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Should I get a .com or .me domain?

by Peter Thomas
32 replies
I see lot of websites with .me domain names.

For my new website in my niche, I have a 2-keyword rich domain name available in .me extension.

Should I go with that OR the keywords in domain name really doesn't matter and go with a generic name that can be easily remembered with a .com website?

Thanks.
#domain
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    If you want to make money selling the site later or if you want to be taken seriously when building link partners, go with a .com
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  • Profile picture of the author pinkgorilla
    Always go with a .com extension to your site. It's a lot more professional and like the poster above pointed out it will allow you to sell it a lot easier down the line if you choose to do so.
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  • Profile picture of the author Justin Says
    If your niche is targeting something social and could actually use the ".me" TLD then it could be pretty helpful in branding. But if you're just going after keywords themselves then I'd suggest the .com website.

    Personally I've stepped quite a bit away from exact match domains, although I will tell you right now they still work...

    And even though I say that, don't believe anything you hear about peoples opinions lol. You need hard facts. I've built websites like KEYWORDHERE.com and ranked page #1 in 2 days. And then I've built websites like NOKEYWORDINDOMAIN.com and ranked page #1 in 2 days... the domain name will matter, but it's only a portion of the mix for rankings.
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    My name is Justin Lewis. My digital marketing company has been in business for over 10 years with multiple six-figure years. We do provide a premium web design service.

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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      If in any doubt, a .com.

      Specifically, don't build a business on a domain-name of which the .com version already belongs to someone else, because that's all downside (there are actually many disadvantages to that). So you need to register the .com anyway, whether you're going to use it or not. So you might as well just use it?

      (For SEO it actually makes no difference, as ".me" is now treated by Google as an international TLD anyway, but SEO isn't the point, here, really).
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      • Profile picture of the author Justin Says
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        Specifically, don't build a business on a domain-name of which the .com version already belongs to someone else, because that's all downside (there are actually many disadvantages to that).
        Yea.. I don't agree at all on this.

        I've purchased plenty of .net, .org domains that have outranked the .com (even when the .com was actually a good website with proper SEO).

        And to add on, many people who have exact match domains don't even touch their websites after they are built (just from what I've seen) and those domains may just be sitting there waiting for someone to compete with a .net, .org

        Again.. these are my experiences of building hundreds of websites for clients and many for myself.
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        My name is Justin Lewis. My digital marketing company has been in business for over 10 years with multiple six-figure years. We do provide a premium web design service.

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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Justin Says View Post

          Yea.. I don't agree at all on this.

          I've purchased plenty of .net, .org domains that have outranked the .com (even when the .com was actually a good website with proper SEO).
          Sure - I don't think that's particularly rare? I'm not sure what we "don't agree" about, though?

          All TLD's (including the three formerly geotargeted ones, .me, .tv and .co, which are now treated as international TLD's) are exactly the same for all SEO/ranking purposes. Google has been going blue in the face saying this, for ages. In interviews, on sites, on blogs, answering questions, on video and so on. The SEO forum here is full of discussions of this, with links to those places (and Matt Cutts videos). No surprise for a .net/.org to outrank a .com at all. I have .info domains that rank very well (and there are plenty of those about, too, contrary to what some people say).

          I'm not suggesting that it's bad not to own the .com "because the .com will easily outrank you". I don't believe that at all. As I said above, this issue isn't about SEO. There are enough other, non-SEO reasons not to want someone else to own the .com.

          Nothing wrong with a building your business on the .net/.org/.any, as long as you yourself also own the .com so nobody else can - otherwise you can't tell or control what can happen in the long run, and you'll lose traffic to the .com owner some time, and your resale value will be less, and all the rest of it.

          Originally Posted by Justin Says View Post

          And to add on, many people who have exact match domains don't even touch their websites after they are built (just from what I've seen) and those domains may just be sitting there waiting for someone to compete with a .net, .org
          Yes, this can happen too, for sure. But if you own the .com yourself, you don't need to worry about it either way.
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          • Profile picture of the author Indecision
            always go for the .com, even if you don't think you need it
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  • Profile picture of the author tritrain
    Keyword rich domains don't hold much value these days, at least with Google.

