26 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
26 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Domain name - .net or longer .com

by jezter6
22 replies
I'm about to start my first niche site, and per most good domains, the name I wanted was taken in .com format, mainly my domain keyword with HQ at the end. IE: kayakinggearHQ.com where I'd be targeting keyword "kayaking gear". (not my real KW)

Their site was only registered in March and still boasts an "under construction" page, so I doubt they're really going to do much with the site yet.


Or, do I just create a longer brand w/ the keywords using some prefixes and suffix changes something like "TheKayakingGearShop.com" or something similar that would at least get me a .com

Or another direction entirely?
#domain #longer #net
  • Profile picture of the author artflair
    I would definitely go for a .com even if you'll have to add 'hq' in the end or 'i' in the beggining.
    Keep it simple though so it will be easy to remember.
    Good luck
    Art
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742356].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      My opinion is that you need to stay with dot com. It is the domain extension for commercial businesses. Don't settle for a different extension like dot info, dot biz, etc.

      There are other ways to keep the domain short besides using "hq."

      Here are a few "add ons":

      ace - age - alert - all - ally - answer - area - bank - bargain - best - big - bonus - boss - buy - cafe - center - central - city - clan - club - coach - collection - complete - cool - corner - crew - critic - daily - dealer - deals - deluxe - den - depot - digital - diner - direct - door - dream - edge - expert - extra - extreme - ez - fan - fast - find - fine - fool - fox - friend - full - fun - gang - gate - gear - gems - get - gift - global - go - gold - guide - guru - help - hero - hit - home - host - hot - house - hub - hut - index - inn - info - insider - jet - key - king - lane - life - line - link - list - live - loop - lot - main - mall - market - master - mill - mine - mob - my - net - new - niche - nut - oasis - online - only - owner - pal - partner - picks - place - plan - player - port - portal - post - power - pro - pure - resource - ring - riot - road - room - rush - sage - sales - savings - scene - secret - sell - shark - shop - show - site - solo - solution - space - spot - store - studio - style - supply - system - talk - team - time - tips - top - tools - tour - town - try - usa - value - view - way - web - whiz - wide - wild - wire - wolf - works - world - xs - zone

      Of course they all won't fit . . . but I'd be surprised if you couldn't find a good one.

      Good luck to you,

      Steve
      Signature

      Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
      SteveBrowneDirect

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742426].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Nuno
        The best option would be to buy the domain for a fair amount instead of settling with a worse variation.
        Signature
        I have 15+ years of experience & millions of visitors (I'm also a warrior since 2002)!
        NunoAlex.com explains how I can help.         I'm looking for a limited number of serious partners.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742500].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author jezter6
          Originally Posted by Nuno View Post

          The best option would be to buy the domain for a fair amount instead of settling with a worse variation.
          I'd be interested, at a reasonable price. It's not like it's a "great" domain name...and they've sat on it for almost a year.

          How would one contact a domain owner when the whois is privacy protected and all they have is a pre-launch signup on the main page that doesn't even work?
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8743113].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jezter6
    Well, the thing is I was going to do <keyword>HQ.com, but they have it...

    so I was looking at <keyword>hq.net.

    do buyers buy on sites like i<keyword>.com or e<keyword>.com anymore?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742376].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
      Originally Posted by jezter6 View Post

      Well, the thing is I was going to do <keyword>HQ.com, but they have it...

      so I was looking at <keyword>hq.net.

      do buyers buy on sites like i<keyword>.com or e<keyword>.com anymore?
      I'm sure they do. Adding an i or something of the sorts that is easy to remember and can be passed on via word of mouth adds a bit of a personal touch.

      Compare "securityguardtraining.net" vs. "securityguardtraininghq.com"
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8744205].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author big tymer
    I prefer .com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742390].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mrgoe
    yeah, go for a .com, although I`ve ranked multiple .nets with ease..
    Signature
    Worked as a senior editor on ThePricer.org, experienced in financial topics
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742397].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Victor Edson
    Since most people skim when they read, a certain percentage of people will be assuming you're a .com

    For this reason, I always use a .com even though ANYTHING can work.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742411].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Patrick Brown
    Banned
    .COM are always recommended though a serious person who wants to engage in whatever you're vending will not care.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742507].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Igman
    I would definitely buy a .com domain.

