To Develop Non Dot Com Domains or Not???
I often get asked if it is worth developing domains other than dot com TLD’s such as .net, .org, .info etc.
My answer to that is it depends on a few things.
I would NOT recommend putting a great deal of time into developing non dot coms other that ccTLD’s such as .com.au, .co.uk or .in etc as the owners of the .com version of your domain will gain a fair bit of the benefits of your hard work.
I would (and do myself) recommend building mini-sites around .net, .org etc but not a fully developed site. Min sites in my experience produce a much higher rate of return than having the domains parked.
I have no problem in spending time and money building sites on my ccTLD domains as they are usually targeted at the local markets and have a strong domain extention recognition in their respective countries such the .com.au for the Australian market.
I also think that your chances of ranking well in the search engines with ccTLD,s is much better when targeting a local market but you can rank well with almost any name if your Search Engine Optimization is done well.
Jeff | Dec 7, 2008 | Reply
I think if the term is strong enough, a .net or .org can be worth developing. I’ve done this with some sites where the .com version would have cost me 6 figures, which realistically I won’t be able to afford for a while.
Jason | Dec 8, 2008 | Reply
Agree… Developing non dot coms leaves me feeling VERY empty inside… right at the get-go, you know your domain — the first thing people see — is inferior. When researching avail name, I focus exclusively on dot com… eye on the prize!
Jamie Parks | Dec 8, 2008 | Reply
I agree with you Ed, as the popular web currently stands, sites that are developed on non .com extensions stand to experience some diversion in their traffic. On the other hand, come next year, right around this time, there will be 100′s of new TLD’s surfacing like mushrooms in a cow pasture.
Then what?…
Daniel Sanchez | Dec 8, 2008 | Reply
I totally agree, developing a non-dot com will increase the price of the dot com dramatically. On the flip side, the dot com will be left behind in SEs results and you will capture most of the traffic from them. Meaning the dot com owner will have a hard time catching up to your efforts and achievements.
For example I just bought a GEO dot info with “loans” as a suffix. Currently in development, I am certain the domain will be worth more to an end buyer than the dot com because it has traffic, PR, and is earning money. I am targeting loan officers, mortgage brokers, and payday loan stores as my end users.
Daniel Sanchez
Barry Goggin | Dec 8, 2008 | Reply
I agree that in general .com should be the first to get developed. I do think that there is value in developing .net or .org but it depends on the situation. If the .com is parked, I wouldn’t worry about it. The worst case scenario is that they try to play catch-up once they realize there is some value.Even if you lose some visitors to the .com, a good business plan should still make plenty of money. Also there are times where .net or .org are better than the .com e.g. Greenpeace.org