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Question About DIrectory Domain Name

by NathanO
5 replies
Hey guys,

I am looking to start a local directory website in one of new zealand's cities. What I am wondering is if I need to purchase a .co.nz, or .nz domain? I am worried that I may not rank for a particular keyword "xxxxx in wellington" since there are other parts in the world that are also named wellington. Would a .com or .net domain work fine? Thanks for your help.
#directory #domain #question
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by NathanO View Post

    What I am wondering is if I need to purchase a .co.nz, or .nz domain?
    .co.nz domains are common. .net.nz domains are common. Both end in .nz and rank the same.

    Both will rank preferentially on searches made from google.co.nz at the expense of their overall ranking on google.com.

    I don't think there are any domains that are just "domain-name.nz" without the ".co" or ".net" or ".whatever" before the ".nz", are there? Even google.nz seems not to exist?

    Originally Posted by NathanO View Post

    I am worried that I may not rank for a particular keyword "xxxxx in wellington" since there are other parts in the world that are also named wellington.
    If ranking's important to you, you ought to know, also, that hosting the site in New Zealand will help you to rank there, in two ways: (i) server location is something that Google takes into account for national rankings, and they say so openly; and (ii) download-speed is also relevant to local rankings.

    Originally Posted by NathanO View Post

    Would a .com or .net domain work fine?
    They'll both work the same way as each other (but that's a different way from how the net.nz and .co.nz domains will work.)

    Whether you'd want to build a site/business on a domain-name of which the .com variant already belongs to someone else is, of course, a whole different question, and not an SEO-based one. (I probably wouldn't.)

    .
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      I would look for a great dot com name. But that's just me. It won't help you rank any better or worse than other extensions. It's just that dot com is the preferred extension for commercial business. All other factors being equal, a dot com name will sell for more when you get to that point in your business.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author NathanO
        Thanks for the help guys. Since I want to rank on a specific keyword and want to include that keyword on the domain name, will a .co.nz rank any different/better that a .com or .net?
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by NathanO View Post

          Since I want to rank on a specific keyword and want to include that keyword on the domain name, will a .co.nz rank any different/better that a .com or .net?
          As explained above, a .co.nz will rank better from searches made on google.co.nz and less well on google.com searches. (Especially if the site's also hosted inside New Zealand.)

          A .com or .net (both the same as each other for all ranking purposes) will rank a little better on google.com searches and a little less well on google.co.nz searches.

          And here's Google's own yellow-boy Cutts saying (basically) the same thing (or mentioning it in passing, anyway, while the primary question he was addressing in this clip was "server location") ...


          Whether you'd want to build a site/business on a domain-name of which the .com variant already belongs to someone else is, of course, a whole different question, and not an SEO-based one. (I probably wouldn't.)

          .
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      • Profile picture of the author NathanO
        Got it! Thanks Lexy
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