I need to set up a web-site and the .com domain name is available but the .co.uk has been nabbed by someone although it has never been used and is now "suspended/de-tagged".
I am not even sure which questions I need to ask, but for starters:
1. Is .com quicker to access than .co.uk?
2. Which is easier to access from a search engine?
3. Is there a disadvantage having one without the other?
4. What else do I need to consider?
This is uncharted waters for me and I would welcome advice/observations.
Many thanks in anticipation, Alan Wells
1. There is no speed difference in accessing either name.
2. The domain has little or no bearing on how your site performs in search engines - that's all based on the content of the pages, and primarily the title of your pages. If your page is named something specific (like this one) a search for "one-stop video" will bring the page up in the first few results. Naming your pages in a more generic way - such as "Free Cash" will not get you any rating at all on search engines, as there are too many other sites using the same words in the title.
3. .co.uk are a little easier to administer if you need to change servers, transfer ownership etc. - but that's no big deal.
4. Make sure you register with a good company who are going to be around for a while. I use www.easily.co.uk for all my hosting/names. They are good, cheap, offer a lot of options and have been going for quite a while. Don't be tempted by these sites that sell names for 49p etc. They will go under and you will be left with a mess.
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www.redleaderindustries.com
Thats exactly what I thought when I was buying my domain....
You got to think - Will that company be around for a long time?
Just in case you want some others to try, I use http://www.freeparking.co.uk/ and I have been very satisfied.
You could try a slight alteration to the name you want,it's surprising the difference it makes,example,joebloggs.co.uk might be taken but www.joeblogs.co.uk might not.
I wanted www.avs.co.uk for my business (Alternative Video Services} but it to had been parked up so i added video to the end,avsvideo and it was avaiable.
Regards
Charles
My 2p worth:
1. Access times largely depend on who will be hosting your website. It depends on their bandwidth, usage and their location. Just because they have a .co.uk domain doesn't mean their servers are in the uk. And just because they are a .com doesn't mean their servers are based in the US.
2. Search engines vary in the way they index your web site. There is a hidden part on each web page in which keywords can be added. Careful choice of keywords can result in higher listings on search engines. Sometimes you might have to submit your website to search engines in order to get higher up the list. This costs money. It might take 4-8 weeks for some search engines to list your site at all so be patient.
If you are going to have your site made by someone else, ask about how it will be promoted on a search engine. Ask for other sites they have created and then use your common sense to put a few keywords in google, lycos and yahoo. If the sites don't appear on the first page or two of replies, then think again about using that web designer.
Why do you want your site to appear high on search engine lists? It may sound like a silly question, but there are only a few reasons why this is important. Getting new customers who don't know you exist is one reason.
3. The obvious disadvantage in not having the .co.uk domain (if you are in the uk) is that people who type URL's directly into their browser will go to someone else's site.
4. Go to a well known site like www.net2.co.uk or www.uk2.co.uk for name registration and hosting. Check out what they offer to see if it fits in with what you want to do. Look at the live stats for example to see how your site is performing.
Trev
[This message has been edited by Trevor Page (edited 23 February 2003).]
It's not just your site content that will get you ratings on search engines.
Google's "page rank" is based largely upon the page rank of sites that link to your site. So getting other people to link to your site can be useful.
And now for a bit of shameless promotion... www.livetodot.com
They register Italian ".it" domains such as www.wevideo.it A well established company - and aparently the only one it the UK who can deal directly with the italian domain registration services...
Thanks a lot, fellas, a lot of good info provided.
The website will be for a golf club, initially as a form of electronic newsletter which will enable members to find out forthcoming competitions and social events, eg "live" band, disco, fashion shows, etc.
It will also enable prospective visitors to the club (as golfers) to ascertain the green fee, buggy availability, meals, etc.
As I said earlier, the .com is available but the .co.uk is not. Is this a drawback? Should I buy the .com and forget about the .co.uk?
The host recommended to me is www.getdotted.com - does anyone have any views?
I very much appreciate all your help.
Thanks again, Alan Wells
The best thing to do in this situation would be to by the .com name now and get started. Keep an eye on the .co.uk and if that passes through the detagged phase to become available, get it then. It is a simple task to set up the .co.cuk name so that it points straight to your established .com site.
We have designed loads of websites and used various hosting companies before finally moving most of our sites onto www.easily.co.uk
I wouldn't bother paying anyone to improve your search engine ratings. The best serach engines generally give you the answer that is correct, so as long as there are not hundred of golf clubs with the same name you should do ok. You can speed the process up by submitting your site to the search engines, but their robots crawl through the internet on a pretty regular basis.
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www.redleaderindustries.com
When searching for sites with the various search engines I find myself clicking on the .co.uk ones for British suppliers and .com for American suppliers. I know that this is not the most scientific method but it seems to work. I know that their are British companies with .com addresses but I usually find what I'm after in the .co.uk ones.
On that basis, if I were looking for business from the U.K. I would register a .co.uk domain name and if I were looking for business in the U.S.A. I would register a .com domain name.
I agree uk2.co.uk are very reasonable but would steer well clear of easyspace. Also consider other extensions. I couldn't get elbow.co.uk or .com or .net but have registered elbow.biz. I think keeping it short is very handy particularly when giving addresses over the phone.
I use lowcostnames.co.uk (or maybe .com) can't remember.
Anyways, they are very reasonable, and quite cheap. I went for .co.uk as I wanted to get people from the UK mainly. Also, the .com was about 5 times the price.
Wavey.
Like Redleader wWe use Easily for all registrations.
The control panel is a doddle & prices are good.
Never had any complaints - many names reg'd over the years.
.com or .co.uk doesn't matter to most people - remember many people are still bewilderred by the Internet - I still find people (who think they are net savvy) typing URL's and email addresses into Yahoo/Google etc rather than the address bar - they just don't get it.
Gavin
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manchestervideo.com
Don't know if privacy is an issue with you, but remember that its easy to find out registered owner and address etc. on a Dot com name, not so with co.uk.
Absolutely brilliant response and very helpful.
I have taken on board much that has been said. I went with Redleader and bought the .com domain but I used www.getdotted.com on the recommendation of my neice who is doing Honours in Computing at RGU. She has used them and is complimentary. When it comes to buying something, cost is never my most important criterion. Better to use the devil you know than the devil you don't. Recommendation is also important.
The golf club committee, by and large, are not computer literate so there is a wee bit of convincing to be done. Between my little bit of knowledge of computing, my knowledge of building the course and club (from nothing to an asset value in excess of £2million) and my neice's expertise, we'll (hopefully) build a web-site that will remove their scepticism when the committee will approve a web-site constructor to do the biz!
Thank you for all your help.
Alan Wells