Question On Using .net Domains In Offline Advertising

9 replies
I'm trying a new way to advertise one of my business ventures. I'm going to start advertising it offline in classified ads and other offline sources.

Of course the perfect .com domain is already taken, and the owner has no interest in selling. The .net is available.

Which do you think is a better option?

Advertising the .net domain name (I was going to use all caps ".NET")
www.MyDomainName.NET

or

Finding a close .com domain name


I'm just wondering if anyone has any results on people using .net in offline advertising but having the customer enter .com when they get back to their computer. The biggest one I've heard of before was the Poker Sites advertising their .net "training sites" on ESPN knowing the people would probably enter .com when they got to their computers and go to the real poker playing sites.

I've used .net, .info and others in various online advertising (PPC, Directories, Article Marketing) because they are usually just links people have to click.

Thanks,

Dennis Graves
#advertising #domains #net #offline #question
  • Profile picture of the author momo4444
    For offline advertising, I agree with you about the customer getting back to their computer and typing .com. Is the .com version a working website or just parked?

    I would go with a .com version.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      If they read it from an ad as they type it in, there is a greater likelihood they will type it in as .net. What you may have is people type it in as "mydomainnamenet.com".

      If they hear it on radio or see/hear it on TV or otherwise have to rely on memory, there is a greater chance they will type in .com simply because that's what sticks in people's minds.

      If you use .net, you will need to add extra emphasis to the .net so that it really sticks in people's memories.

      My preference would still be for a .com if at all possible. Otherwise with .net, no matter how well you promote and emphasize it, you'll still end up sending some amount of traffic to the .com site.
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    • Profile picture of the author AceOfShirts
      Originally Posted by momo4444 View Post

      Is the .com version a working website or just parked?

      I would go with a .com version.

      The .com version is being used, but from a different direction to the same business that I want to use it for. I contacted the owner and tried to buy his customer mailing list but he never responded. I also told him my idea hoping he would join and email the offer to his customers. He never replied.

      I'm trying to find a close .com version now.

      Thanks,

      Dennis Graves
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  • Profile picture of the author timapps
    Hi Dennis,

    I have been building sites for a long time and doing a lot of SEO.
    Here are My Guidelines For Picking A Domain In A Niche Market I buy a lot of domains.

    Here are my guidelines for selecting a domain for a niche website.

    1. I want a .com almost always. There will be times when a niche is too competitive to find a reasonable .com and in that case you can find a .org (first) or a .net (if the .org isn’t available).
    2. I want the main keywords for that niche in the domain. If the niche is “pet insurance,” I want the domain petinsurance.com. If that’s not available, try “bestpetinsurance.com.” If that’s not available, try “petinsurancesecrets.com.” If that’s not available, try something else (maybe petinsuranceworld.com or petinsurancesite.com or something like that.) Or, try putting dashes (-) in between the keywords (like pet-insurance.com)
    3. I want the shortest domain with my keywords in it first, and then if that’s not possible, add other keywords to it (best, secrets, world, …). If you have to add 2 words to get a good domain, tray adding the dashes to the domain to get a short one.
    4. Use your brain on this to get the domain that makes the most sense for that niche. For example, BestDogObedienceTraining.com makes sense, but DogObedienceTrainingSecrets.com is better, and DogObedienceTrainingWorld.com isn’t very good. Just try to think of what would be the best for getting someone who is looking for “pet insurance” to click and come to the site. What domain would they be most likely to believe will have the answer for them.

    Hope this helps.


    Cheers
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    The Web Design People"
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  • Profile picture of the author AceOfShirts
    timapps,

    Thanks for you input, but your tips are mostly for online SEO optimization. I'm trying to find the best way to market a domain name offline. I already have a good domain name for online.

    Thanks,

    Dennis
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  • Profile picture of the author ayaw
    Hi Dennis,

    If your domain is short (1 words) it's fine to use .NET for Offline Advertising. But If your domain contain 2 words or more, you should use .COM

    for example:
    happy.net <-- the .net will be memorizable
    gethappy.net <-- this is bad... because more likely, people will forget the .net

    all the best,
    ayaw
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    • Profile picture of the author JoshuaG
      Go with something related and catchy ending in .com

      Consumers expect .com
      They default websites as .com in their memory and mind
      The image of the internet is built on .com
      Every popular and successful consumer website that is big is a .com
      Consumers associate .com with success and professionalism.


      .net's are typically used for online / tech related products and services.
      Unless you are offering a online/tech product or website avoid the .net

      Public consciousness is public consciousness.

      Use it to your advantage.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Ogden
    Dennis I do a little bit of offline marketing for a .net site, mainly using the phone and am getting good results, I do not own the .com site and my site is number 2 position below the .com site in search engine results, but I think I actually get spillover from the .com site where the owner does a lot of media advertising.

    So what I am saying is the .net site works for me.
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    David Ogden an Entrepreneur at Markethive which uses a suite of free marketing tools to promote his opportunity. Contact:- Telegram @davidogden

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