Domain name question here...

[HandballJim]

If you want a 2 word .com domain that is taken, and not worth making the current owner an offer. Would you suggest getting the same 2 word domain .com with a hyphen in the middle or go with the same domain with a .net no hyphen in the middle.

Basically will use the domain in a network of other names...the current .com is not developed and generic...so no trademark issues.

[baddog]

I would take the .com with hyphens.

[HandballJim]

I would take the .com with hyphens.

buying it now, thanks

[LiveDose]

Good call. I would never go with the .net.

[WebairGerard]

i would go .com first as well. good luck.

[Cyber Fucker]

interesting... so, do you guys think .net domains are worthless? I got only .com and some .info for seo and I was thinking about getting some .net as well.. but now I wonder...

[SeizeTheDomain]

You did right by buying the hyphen version. Nonetheless, you never know what the seller of the .com will ultimately accept. So to speak, knock them off their barstool with a extremely low ball offer.

[dav3]

get the .net also and redirect to the hyphened .com

[d-null]

some strange responses about .net here, there is nothing at all wrong with .net except maybe for type in branding or perception for resale, and he is not buying the name for resale purposes it seems, but for seo, in which case .com and .net and probably the hyphenated .com would all be equal (although some people say plusses and minuses for the hypen keywords for seo)


my greater concern for seo purposes is that you are often at a slight disadvantage when you register a brand new identical domain name to one that has been around and established for a long time, google seems to discount a newly registered domain a bit compared to the one that is around when they are equal

example to explain what I am saying: say there is a domain fatnudegirls.net that has been around for 10 years and is sitting #1 in the serps for "fat nude girls", if you now brand new register fatnudegirls.com or fatnudegirls.info, I have noticed that it seems a little more difficult to get a high ranking for "fat nude girls" with your new domain than if that old site wasn't there already... just an observation and of course with seo everything is subject to fluctuate and even change overnight


if you can explain your intentions and reasoning a little more it might be possible to give more exact answers on this one

[d-null]

not sure if I worded my explanation well, so I'll try to elaborate


say 6 months down the road your seo work would normally have your relatively new site sitting 5th in the serps for some keywords, but the existence of the same domain name that was an aged site is sitting #1 for those keywords, I believe your site that would be sitting 5th may end up sitting 15th just due to the existence of the identical aged domain name sitting high in the serps already

feel free to debate this theory, but I am basing this on my observations in case it helps

[pornlaw]

so no trademark issues.

Did you check it on www.uspto.gov first ?

[HandballJim]

Did you check it on www.uspto.gov first ?

Thanks for all the info...

The domain is something like japanese girl, and since my wife is a japanese girl that is very generic. As far as the uspto.gov database, someone can still hold a trademark and not have it registered...as long as he can prove commerce with the name. You don't have to have it registered, and it is a pain updating since they charge you each time you want to edit the trademark database info. What I usually do is print the webpage of the un-developed website or parking page as proof.

As far as making an offer to the owner, he has it over 10 years...I would make an offer but I can't afford it right now since I did purchase a couple from domainers recently and going to Hawaii on vacation soon. I should be more worried about making money by using the ton I have 1st, but domains are addictive. I also have a lot of .net domains, but .com will always have more value.

[kesha1]

One of our affiliates bought exact domain like ours but .org and made an affiliate site for us !

[TeenCat]

.com + .net is around 15 usd, take both man! as someone said here before ...

[Voodoo]

Spell it differently and make it a unique .com.