    I'd focus on a brand. Short, easy to remember. Especially .com
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you use a ".com" or a ".me"... all that matters is the amount of sales that you're making per day, and how good your marketing strategy is.
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  • Profile picture of the author hustlinsmoke
    I use a .me for a couple of reasons. Brand Presence being the main one.
    To be able to make money with a domain I only go with .com though.
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  • Profile picture of the author JennySweets
    My thoughts are - if it's for personal branding of YOU - .me is great. If it's for anything else, .com is the way to go. People will always click on .com first. Now, if you aren't going to sell the domain or site ever, and if your traffic is going to come from sites other than search engine results, you are probably ok with something else.

    But .me really should only be for personal branding. unless you come up with a ludicrously cool name like resu.me heh
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  • Profile picture of the author Vector Graphics
    If you are looking to gain authority then I would go with a .com

    .me can work for branding purposes but if you are going to be doing SEO on your website then I would go with a .com .net or .org
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  • Profile picture of the author SuperKristen
    dot com is always my choice but I have seen some of my friends has taken dot me for their personal portfolio use.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gengis
    You have to keep in mind that most people will remember a .com alot more than they would a .me ... Some people don't even know .me even exists.

    I always try and get a .com for those 2 reasons alone.

    All the best,

    Gengis
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    • Profile picture of the author Justin Says
      Originally Posted by Gengis View Post

      You have to keep in mind that most people will remember a .com alot more than they would a .me ... Some people don't even know .me even exists.

      I always try and get a .com for those 2 reasons alone.

      All the best,

      Gengis
      I just have to add on 2 domains that I definitely remember.

      Bit.ly
      Justin.tv

      My friends don't know .ly, .tv, etc. exist.. yet those sites are still very popular
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      My name is Justin Lewis. My digital marketing company has been in business for over 10 years with multiple six-figure years. We do provide a premium web design service.

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  • Profile picture of the author djneill
    .me domain's are questionable and raise to many flags for spam, and scam. .com is what people are used to and trust, I will use a .org because it's commonly associated with an organization and that alone will lower a prospects guards.
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  • Profile picture of the author 2amtraffic
    Get the .com first and then buy a few other extensions like .biz .net .info and .me if you really want it. If you buy the .me only and the idea for your site get's big someone can come in and scoop up the .com version of your domain and get some of your traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author zahanega
    .com is more professional
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    • Profile picture of the author doggerel
      I was talking to my brother just the other day about a nice domain for his business. He doesn't know much about websites or internet marketing...

      He was insistent on a .com. He would accept nothing else, saying .com shows "that you mean business." Lots of regular Joe's see it this way. If you are offering a service, just get a .com.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fazal Mayar
    .com is more professional and is generall what is used.
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    • Profile picture of the author niksbro
      I suggest use a .com instead .me because many web surfers are used to type a .com website on their address bar when looking for a website. They often forget the .me and then change their mind and look for another site that has a .com. So you waste the opportunity to get customers for your niche. This is just my opinion...
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  • Profile picture of the author FaizanHabib
    .com is best, this is best for re-sell
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    While I believe that you rank any extension, there are extensions that I would never buy. Those include .biz, .us, .me, .cc, etc. I pretty much stick with .com, .net, .org, .info. I have used .co as well but there's the chance of people automatically typing in .com to get to the site, so I avoid those now too.

    Keywords in domain names are far less important since the Google Exact Match algo change that gave them an artificial advantage, but doesn't any longer.
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    • Profile picture of the author Justin Says
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      I have used .co as well but there's the chance of people automatically typing in .com to get to the site, so I avoid those now too.
      I had 3 sites using .co and of any of the TLD's that exist.. the .co is my personal enemy.

      Many of my friends/family/partners that I shared the sites with forgot that it was a .co and immediately jumped on the .com and let's just say.. it wasn't what I wanted them to see from a business standpoint.

      I'm okay with others TLD's but .co isn't my friend anymore lol.
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      My name is Justin Lewis. My digital marketing company has been in business for over 10 years with multiple six-figure years. We do provide a premium web design service.

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  • Profile picture of the author mdan287
    .com is my automatic choice and .me mostly use as a personal portfolio sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author HzCy
    Always get a com.


    com >>>> me.


    Just if its about the money, a me will be better if you can use it with the main keyword.

    If you must get a suffix or prefix, just go with com.
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  • Profile picture of the author G0nzalez
    Banned
    .com is the best out there. Good luck!
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