Recently, .CO domains became available to the general public for domain web hosting. They had been shopped to select major companies during “sunrise” and “landrush” phases for the months prior to opening to everyone, and a lot of the shorter, and most desirable names were quickly snapped up. Also, around 70% of the Fortune 500 brands were bought by the companies, including Nike, eBay, Coca-Cola, Apple and Amazon. Nevertheless, a good number remain, and very likely some that would work well for many marketers and site owners. The question now is, why would one want or need a .CO and how could it benefit you.
The form of .CO domain name came into being in 1999, when it was assigned as a country specific domain of Columbia. Fast forward to 2009, when the owner of the TLD, .CO Internet S.A.S. won the right to sell the extension globally and to the public when it was determined that .CO has a particularly good association in people’s minds with business and commerce, and the country of Colombia decided it would be wise to cash in on that popularity.
A major part of the appeal lies in several factors. The pool of available .com domain names is constantly shrinking, and there are already calls for a larger supply, or perhaps a different system altogether. Before that happens, however, expect the alphabet to be exhausted and the market to tighten even further.
The possibility of getting a short, memorable domain name is what is driving this excitement, along with the obvious associations. It can be a breath of fresh air to companies seeking to brand on a global scale using a more relevant, shorter name.
There have already been some very large sales of the prime .CO domain names. Overstock, one of the leading online retailers, spent a whopping $350,000 for Overstock.CO and E.CO went for some $81,000.
They are not the only people shelling out money for these. A common garden variety .CO domain will run about $30, roughly three times what you would pay for a .COM.
There is already a domain name aftermarket for .CO domains, as well, with prices ranging from $250 to $1,521,200 for London-2012.CO. (What a steal!)
The question for a site owner or webmaster is: Would this domain extension, if I was able to secure it with a good turn of phrase, be any more beneficial than a straight .com, .net, or .org? It may well be best suited to companies that are already well-branded, and seeking to expand their borders, or highly targeted niche marketing sites where having the keywords in the domain might make a large difference. For the rest of us seeking the best domain web hosting we can find, we’ll just have to see how it plays out!
Web Hosting: Is Domain Web Hosting with a .CO Extension Right For You? | http://www.intac.net/is-domain-web-hosting-with-a-co-extension-right-for-you_2010-07-30/#ixzz11u8HHpM7
http://www.intac.net/
The form of .CO domain name came into being in 1999, when it was assigned as a country specific domain of Columbia. Fast forward to 2009, when the owner of the TLD, .CO Internet S.A.S. won the right to sell the extension globally and to the public when it was determined that .CO has a particularly good association in people’s minds with business and commerce, and the country of Colombia decided it would be wise to cash in on that popularity.
A major part of the appeal lies in several factors. The pool of available .com domain names is constantly shrinking, and there are already calls for a larger supply, or perhaps a different system altogether. Before that happens, however, expect the alphabet to be exhausted and the market to tighten even further.
The possibility of getting a short, memorable domain name is what is driving this excitement, along with the obvious associations. It can be a breath of fresh air to companies seeking to brand on a global scale using a more relevant, shorter name.
There have already been some very large sales of the prime .CO domain names. Overstock, one of the leading online retailers, spent a whopping $350,000 for Overstock.CO and E.CO went for some $81,000.
They are not the only people shelling out money for these. A common garden variety .CO domain will run about $30, roughly three times what you would pay for a .COM.
There is already a domain name aftermarket for .CO domains, as well, with prices ranging from $250 to $1,521,200 for London-2012.CO. (What a steal!)
The question for a site owner or webmaster is: Would this domain extension, if I was able to secure it with a good turn of phrase, be any more beneficial than a straight .com, .net, or .org? It may well be best suited to companies that are already well-branded, and seeking to expand their borders, or highly targeted niche marketing sites where having the keywords in the domain might make a large difference. For the rest of us seeking the best domain web hosting we can find, we’ll just have to see how it plays out!
Web Hosting: Is Domain Web Hosting with a .CO Extension Right For You? | http://www.intac.net/is-domain-web-hosting-with-a-co-extension-right-for-you_2010-07-30/#ixzz11u8HHpM7
http://www.intac.net/