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Choosing a new domain name: .com .co etc

by tsx
31 replies
Lets say I want to create a site about "blue widgets".

Domains being considered:

1) i-bluewidgets.com
2) blue-widgets.co
3) probluewidgets.com

Any other suggestions? And which one would you choose?
#choosing #domain
  • Profile picture of the author NoviIM
    I would go with choice number 3, sounds more professional and catchy
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  • Profile picture of the author arranrice
    I agree with NoviIM there.
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  • Profile picture of the author James.N
    Another vote for number three here...I always try to stick with dot coms and no hyphens when possible.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Wessman
    Yeah I would pick number 3 as well.

    People are much more likely to remember .com's without hyphens than any other type of address.
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  • Profile picture of the author NoviIM
    Yea another good thing about the domain name is that it is Brandable
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  • Profile picture of the author NoviIM
    Domain name has nothing to do with SEO, that is a myth... You can absolutely still rank high based on this domain name. You just have to put in a good backlinking plan targeting good keywords based on your niche and push high quality backlinks to your site consistently.
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  • Profile picture of the author zaco
    well if your customers will be coming from Google then choose the best domain, I am not a big fan of EMD domains with "-" ( I own two of them) but they are pretty aged but I like generic domains or catchy ones without the -

    It is easier to advertise a site without the dash if you want to use word of mouth which is the best way to let people know what you offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by tsx View Post

    Lets say I want to create a site about "blue widgets".

    Domains being considered:

    1) i-bluewidgets.com
    2) blue-widgets.co
    3) probluewidgets.com

    Any other suggestions? And which one would you choose?
    Of the three you've mentioned, number 2, for SEO purposes, clearly.

    If "blue widgets" is the main keyword for which you want to rank, you need any additional letters/words in the domain-name to be after "blue widgets", not before.

    I might not want to use a .co domain, myself: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5736773

    For SEO purposes, though, it's the same as a .com or any other TLD, as explained here, here, and in many other threads here.
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  • Profile picture of the author MrDay
    I wouldn't get one with hyphens in it at all. Except maybe for an exact keyword domain for a mini niche site.

    But what about bluewidgetspro.com? If that's available. I would try to have the keyword in the very front of the domain rather than at the end of it.

    They do really well in the serps.
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    • Profile picture of the author MBDirect
      Originally Posted by MrDay View Post

      I wouldn't get one with hyphens in it at all. Except maybe for an exact keyword domain for a mini niche site.

      But what about bluewidgetspro.com? If that's available. I would try to have the keyword in the very front of the domain rather than at the end of it.

      They do really well in the serps.
      Kudos to Mr.Day! bluewidgetspro has more going for it if available.

      Always have your keyword first.

      Exact match - i.e. bluewidgets - would be idea but probably taken.

      Don't use hyphens. We are told by at least one SEO expert that Google doesn't count an otherwise exact match keyword as exact match if it contains a hyphen because people donlt type hyphens into their search terms. The debate rages on, but this rationale does make sense, IMHO.

      MBDirect
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by MBDirect View Post

        We are told by at least one SEO expert that Google doesn't count an otherwise exact match keyword as exact match if it contains a hyphen because people donlt type hyphens into their search terms.
        If that's right, he's maybe just someone calling himself an "expert", and perhaps that's because almost nobody else will?

        Matt Cutts has made a video explaining exactly the opposite, and assuring people that that's not true. (I happen to know because - although I can't immediately find it - I've inserted it into posts in previous threads on this subject, myself).

        There may, of course, be other reasons for preferring to avoid hyphens in domain names, but SEO certainly isn't one of them.

        Originally Posted by MrDay View Post

        But what about bluewidgetspro.com?
        That seems a very good suggestion, to me ...
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        • Profile picture of the author tsx
          Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Really appreciate it.
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
            Banned
            Originally Posted by tsx View Post

            we need need it to do well in SEO for stock market.
            I wish you very well with it, but I wouldn't choose it, myself. As mentioned above, and in other threads, if "stock market" is the main keyword for which you want to rank, you really need any additional letters/words in the domain-name to be after "stock market", in the domain-name, not before. This one would be better for ranking for "e stock market" than for "stock market".
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe T
    Vote for #3 for sure, but you could always use the other names to redirect.
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  • Profile picture of the author icegin
    No. 3 would be my preference
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Brass
    Originally Posted by tsx View Post

    Lets say I want to create a site about "blue widgets".

