ccTLDs and Why they are Important
May 29th, 2009 | 
Author: My last post about the .us domain space was mainly about just recognizing that ccTLDs are not something to be underestimated. Bido.com has been having ccTLD auctions for a while now and most that have come up including .co.in have sold for nice prices considering the state of the economy and their extensions.
Today i want to take a look at why ccTLDs are important to the end-user and customer of the real world. This is something i think everyone needs to understand even if they are not a serious domainer or just do this for a hobby. ccTLDs can both be fruitful and devastating to a domainer.
A big reason why ccTLDs are important are simply because they represent an entire country. Some countries have taken this to heart and make it the primary extension businesses use on a daily basis. Some of these countries include Australia(.com.au) and Germany(.de). Most European countries prefer their ccTLD over a TLD. This is pretty amazing and shocking to most domainers in America. To be truthfully honest i think the US is probably one of the few countries that does not prefer their ccTLD over a TLD.
Now i am not saying that ccTLDs trump .com but what i am trying to say is that they do have a place and offer more than just an alternative extension. Another reason to look at a ccTLD is for the fact that some search engines, i.e. google, have certain search indexes for countries around the world. Try typing google.ccTLD and i almost guarantee that country’s google page will pop up. These are specialized search queries that take in to fact the language and the ccTLD extension.
The thing that most people get mixed up on ccTLDs is when they try to invest in another country other than their own. This causes confusion on the registrants part because if they are not a native they might not know exactly what language is spoken, what terms are used frequently, or even register the wrong ccTLD because they didn’t do the research.
There is a tool that i use that will combat this in a powerful way and that is the Google Keyword Tool. You can set it to search a certain country and language. This way you can actually see what is being searched and how frequently for that exact term in that country. Couple that with a simple translator and you are your way to finding some great names.
Since i have briefly touched on the subject for now i think i will leave it at that and pick this up in another post. Please post your feelings and comments about ccTLDs if you feel the need. Also if you would like more info and chat about ccTLDs checkout cctlds.com.
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