Thoughts on .co verses .co.uk

[MyShinyCar]

I would be really interested to hear any thoughts on using a .co or a .co.uk domain name.

I've recently bought both. I grabbed the .co domain because I thought it short and simple and, well, a bit different. I grabbed the .co.uk at the same time just because it was available and to stop anyone else taking it. I'm now in a quandry as to whether I should set up my new company on the short, simple and 'a bit different' .co domain, or whether to be safe and use the .co.uk.

Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on the subject? .co is the Top Level Domain for Columbia, will this have any impact on SEO for me - a UK based company?

I don't know what to do for the best. :(

[Adam]

.co.uk would work better i guess? due to being uk and .co being columbia.

[Dave]

use the co.uk and just put a re-direct on the .co to .co.uk

[Laura@FYP]

I would definately go for the co.uk if it were me

We sat our site on a .com with a co.uk directed to it, and this impacted on our site being found on google.co.uk for the longest time. We did everything we should/could have done, and yet for some reason it took about a year for Google to recognise us as UK based.

Also, if you use the .co as your main domain, not only is it unfamiliar and thus easier to forget the domain title will be displayed on your Google search results and may put people off clicking through to you if they think you are not UK based

[MyShinyCar]

I would definately go for the co.uk if it were me

Because...?

[MyShinyCar]

Very good points.

Thanks for that Laura.

[Dave]

Because...?

a) It's an extension associated with Columbia
b) Nobody is sure how Google will show .co sites especially if someone clicks on the pages in the uk filter (has anybody seen a .co domain high up in the uk search engines?)
c) Most people have not got a clue what .co means (as explained by Laura)

[Red Devil]

Go for the co.uk version.

The main in the street has never heard of .co unless he's from Columbia.

The main in the street thinks .com or .co.uk

[Neil]

Def .co.uk.

.co is not a TLD associated with the UK and would not rank too well for UK based viewers, your likely customers.

[john]

You can use a .co domain and have it considered a UK site, as per Google:

To set a geographic target:

On the Webmaster Tools Home page, click the site you want.
Under Site configuration, click Settings.
In the Geographic target section, select the option you want. If you want to ensure that your site is not associated with any country or region, select Unlisted

Nobody knows how .co sites will be rated yet as they have only just been released from Columbia use only, but as it is shorter for people to remember and type I would imagine they will become popular. It's certainly a way of getting a domain name that some idiot has been sitting on for years and asking 1000's for!!

[MyShinyCar]

Damn! Now I really don't know what to do.

Alot of what has been said, especially about putting off potential customers worried by a non-UK location, makes sense. But you know what - I really like MyShinyCar.co much more than MyShinyCar.co.uk. It rolls off the tongue much nicer, and even looks better written down.

If I was being truthful, I'm also very drawn to being just that little bit different! I like different. Different is good. Different helps get you noticed.


Damn! And bum!

[Dave]

Different maybe good but as we have all said we don't know how the search engines will rank the sites in the organic listings. So being different may not get you noticed!

If you want to be the trailblazer and give it a go it's completely up to you but I would play safe and go with the .co.uk domain

[MyShinyCar]

I guess it'll be .co.uk then.

[Marco]

I would also suggest to stick with .co.uk. Majority of shoppers won't have a clue what .co is and they may even try and enter .com or .co.uk instead because it will appear to be a typo or printing error. Just like most shoppers will add www. to your domain even if you advertise it without www.

Cheers,
Marco