    Domains being considered:

    1) i-bluewidgets.com
    2) blue-widgets.co
    3) probluewidgets.com

    Any other suggestions? And which one would you choose?

    Edit: For the moment we are going with this: eStockMarkets.com
    Does it seem brandable? And we need it to do well in SEO for stock market.
    Number 3. When people go to type in your name, they will often forget that there was a hyphen in it. Also, .co is not as widely known as .com. Plus number 3 just sounds better than the other ones.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jonathan Joseph
    Hi tsx,

    I'd definitely suggest #3. Or another similar domain dame that can relate.
    ie: truebluewidgets.com, bestbluewidgets.com or something like that.

    We have become accustomed to the '.com', and as many studies have proven we as humans can't typing in anything with hyphens or numbers in them. It doesn't come easily to memory.

    Commit your client or prospect to a domain name that is catchy, rymes, is easy to remember, or states a benefit in it.

    Remember..."Less is more"!
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    Jon

    "Success comes when people act together; failure tends to happen alone." -- Deepak Chopra

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  • Profile picture of the author onegoodman
    With all my respect to people who buying .co it is a bad choice for extension.

    if you give me any domain i will assume it is .com now if I get your business card and i am not aware with .co extension (and trust me many people are not). They would probably think there is a written error and hit .com

    now you can imagine, the free traffic you will be providing for .com owner
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  • Profile picture of the author Woodward82
    Kudos to Mr.Day! bluewidgetspro has more going for it if available.
    I was thinking the same thing before I read any of the replies, I did a check and its available. I would go with this option for my vote
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  • Profile picture of the author Usmile
    I'll go for number one, unique and timely.
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  • Profile picture of the author Seo Mall
    I'd pick this one:
    1) i-bluewidgets.com
    Sounds very stylishly.
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  • Profile picture of the author gasman
    It sounds odd, but more important than the name is what keywords you are trying to get ranked if SEO is your plan of action. Having the keyword in your domain name or even better an exact keyword domain will help you rank higher faster. Also most people feel that .com or .net seem to rank better and that is my experience as well. Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author TonyBabb
    Yes, number 3 in this case. Easy to remember and it's a .com. The others could easily get typed in wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I don't like hyphens so I'd have to pick 3 also
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  • Profile picture of the author loi77
    Definitely No.3
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  • Profile picture of the author UniRS
    I would always stick with .com's than .co's. I noticed that my sales went higher when I went back to my original .com domain rather than my .co domain. .co domains are also expensive.
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  • Profile picture of the author nilaeslit
    Originally Posted by tsx View Post

    Lets say I want to create a site about "blue widgets".

    Domains being considered:

    1) i-bluewidgets.com
    2) blue-widgets.co
    3) probluewidgets.com

    Any other suggestions? And which one would you choose?
    I'd go for option number 3. It looks professional.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ray Wilson
    Definitely number 3, because I would always avoid hyphens. People don't remember hyphens.

    Some time ago it still was an SEO "trick" to get the keywords in URL, but today Google is too smart to play childish domain name games with them.

    Keyword in the URL is all cool but you want it to appeal to real human beings, not only bots.

    The extensions .co .cc .com are also of minor difference I feel. Google hasn't strictly said that they don't rank the .co .cc so well as .com .net .org. Not at least with certainty.

    I have a few .co and .us and they rank well.

    It all comes down to off-page SEO and fundamental on-page SEO.

    Cheers,
    Ray
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Ray Wilson View Post

      Google hasn't strictly said that they don't rank the .co .cc so well as .com .net .org. Not at least with certainty.
      I don't know how/where ".cc" crept into the conversation, but Google has said with completely certainty and openness that .co domains rank exactly the same as any international TLD.

      There's no ambiguity about this - it's factual: there are three domain-name extensions which were originally geographic/country-specific ones, that now rank exactly the same as all the TLD's, and those are ".co" (originally for Colombia), ".tv" (originally for Tuvalu) and ".me" (originally for Montenegro). No secret about it.
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      • Profile picture of the author mattshort
        Go with .com (.net and .org are okay and .org have been noted for being as good or a little better than .com... but if you ever want to sell the site go with .com)

        Back to main question:

        Use Keyword(s).com and if not available look at adding a letter at the end instead of dashes or words in front. Google will ignore the last letter at the end.

        Matt
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        Matt Short
        The Quiet Marketer
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