Choosing a domain name is not as easy as some people might think.
When choosing a domain name, most business owners tend to consider only what’s good for SEO. And, while SEO is important, it’s not the only important thing to consider when deciding on a domain name. Global reach, memorability, trustworthiness and how unique the name is are all important factors to think about.
Whether you currently own a website or are launching one soon, it pays off to think about your domain name, which includes the extension you choose. In this article, we’ll be revealing four key benefits of a .CO domain name and why global giants like Google, Apple and Twitter have jumped on the .co bandwagon (and why for the sake of your business, you should too).
1. Global reach
Owning a .CO domain allows your company to be globally relevant, without being tied to any specific geo-location. This means if you ever plan on expanding your business, you’re not stuck with a country-specific domain, which could easily confuse international visitors.
It has also been approved by Google as a generic TLD (top-level domain). This means that globally, a .co site would be given equal treatment in their search result pages, which is good for SEO.
2. It’s Available
With over one billion websites around the world, it’s increasingly likely the domain name you want will already be snapped up, especially if you’re looking for a .com or .com.au extension. One of the great benefits of choosing .CO? It’s relatively new, which means you are much more likely to get the name you want, which is great for brand relevancy.
3. Short, sweet and memorable
Even if you are not planning on expanding your business, .CO is the ideal domain when it comes to memorisation. Do you remember your university student email, which was likely something along the lines of [email protected]? Probably not, because it’s a difficult extension to recall. Just like with a long email name, you shouldn’t need bullet points and a notepad to remember a domain name, which is why it’s important to keep it simple, just like .CO.
Furthermore, while other domain extensions like .info, .mobi, .org and .tv enjoy specific niche markets (which is good if that’s what you specifically need for your online branding), a .CO extension is ideal because it’s more general and not overly targeted.
4. Good for SEO
Perhaps the biggest deterrent for people when it comes to choosing a .CO domain name is the worry it won’t rank as well as other TLDs. The truth, however, is a .co domain has the same potential as TLDs to rank well within search engines and actually offers some additional unique advantages.
SEO best practices outline that not only is branding relevance important, but so is length—the shorter and more streamlined, the better. With greater availability of domain names and therefore a greater likelihood your desired domain is available, .CO is much more likely to keep your brand relevant and ultimately help your SEO.
Case studies
WeWork
WeWork rebranded as The We Company (we.co) in an effort to significantly expand the company’s target market and opportunity. Rather than just running co-working spaces, The We Company aims to touch all aspects of peoples’ lives – both online and off – from WeWork (its global co-working space business); to WeLive (a new residential real estate business); to WeGrow (a nascent education business).
WeWork is only the latest in a long line of global business giants and fast growth companies who have already recognized the great value and appeal of .co – including Google (g.co), Cisco (cs.co), Twitter (t.co), Apple (apple.co), American Express (amex.co), Angel List (angel.co), The Lean Startup (leanstartup.co) and Brit + Co (brit.co).
Thank You Company + other Aussie businesses
The Thank You Company also has a .co domain (thankyou.co), as does Zip Money (zip.co) and a social media company run by Jules Lund (tribegroup.co). Influential bloggers with a global reach, such as Tara Whiteman (TaraMilkTea.co), have also chosen a .co domain extension.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell in the US also relaunched their website as ta.co to spell taco. Now, connecting with TacoBell.com is as quick and easy as ta.co.
Ready for your own .CO extension? For this month, Ventra IP is having a huge sale on .CO domain extensions, offering a 90 per cent discount off the recommended retail price. You can search for your next big .CO idea by heading here.
