Did the .co domain live up to the hype?

Top news in the internet marketing and domaining fields of the web is the introduction of the new .CO Domain name extension.

You may wonder:

• Where to buy a .CO domain
• Will .CO domains be as search friendly as .COM’s
• What type of typo traffic may I expect if I purchase a .CO
• Are the .CO domains worth the inflated price tag?

When the new TLD was announced, smart domainers and brand developers jumped into the presale bidding and land rush to scoop up the short and well known phrases that are impossible to find in .com registry.

The domain e.CO sold for $81,000 USD!

Twitter bought t.co and will be using as their new domain shortener

Overstock bought O.CO for $350k!

As of today, (the first day .CO were publicly available) 195,000 domain names with the .CO extension have been sold.

The public price for .CO domains is in the area of $30 depending on your choice of registar and use of coupon codes.

Considering the rush for domains and the high price tag many sold for, it seems like many are gambling on .CO being a reputable and rankable term.

According to market research performed by the organizers of the .Co global launch, the .CO domain is instantly recognizable as referring to Corporation, Corporate, Company or other Commercial endeavors, it is easily recognizable and memorable.

On further study (of the study) it used a sample group of only 600 people, but I have to agree ..so consider that as 601.

You may recognize .co as being the country code for Colombia – and it was, and still is – but it has also been relaunched and is recognized as being a new global TLD with all the global search juice that should entail.

Considering that I still find profitable keyword rich .coms on a daily basis after all these years of registrations and research , the well of profit that a keyword savvy marketer can glean from this new untapped extension is immeasurable.

In an effort to keep the new extension clean and reputable, the managing body of the .CO extension has granted only 10 registrars rights to sell the domains.

Some of the top choices include:

• Godaddy (Link includes coupon code visible at checkout)
• 1&1 (All domains include free privacy)

You will find that often Domain sellers armed with keyword tools have already scooped up some great deals, Its not hard to get diamonds for cheap on ebay when it comes to domain buying.

Domain Hacking with .CO domains:

The term domain hacking refers to creating words using the extension options and often adding subdomains to make new words.

The del.ico.us site is a prime example you are probably familiar with. The top selling e.co is a another good example. With some creativity a whole new world of cool terms is now available to you.

For example:

• tobac.co (sold)
• antitobac.co (available)
• fantasti.co

You get the idea!!!