Domain Name Extension Questions

Hey all,

I was wondering if the domain name extension you choose effects your ranking on Google. For example, would a .com website rank higher than a .net website? Likewise, would a .info website rank higher than a .ws?

The domain name I want to register is only available with .ws, .tv, or .name. I'm leaning towards .ws because .tv and .name don't fit my website very well. Would I be better off registering the .ws domain or should I pick a different domain name so I can use .com?

P.S. It's not very important that people remember .com versus .ws. My website will most likely only be viewed once.

Thanks in advance.

I don't think that matters.

I have never heard or witnessed one of them ranking better than another one.....

Just seems weird that most highly ranked websites are .coms or occassionally .net or .org.

I suspect that is because of the number in use. .com, .net and .org are long established and most of the websites out there use those. I also supect that those using the newest extensions are fairly new at the webmaster game and may not have a clue how to SEO their sites.

I don't think it makes any difference in whether it's a .com or .net. I agree with Sam Hughes

most guys go for .com and stuffs.
Thats why they are mostly tops.

there are some sites that are .com.au that ranked tops too.

Though it wouldnt make a difference to search engine rank it would make a difference to how many visits you have.

If you had a choice of either going to:
http://www.greatdeals.com
or
http://www.greatdeals.tv
Which one would you chose to visit?

.com .net .org will for a long time be more respected domains in the eyes of the user.

(i personally would be more likely to visit a .net domain)

you are not wrong to say that

Google does use the TLD type in its regional results, so a .co.uk would do better in the search the uk option, but not on the main web search.

Google uses the IP address and the TLD to determine the location of a site.

Clare

As far as rankings on the search engines, the domain suffix doesn't matter. But as mentioned above - people's perceptions of your site will matter. I always recommend .com's whenever possible.

Beyond that, you'd have to look at your target audience, and their level of "internet savvy" and if the lesser known domain type will matter.

Good luck.