Does google weigh country-code domains different?

[JMusic]

I am in the process of choosing a domain name for my latest website. The term is relatively new and has low competition. For the sake of this topic, let's say the topic is "blue widgets". Unfortunately, the domains blue-widgets.com, blue-widgets.net, and blue-widgets.org were all registered by the same person back in March (the .com is an actual site ranking #2 for this term, and the person hasn't done anything with the .net or the .org).

My first question is, are .name domain names weighted the same as .com/.net/.org? Or would it be more beneficial to get something like blue-widgets-site.com instead?

My next question is, I have already registered blue-widgets.name and blue-widgets.nu , and assuming .name is weighed the same as .com/.net/.org, I'm torn on which one I should use for the site. I would prefer to use .nu since I believe .nu is more popular for type-in traffic. My dilemma comes because I know that .nu is a country code domain for a country called Niue (sp?). Therefore, if I make the site at blue-widgets.nu, is there any chance it will not rank as well as the .name would because Google thinks it's a website from that country?

[trader]

Could always be wrong but I do not believe the SE put extra weight on the extensions, or care too much if it's a country code. I believe the main chance dot-nu would have to get a bit of typein traffic would be from Sweden (but not much). Is it a website which Scandinavians may be inclined to typein? Other than the insignificant .nu typein potential, it probably does not matter to the SE.

As hands-on evidence, several days ago we made a new dot-com website, and put the dot-org on redirect to the com website. Next, we submitted both url's to the SE's. Upon checking the website rank in the SE we were a little surprised to see the developed site rank BELOW the dot-org redirected domain in the Serps.

[edited by: trader at 11:16 pm (utc) on Sep. 30, 2006]

[JMusic]

The term is pretty exclusive to the United States as far as I know. The reason I prefer the .nu extension is because other websites in the general niche of my site use .nu extensions -- however, many of the people that makes sites in this niche don't know much about SEO, which is why I was curious whether or not that could be a problem.

[edited by: JMusic at 11:14 pm (utc) on Sep. 30, 2006]

[caran1]

I find that country code helps in ranking in that particular country, so if the .com is not , country code domain helps. But if your website becomes popular , the .com gets free traffic

[Leosghost]

The francophone world may send you some traffic in error thinking you are a pron site ;-) ..nu = naked

[edited by: Leosghost at 11:50 am (utc) on Oct. 1, 2006]

[etechsupport]

Country-Code is the domain extension for a respondent’s country, hence each extension across all countries, that means each country has equal weight.

[JackR]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall ever seeing a .name or a .nu on the first page in any recent Google search ...

[edited by: JackR at 6:30 pm (utc) on Oct. 5, 2006]

[OptiRex]

JMusic

Presumably you're targeting the US?

Much more aesthetically preferable, though some would say otherwise, would be .us, .biz and .info.

Are they not available?