Are .cc domains widely recognized and worthwhile?

[tomld2]

I have found a very good domain name that caters to a very direct market. It's a domain that would be used as a content site and not for direct sales. The domain is a *.cc domain. So I am wondering if a very short, direct .cc domain is better than a longer .com or .net? Are .cc domains widely recognized by users? Should I buy the .cc or go with a longer .com?

Thanks
Tom

[tomld2]

Oh and also are .cc domains discriminated at all in search engine rankings?

[dauction]

I have had great results with .Ws ...less with .cc

Either way go.. cut a clear path to your product or service with your name..dont choose some long .com just because it's a .com.. it isnt going to bring you anymore traffic...

If you can get a domain in .Ws or .cc that more closer reflects your business..go for it..

.Ws Is looked upon more favorable in the domain aftermarket if you ever decide to re-sell the name/website

[dauction]

I have 3 .WS websites ranking very well in the SE's ..
.CC I dont believe they do..but it is possble..

Most ccTLDS are (discriminated ..as in .. .DE for example will rank higher in Google.de than Gogle.com..and for good reason (geo marketing)... but some of these smaller market island extensions are not treated the same (the markets are 2 small to be worthwhile and the SE's just treat them like a Gtld ..like a .INfo or .Biz .com etc....And in Ws case it is specifically marketed as a GTLD

[netguy]

tomld2, I would definitely go with the .com rather than .cc or .ws (Western Samoa?), for that matter.

While it is unlikely that any search engine would discriminate against any extension - depending on your market - prospective visitors certainly may.

There are still literally millions of great .com domains available for the cost of registration. If you think a Cocos Islands domain will help you with local traffic - go for it, but if you are looking for a worldwide market - stick with a .com

Steve

[tomld2]

Without giving away the actual domain it is basically the equivalent of this...

trade.cc

is that better than going with something like...

ebusinesstrade.com?

[dauction]

netguy I developed in over 12 different extensions.. .com dosent help one bit..

If he can get a great Keyword in .Ws or .cc .. not a problem

His customers wont care one way or the other, if they like his site ...it goes right into their bookmarks.

[ecomagic]

MSN does filter down all domiain that are not .com .net .org, etc. for the US results.

Google and Yahoo deosn't seem to care from what I've seen.

[dauction]

ecomagic , I'm not sure abour .cc .. but MSN treats .WS as a GTLD..

I actually prefer .Ws extension over .Info and .Biz and even .Net

They market it as "website" but I prefer their old marketing of "Worldsite" .. Just has a nice ring to it for me..beats .com -mercial imo

[tomld2]

So if it was up to you, which domain would you purchase?

trade.cc
ebusinesstrade.com

If your site was a general business trade site

[tedster]

I see .cc results in MSN as well - sometimes ranking better than the .com of the same species.

I've also seen some pretty memorable use of .cc when the business name has the initials "CC". For example, something like CheshireCheese.cc [not real] works for me. Even for the newest web user, I think such a domain name looks very intentionally chosen and in no way second class.

If I wanted a certain memorable domain name that offered easy type-in, and the .com was gone, I would not be concerned about a .cc purchase. The real magic is always in the marketing and execution of the business anyway.

That said, the presence of a specific keyword in the domain is relatively minor for search engine promotion, and a .com is often perceived as more "authentic" or something by the average user. So finding a decent .com can still be a better choice.

But I would suggest thinking creatively about "memorable branding" above all when choosing the name, rather than a trite and boring boring "e-this" or "that-online."

So there you go - I've argued both sides at once. Hopefully I've also given you some food for thought, even if I'm unwilling to make the judgement call for you.

The short answerto your thread's title question is:

Widely known? No
Worthwhile? Yes, sometimes

[tomld2]

Consider the future as well. As the internet expands, inevitably extensions other than the big 3 will become common place.

Also your mentioning of using the 'cc' as a catchy inclusion of the business name, got me thinking. What do you think of this idea:

Using the previous example of trade.cc, consider the use use for the domain is to chat about business trade, would coining a phrase like 'Trade Chit Chat' be an appealing play on the cc extension?

[edit_g]

Would you give your credit card details to a .ws or .cc domain? Just being honest here...

[tomld2]

Like I said, it'll be a content site, so there would be no payments involved. But you do bring up a VERY valid point.