dump .com for .com.au or redirect?

1. 0

   Baileybearposted 13 years ago

   Calling SEO experts that understand Australian business internet:
   
   I got .com name thinking it would be easier to remember than .com.au but have since read that .com.au domain names rank much higher etc.  I am on limited budget and have printed business tools with .com
   
   I can pay nearly $200 (which can't afford right now) to get decent redirect system set up, then eventually dump .com
   
   Or I can dump .com now for new .com.au name & aussie hosting for approx $40.
   
   And perhaps put a sticker on my tools (which may look discrete or downright awful).
   
   Some people (probably not experts) say it doesn't make a blind bit of difference).
   
   Recommendations please?

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2. 45

   Dale Nelsonposted 13 years ago

   Hi Bailey Bear,
   
   I have a few websites of my own and would say that the local domain is of benefit to a local business for a few reasons.
   
   It builds trust with your client base to know you are local.
   It does rank better locally as there is an option in google to search pages from your own country whcih is by and large the way most people search for business related subject matter to weed out the generic content and that which is geographically inconvenient.
   
   It sounds like you are focused on your own local area in OZ and there are better ways to target SEO than by using a dot com domain.
   
   Your pages will have keywords and content meta tags focused on long tails with your location included.
   
   One of my local domain websites actually receives better page rank due to the international linking for localized keywords.It is viewed as being credible for my target market by having international backlinking whereas if it were a dot com, then it would be viewed as international content adn of no particular merit to my targeted location with a competitor being put first who was local.
   
   Hope this helps you somewhat.

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   1. 0

      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      yes, have come to conclusion that .com.au domain name would be better.  What would you do though?  Circulate .com tools & set up redirect as soon as able to afford to?  Put label over name on business cards etc (which might look horrible) & dump .com now in early stages? - website has only been up a few weeks

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      1. 45

         Dale Nelsonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I would buy the .au domain and move the pages across to the new domain. Then just use the redirect function on the dot com domain.
         
         Get a hosting company who does not charge you for multiple domains.
         
         This way you can leave you stationery until your next print run and you should not lose any work so far.
         SEO will still send to either of the domains.
         No lost clients,no changes to stationery, no lost SEO.

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         1. 0

            Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            "'Get a hosting company who does not charge you for multiple domains'" - not sure if this would apply?
            
            I currently have .com with name.com who cannot do .com.au & apparently it's faster to get Aust host anyway? 
            
            Does there need to be any landing pages for redirection? 
            
            I'm currently using Weebly for website.  I've been advised to at some stage change over to Joomla or Wordpress & have 'own' site.  I found Joomba too steep a learning curve for me to tackle and Wordpress froze up my computer with error messages (something about memory?).

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   Dale Nelsonposted 13 years ago

   A hindsight comment.
   
   My domain is bought locally with it pointed at Vodahost in the US.
   The reason is that they are cheap at $70 US a year with unlimited bandwidth and domain hosting under one account.
   
   I keep my domains registered by a company near where I live so that if I ever sell them or need to renew them, its up the road and I can talk to a human being.
   
   For hosting, I just went with the guys I thought could give me what I needed for the best price, with no extra $ if my clients downloaded more than they were supposed to.....always check the fine print for bandwidth.

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