    I prefer brandable names to exact keyword match names.

    Traffic volume, content quality, and sale amount - are the only important things that make a site important and valuable.

    Keep it simple

    Good luck,
    Igman
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8742987].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author markos86
    .COM are always recommended, i would definitely go for .com domain
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8743120].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Nuno
      The email "visible" on the whois privacy page should forward to their real email.
      Best of luck!
      Signature
      I have 15+ years of experience & millions of visitors (I'm also a warrior since 2002)!
      NunoAlex.com explains how I can help.       I'm looking for a limited number of serious partners.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8743136].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Stockphoto
    It's always a bit of a trade-off. Comes down to how you intend to use your domain name. I think for the keywords you are using it for, IMHO, either .com or .net would be fine ("HQ" or not).

    Good luck!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8743655].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dev Pandey
    I would suggest to stay with .com only. Today also people like to prefer .com website. Point is not only for ranking purpose, but it give good impression as well. I have couple of websites with .info and .co.in. The issue which i faced was, these extension become geo targeted. Even GWT also considers it same.i.e. target for some specific country traffic. If your plan is to target globally, preference would be to .com only.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8743778].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Stefan Shields
    .com wins every time in my opinion.

    I would only ever go for something else if I just could not find a suitable domain.

    If you have big plans then it is definitely better to get a .com
    Signature

    Please contribute to my university research into how generative AI is transforming digital marketing strategies

    Survey Link

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8743789].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Meharis
    Originally Posted by jezter6 View Post

    I'm about to start my first niche site, and per most good domains, the name I wanted was taken in .com format, mainly my domain keyword with HQ at the end. IE: kayakinggearHQ.com where I'd be targeting keyword "kayaking gear". (not my real KW)

    Their site was only registered in March and still boasts an "under construction" page, so I doubt they're really going to do much with the site yet.


    Or, do I just create a longer brand w/ the keywords using some prefixes and suffix changes something like "TheKayakingGearShop.com" or something similar that would at least get me a .com

    Or another direction entirely?

    jezter6,

    "KAYAKGEARHQ.COM". & "KAYAKINGSUPPLIESHQ.COM"
    are available right now.

    Meharis
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8744923].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ricky Allen
    Well kayakrafting.com is available and could be a good choice for you.

    Ricky Allen
    Signature
    http://www.charityshopprofit.com/
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8744944].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jezter6
    Kayaks are not my niche...just an example...

    But I can see that looking for other synonyms might help, so thanks for the suggestions folks.

    I sent an email this morning to the whois privacy email. I tried a generic "webmaster@<domain>.com" which came back unavailable, so they don't have a catch-all email set up for the domain.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8745179].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Meharis
      Originally Posted by jezter6 View Post

      Kayaks are not my niche...just an example...

      .

      Next time mention that up front. Help to get helped...

      Meharis
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8745411].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    Get a dot com domain name. People do not need to remember what extension to use. For example, do type in pepsi . net or pepsi . com. Think about it as most people use dot com in a company name. The worst one to get is dot info as that one was used by spammers many years ago. Back when you could get it for a dollar and people would grab a bunch of low hanging fruit which is now gone.
    Signature
    http://www.seobro.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8745256].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author tdcoltharp
    Personally, as I have seen it, having something different than a dot com is actually an advantage. One it is uniqueness, I have talked to many folks about online business' and the one thing they always ask is what's your dot com sites. When I mention that mine is a dot us they are a bit taken back. Each time though they remember it more than a dot com simply because it is different. When looking at a business and a standpoint of selling and making money sure you can go with a dot com and be the same as many others. On the flipside of that though to stand out, to be unique, to be pointed to a site that is not the same as all the others. That can help you. It may not seem like it at first but as more and more go to your site the word of mouth spreads and the uniqueness follows. Just my opinion.
    Also just for a thought when the big wave of the internet started and online started becoming more of a popularity there were not so many domains to choose from dot com, dot net, and dot org, were essentially the only three. That's the reason why most of the major companies that have been in business for many years are dot com. Now you have dot me, dot ws, dot us and many others.
    IMHO I would go with something else than a dot com. Breaking away from the norm can be to an advantage.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8745489].message }}

Trending Topics