Comments on: Premium TLDs: Not All Domain Extensions Are Created Equal

By: shwan martin

shwan martin — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:07:00 +0000

Nice post. Thnx

By: Washington Post Commissions Artist Illustration of New TLDs

Washington Post Commissions Artist Illustration of New TLDs — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:21:51 +0000

[...] a moment to look closely over all the proposed extensions. There is actually a great selection of Premium TLDs including .RUN, .NEW, .CHANEL, .SPACE, .CHURCH, .PAPER, .FUTURE; which I have not seen any group [...]

By: How .Free Plans to Earn a Profit Giving Away Free Domains

How .Free Plans to Earn a Profit Giving Away Free Domains — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:36:19 +0000

[...] am skeptical because Not all TLDs are created equal. A major portion of TLD launch success rides on how it is managed. Taking that out of mind, I would [...]

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:50:40 +0000

.co does have a multitude of possible relevant meanings, however it all comes down to the serps love google gives it or not. Though it might be possible to monetize the domains, depending on how big the hype is surrounding .co

what .co really needs is some big names to pop up on it. Imagine if pepsi would jump onboard (pepsi.co which is already their companies name). The more already legitimate companies with good link juice get onboard the better off everyone is with a .co domain.

By: Web Designer, London

Web Designer, London — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:09:05 +0000

.Com is certainly the most important domain and ranks higher on search engines. Although TLD is important those who have websites on non .com TLD's need not worry. It is easy to change your domain and set up the right redicrects so all your search ranking or old incoming links are not affected.

By: Mark Fulton

Mark Fulton — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:41:38 +0000

Thanks for your comment Bill, interesting look at .net. As I mentioned to Leonard above, I do feel it can be a good option. My comments system automatically creates links for .net domains, but not other extensions… point proof it's widely adopted. :) I removed a link, which is why its showing moderated.

By: Mark Fulton

Mark Fulton — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:49:41 +0000

You are right, search engines do recognize .net as a widely used extension and they have no problems ranking and will benefit from keywords just like .com.

I just can't get past the stigma that .net has of being second best. Additionally, I haven't had problems finding a .com alternative.

Thank you for your comment and sharing your preferences. Congratulations on your big sale!

By: Mark Fulton

Mark Fulton — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:44:47 +0000

Thanks for your comment Andrew. This article highlights what I feel are the very best extensions for general use. I probably should have expanded more on ccTLDs because there are many premium GEO and generic options available in any of them.

I did indeed leave out .INFO. Slipped my mind! I will say that the very low registration price tag on .info hurts the overall brand of the extension. Thanks again for your insight.

By: Bill Fish

Bill Fish — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:03:12 +0000

Some of the .net domains are going very cheaply, despite the fact that they are universally recognized and get indexed by search engines quite well. I'm happy to see the buying opportunities. And so far as relevance, you are speaking from the perspective of someone who is familiar with the intent of the extension – which most people don't know about or care about.

The .net extension is still widely used in many countries around the world. If you need a reason to give it relevance, how about as a network – as in social network? Taking Andrew's example of hysterectomy,net, here's a network where those are dealing with hysterectomies can find support, share information and locate the best doctors, hospitals and resources.

This is a useful concept, and not a stretch. .net is way ahead of any new extension because it is an established TLD with a long history of worldwide use, value and recognition. I think domainers who see it as the “I couldn't afford the .com” TLD are missing an opportunity.

By: Andrew Douglas

Andrew Douglas — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:29:46 +0000

I think you gave ccTLDs the short end of the stick by essentially saying that none of the "local only" ccTLDs are premiums. I think this is old school thinking by US domain investors. I think people paying high 5 and 6 figures for ccTLDs ranging all over the globe shows that attitude is changing. You may want to add a disclaimer to your post as I'm not sure you were really intending to neglect ccTLDs for local purposes like that.

Regarding .US, I am simultaneously excited and afraid for the .US extension as it's made great strides but is still struggling to even come level with .net in the US as far as domain investors are concerned. Local US businesses have really started to take to it though and I see more local tv ads for .US domains now than any other TLD other than .COM and .ORG. I see a lot more upside to .US than .net moving forward and so I continue to cherry pick great .US domains.

You also completely missed .INFO which IMO is the best gTLD behind .COM and .ORG (for it's specific uses). Is it premium? Well, I've done well enough with .INFOs that I continue to invest in them, but really, premium comes down more to the keywords and the relevance to the extension than anything else. For example, hysterectomy.TV is not going to net you much, hysterectomy.ME is available for registration but hysterectomy.INFO would easily go for 4 figures and hysterectomy.ORG would probably be very close to the .COM in the low to mid 5 figures. Notice I completely ignored hysterectomy.NET because it has absolutely no relevance.

By: Leonard Britt

Leonard Britt — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:17:12 +0000

There are many differing opinions on the value of certain extensions while nearly all domainers agree .COM is king as that is where most sales occur. Personally I like .Net as the search engines seem to rank .Net domains well. They sell for prices much lower than .COM but are more easily obtained. I have a two-word .Net sale in process which will make DNJ once the transaction clears. I like .TV for branding purposes but recognize they still don't have the acceptance in the business community of .COM. I have no plans to acquire .Me, .Tel or .CO domains and currently hold no .US domains.

By: Dan Vonderhiede

Dan Vonderhiede — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:57:14 +0000

As a Geo.tv owner, I'm stoked about Google TV – and grateful for your pumpitude!