciding whether to register a '.com' or a '.co.nz' domain name.
Initially the steps involved in choosing a domain name for your website seem to be a reasonably clear-cut process:
- brainstorm & choose a name that identifies your business or service offering
- make sure it's available for purchase (i.e. not already taken by someone else)
- pay the fee required to register the domain
But it is not such a clear-cut process. In reality choosing the right domain name requires meticulous thought and consideration. Aside from the branding and Search Engine optimisation implications of selecting a memorable and keyword rich domain name, there are also various target audience and brand protection considerations to be made.
Firstly let's take a quick look at the components that make up a domain name.
Domain name structure
By and large a domain name consists of two or more words separated by a period (dot). The last word (e.g. '.net) is called the 'top-level domain' (TLD), while the first word or (combination of words) is referred to as the 'mid level domain'. For example, the website address www.examplebusiness.com has a '.com' TLD, while the words 'examplebusiness' form the 'mid level domain'. Taking this explanation further, you can also have country specific top level domains (referred to as ccTLDs) such as '.co.za' or '.co.uk'.
Now that we have looked at the fundamentals of domain name structure, we can take a look at two of the key things you need to think about when deciding which variation/s of your chosen domain name you should register.
What should I think about when choosing between a '.com' or a '.co.nz'?
Consideration 1 - Target audience location
Search Engines use the top level domain of a website (among other things) to help identify the audience the website is trying to reach. Therefore, if your business or website is targeting an audience predominantly located in Australia, then you really should register and use the '.com.au' version of whatever domain name you choose. By using a country specific top level domain (ccTLD) such as '.com.au' you are sending a strong signal to the Search Engines that your business or website is based in Australia, and therefore your website is more likely to appear in the search results when searched for by users located in Australia.
If on the other hand you wish to target several countries, then using a country code TLD is not the best option. Instead we suggest using a generic top level domain (gTLD) such as '.com' or '.net' that does not have any specific country/region associated with it.
Consideration 2 - Brand protection
Numerous companies overlook the importance of protecting their brand by failing to register the most popular TLD variations of their domain name. Once you've decided on the domain name you wish to register we recommend that you check to see if other variations of the domain are also available for purchase. For example, if you choose to register example-business.co.nz it would also be wise to check the availability of example-business.com. If you register multiple domain names you are taking practical steps toward protecting your brand and online identity from competitors who might register similar domain names to yours in an attempt to draw potential customers away from your website.
Note: Just because you are purchasing alternative versions of your domain doesn't mean that you actually have to use them to promote your website - you can simply choose to redirect these versions to your chosen domain. That way, anyone who enters an alternative version of your domain into their browser would automatically be redirected to your website.
In summary, we recommend that if you are targeting an audience in a specific country, then it pays to make use of the country code TLD (ccTLD) of the target country. This will go a long way toward helping you to achieve better rankings in your preferred geographic location. Additionally, if you're at all worried about protecting your brand online, we strongly suggest registering other TLD variations of your chosen domain.
Questions and Answers
I’ve seen clients pay upwards of tens of thousands of dollars for SEO services, only to find that they’ve been banned from the search engines entirely. With these basic tips, you can save yourself time, money and headaches
In SEO: Search Engine Industry Terms Of – Pa we detailed several key terms associated with the search engine optimization industry. Understanding these terms is a critical, prerequisite aspect of becoming successful on the web. In the last installment of the series we discussed terms such as Off and On-Page Optimization – SEO conducted both onsite and offsite, and more.
This article discusses the basics of SEO, short for "search engine optimization" and is divided into the following sections: overview of search; definition of SEO; and types of SEO.
In SEO: Search Engine Industry Terms Ls – No, 5 key terms related to search engine optimization and search engine marketing overall were discussed. These included the terms LSI – terms related to primary keywords, Meta Data – terms used to describe a site, and more.
Search Engines are revolutionizing the world of advertising. The CPC or PPC advertising has made it easy to get traffic fast and this traffic is also targeted. The Big Boys usually prefer SEM over SEO because SEO is time consuming and they want fast results
With so much buzz around SEO and how it can be so helpful with your online presence, don't you think that it is important that you know what it is? This article will cover the basics of general and safe SEO.
Are all the good names taken? With a little creativity you can still have a name that is right for you.
Domain Name Registration is the most basic step in setting up a website. Like every individual has a unique name, the website also requires a name so that it can be distinguished from others and can be referred to on the internet.
The reason why function difficult to create cash whenever site domain parking requires very little work as well as will pay nicely? Your decision: focus on the site in order to buying and selling domains or even NOT REALLY focus on the site but still buying and selling domains. It's a hard option!
Believe it or not, the decision of selecting a domain name for a business owner is as important as selecting the title of a book for an author. This is because the title (or domain name) would communicate the crux of the book (or site) in an easy way. It is therefore important that the domain name of a business should be selected after proper research.
Often people have queries related to how to build a website and what components are required to build a website? If you are also among those people who have these questions, here is a step by step guide that can help you in building an online presence.
Back in July Google revealed the first of many changes to be rolled out to their Google Places pages over coming months.
Research performed by leading technology research and advisory company, Gartner, has projected that by 2013 mobile devices will have overtaken desktop computers and laptops as the most popular web access device around the globe. While in some countries the uptake is still in its early stages, it is becoming more apparent to web designers that they need to be catering to these mobile devices during the website design and build process.
Have you heard about ‘Facebook Questions? It is a new product which allows users to ask a question and if their friends answer it, friends of their friends can too. So for instance a user might ask ‘What's the best restaurant in Auckland City?' and that user's wider Facebook community can respond.
Google's main priority continues to be, providing users with fast, relevant and quality content in their Search Engine results pages, You most likely read about the March ‘farmer' algorithm update which initially went live in the USA only, receiving mostly positive reviews from users and publishers. Earlier this month, the search giant released the ‘farmer' algorithm update globally, to all English-language Google users.
If you are from New Zealand and are a website owner, chances are you know what Google Places are and have seen these appearing on the Google Search results. The names Twitter Places and Facebook Places may not sound so familiar though. These latter technologies are relatively new and still in production for Kiwi users.
