There is no doubt that when .CO was launched, it had tons of support and a pretty big push. It’s only an “m” away from .com. Many domainers saw this as a chance to grab the some of the generic gems that were already snatched up in the .Com market. As I continue to talk to end users, I’m finding that many of them also see this as the opportunity to grab some keyword domains that support their line of business as well.
As reported by The Domains a couple of days ago, GoDaddy will be airing a 30 second SuperBowl commercial to feature the .CO TLD. That’s a pretty big deal. GoDaddy is a huge name in the consumer market and a SuperBowl commercial endorsing a TLD is going to have some influence. Additionally, I noticed that Network Solutions has once again bumped .net for .co when searching for domains. This time, they even draw a little more attention to it with an info balloon.
I haven’t invested much in .CO up to this point, but it’s worth considering. If you hold an interest in a particular area, it might not be a bad idea to check for those names before the SuperBowl. Sure many of the great .CO names have been snatched up, and it’s still a country code TLD, but there are still many available and it’s picking up some traction. I’m not suggesting you sink a fortune into the TLD, but maybe think about one or two you’d like to add to your collection if you haven’t already.  I’m still not totally bought in to it, but if you’ve been on the fence, now is probably a good time. Besides, it pays to diversify.
14 comments
Hi Mike:
IMO, it’s the over-hyped tld flavor of the month.
When watching the Superbowl, you’re going to see 1 ad from GoDad with a .Co emphasis.
Then, you are going to see about 30 other commercials that use a .com addess.
@Clause, that was well said. CO is getting a ton of backing… not just for the launch.
Normal people may not know what .co stands for and they might just want to grab it if .com is not available.
There is higher chance that .co domain with a keyword may be available compared with .net and .org and therefore godaddy would like to “make hay when the sun shines”.
@Claude
This is no flavour of the month. When you have money to back you up, the flavour-effect slowly dims. A 30 second commercial is super-great and a nice step in the right direction. What were you expecting them to do – monopolize the whole Super Bowl with GoDaddy? You only give fuel to the fire when you compare .com with .co. .co has carved and will continue to expand its market share. This has very little to do with .com, so don’t worry. .co is a free enterprise venture, much unlike the birth of .com.
So far I am still on the sidelines with the .co extension.
I have taken a look to see if certain areas that I do well with are available. But with the exception of my mini site portfolio I try to stay with the .com
Anytime I see someone trying so hard to push me in one direction or another I only see their
side.
Which @ $29.99 a reg, I see Bob Parsons lining his pockets. Good money if you can get it!
I laugh when I see people say it is hype. World renown Bob Parsons would not invest millions in ads to back a flop. I am loading up, see you at the bank as I cash check after check for selling them.
Hi guys, first of all a lot depends on the commercial itself. let’s not forget that it’s gonna be not just A commercial, but commercial on SuperBowl , that means wide audience and lots of $$$ invested in the clip. so it’ll spark some fire for sure, but the real question is how long the fire will last, because it needs fuel. Got my point?
.CO needs LOTS of support not just one, but no doubt the commercial is gonna effect on .CO-s market.
Thanks
I dont think this i sa hype at all. Over 610,0000 .co’s are already registered and many places are developing .CO domains worldwide. The superbowl commercial will just raise awareness but who knows if people will actually know what the hell the commercial is for. Nearly everyone watches godaddy commercials for the girls – does anyone even remember what godaddy is while the commercial is airing? – I usually just see cleavage then realize “o yeah I can register some domains”
chris said “many places are developing .CO domains worldwide”
where are these sites, chris?
I am not being crass – I just don’t see them?! I wish I did – I bought a number of personally relevent .co domains and just hope I haven’t p***ed my money away….
You can see them here: http://opportunity.co/co-domains/
One of mine is there too 🙂
.Co is going to be huge once the world gets de-programmed from the .com mentality. When? Who knows! But…
Most people search (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc) for a site anyway so make a good website and you might rank ahead of the equivalent .com and laugh in their face!
“My Store is not on the main strip, I’ll never succeed!”
Advertise your Store and you will succeed!
Marketing people!
I’ve been a firm supporter of the .Co from the get-go. Fantastic article and want to add that Google is ranking .Co’s as a gTLD, so it will rank with nearly as much weight as the Big 3- .Com, .Net, .Org.
I believe in the executive staff– Juan Diego and Lori Anne Wardi are very well known and respected Net-repreneurs. I put my time and money where my mouth is and actually blog at Nima.Co, pro bono. No ads, No monetization. I’m conducting a case study on the ranking process with the .Co and its been exciting to say the least.
There’s already a ton of developed .Co sites which is a very good sign. Investors are building equity in the .Co space and we all stand to gain from it. For a list developed sites check out: Developed.Co
With all the hype over the country code for Colombia, consider what .PRO could do with similar marketing support. Especially when .PRO pricing becomes competitive with .COM beginning this January.
To date, there are only about 50,000 .PRO registrations.
My thoughts are this.. It’s like the stock market, everyone wants to find the next best thing.