Should I Buy A .CO Domain?

I have been sitting and silently watching the progression of the .co launch, and what a launch it has been. With some 340,000 domains registered up until this point in time, the question that really is being passed around left right and centre is this. Should I buy a .co domain?

Truth be told, I registered two domains, and have plans to register a few more shortly. I have two absolute corkers as well. When registering, the first thing that I noticed is that you can almost register anything that you want, as the availability is so damn high! But, the bottom line is this. Is it worth my time to invest cash in a .co domain, then invest time in developing the site, or trying to sell the domain to a separate buyer? Here are my thoughts on the matter.

In the initial sales for the domain, it was not completely clarion whether or not the new TLD would take off or not. I was skeptic, and a lot of people around me were very skeptic at the same time. The general consensus was that .co was not seen as being a global domain name, at the same time, it could very well end up going down the path of the .info domain, or even worse, completely die off all together.

Is .CO A Global Or Local Domain?

If we look at how localised domains work, it is really quite simple. A localised domain (eg, .com.au, .co.uk, etc) will almost always receive preferential treatment in the country of its origin. For example, if you create a website on hunting crocodiles with the Australian TLD, you will more than likely show up less on a global scale than you would in Australia. This is how these domains are treated in Google, and accordingly, if you want a global audience, you are going to want to go for a global domain, something like a .com, or a .net.

So, the origins of the .co domain are that it was the original localised domain for the country of Columbia, so anyone who was planning on investing originally may have had this in the back of their head. Would it have been hard to compete with these domain names, was it worth it, and ultimately, would the domain be classified by Google as a global domain.

The good news is that .co domains are now recognised at a global domain by Google, which really does put this TLD in the same category as a .com, a .net, and even a .org. What’s better news is that there are only 300,000 of the domains registered, so right now, your chances of getting a great domain name are as high as they ever will be. Not only that, but a .co will be recognised on a global scale equally.

So, should you invest in a .co domain?

Personally, I haven’t done my testing too much just yet (it is currently in progress, expect a report soon!), however, I think that like all new things, if you don’t jump on board now, then you may very well miss out if it really does explode into something much bigger than anyone first expected. Keep in mind as well that .co is now the newest global domain, so my advice is to get in, register a few while you can, as you will more than likely get some good results from them, and plenty of demand in due time as well.

How Can I Find A Good .CO Domain?

The next key is in finding that right domain, and this is where I will leave you. My advice is to open up your copy of Market Samurai (If you dont have it, go grab it), and research a great niche, and pick a domain that is rich, and has commercial potential. When you have chosen a domain, go grab it at NameCheap, this is my registrar of choice, and is significantly less fuss that GoDaddy and their 10 billion sales pitches that you get before actually being able to pay for the domain.

Good luck! Let me know how you go!