'Net Features : .co domains

Domain Market Analysis from Sedo (Q1 2011)

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:10:00 GMT

Domain marketplace and monetization provider Sedo announced the results of its Q1 2011 Domain Market Study.

During the first quarter of 2011, 10,608 domains changed hands via Sedo’s marketplace, accounting for $21 million in sales. Average sales prices across all Top Level Domains (TLDs) held strong in comparison to previous quarters and for the first time, the .co extension entered the leading sales list with 2 percent market share, showing its growing popularity as a unique alternative to .com. Highlights of Sedo’s Q1 2011 study include:

• The .com extension continues to be Sedo’s most popular TLD, accounting for 51% of all Q1 TLD sales. The .net extension comes in a distant 2nd with 7% of the market share. The .com extension continues to exhibit steady growth with the average sales price climbing 9% from Q1 2010.

• The .de extension remains the most commonly sold ccTLD domain extension at Sedo. At 18%, the .de is the second most commonly traded TLD in the Sedo marketplace, beating out gTLDs like .net (7%), .co.uk (6%), .eu (5%) and .org (4%).

• Offer/counter-offer transactions continued to be the most popular sales type, accounting for 43 percent of all transactions, while fixed-price sales accounted for 28 percent, and auctions accounted for 15 percent, which is an increase from Q4 2010.

Can .CO Grow?

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:44:00 GMT

The launch of the .CO top level domain was arguably one of the most successful in recent memory. .CO Internet SAS, the Registry operator of the .CO top level domain, is now looking to expand to twenty the number of registrars able to sell the extension to their customers.

Due to governing policy restrictions, only ten registrar partners could be directly accredited by the .CO Registry during the company’s first year of operations. Currently, just two local Colombian and eight global registrars (including Go Daddy, Network Solutions, Tucows and eNom, among others) are accredited by .CO.

“As one of the fastest growing domain extensions in the world, with registrants in over 200 countries, adoption of .CO continues to grow,” says Crystal Peterson, Senior Marketing Manager of the .CO Registry, “so too has the number of potential partners from every corner of the world who have expressed a keen interest in becoming an official .CO Accredited Registrar.”

Taking a measured approach to accreditation, the .CO Registry will be accepting only twenty (20) new Accredited Registrars through April 2012. In future years, the accreditation process will be opened progressively to additional potential partners that meet the established standards and criteria.

So can .CO grow in light of new top-level domain extensions arriving?

More Than Half a Million .CO Buyers So Far

Linc Wonham — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:38:00 GMT

Less than two months after one of the biggest domain launches in Web history, the .CO extension has nabbed more than 500,000 registrations to put it on pace to becoming the fastest growing domain extension in the world. And the demand is definitely being seen globally, as businesses, developers and entrepreneurs from nearly 200 countries have registered so far.

The success of the late-July public launch is undoubtedly due in part to the participation of some of the world’s leading domain registrars, such as GoDaddy, 1and1, Network Solutions, Dotster, MyDomain and several others. The U.S. has accounted for 37 percent of the new registrations, followed by the U.K. (17 %), Colombia (12 %), Australia (4 %) and Canada (4 %).

More than 2,500 .CO domains that had multiple bidders will be settled through an auction, and some of the notable sales thus far have included Mesothelioma.co for $76,000; Insure.co for $60,000; DuiAttorney.co for $44,000; Slots.co for $41,000 and UsedCars.co for $14,000.

For more information about the .CO Registry, you can visit www.COinternet.co or www.Opportunity.co.

O.CO Goes to Overstock.com for 350K

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Online retailer Overstock.com believes in the power of the new .co domain extension, shelling out $350,000 USD for O.CO and related URLs.

“The O is such an important and recognizable part of our brand,” said Overstock.com Chairman and CEO Patrick Byrne, “in the new era of the Internet, where short and memorable web addresses are critical for capturing the attention of mobile and socially connected Internet users, our O.CO web address will help to reinforce our brand and expand our business among these audiences.”

.CO Internet is showcasing the O.CO website, along with other early adopters of .CO domains, at www.Opportunity.co.

“Overstock.com’s purchase of O.CO is an investment in its future, and it also speaks to the confidence they have in the credibility and marketability of the .CO domain,” said Juan Diego Calle, CEO of .CO Internet. “As one of the first U.S. public companies to use its .CO domain to build its global brand, Overstock.com is further proof that .CO domain names can create a new world of opportunities for companies and entrepreneurs to brand themselves online.”

Best Reason to Buy a .CO Domain Name?

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:41:00 GMT

There are many reasons you should be considering adding a .CO to your domain portfolio (securing your brand name, domain speculation) but the following might just be one of the best in the short term.

Domain registration company LCN today announced they have begun offering one free year of web hosting to customers who pre-order a .CO domain name.

The LCN.com hosting package offers customers 2GB of diskspace, 2GB of monthly data transfer, and 20 email accounts with anti-spam and virus protection system MailGuard. Additional features such as online advertising vouchers, and free web design software from Serif, free Fotolia stock photos, and 500 free Mailing Manager email marketing credits are also included with the package.

Mark Boost, Managing Director, LCN.com, said: “The new .CO domain extension will provide fantastic opportunities for individuals and businesses who wish to register exclusive domain names, where .com and .co.uk variations have previously been taken. “We think this will be one of the most important new domain launches in the past 25 years and to let customers take full advantage we wanted to offer them .CO hosting for absolutely no cost.”

E.CO on the Auction Block for Charity

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:54:00 GMT

Domain name marketplace Sedo is showing its support of the much anticipated introduction of the .CO top level domain by powering a charity auction for E.CO.

I'm always interested in seeing the Internet industry show off their philanthropic power. Auction proceeds will go to the charity of the auctions choice.

The auction runs from June 7 at 12 pm EDT to June 10 at 4pm EDT and will be hosted by .CO INternet S.A.S. at Internet Week in New York. The last hour of bidding will be shown on a live broadcast and simulcast at Internet Retailer and TRAFFIC in Vancouver.

“With the launch of .CO, we are witnessing the introduction of one of the most valuable domain extensions on the market -- one that provides so many unique branding opportunities for Internet users across the globe,” said Kathy Nielsen, director of sales at Sedo.com. “We are excited to be part of this historic event and hope to leverage this unique opportunity to continue educating the market on the critical role a domain name strategy plays in the success of any marketing campaign.”

Here Come the .CO Domain Extensions

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:36:00 GMT

The launch plan for the .CO domain name extension has been announced. .CO domains will be available through a select list of accredited partners.

A global Sunrise will take place from April 26 through June 10, allowing eligible trademark holders the right to apply for the .CO domain names corresponding to their marks before registration is open to the general public.

Landrush will occur from June 21 through July 13, and will be open to anyone interested in registering certain high priority domain names. General availability will begin on July 20, opening the .CO domain for registrations on a first-come, first-served basis around the world. Starting today however, early adopters can gain a true first mover advantage by applying to be included in the .CO Founders Program, an initiative designed to help those qualified develop and maintain domains with the .CO extension prior to the public launch in July. The .CO Founders Program is open to all interested applicants from individuals to businesses and big brands.

“The .CO Founders Program provides an excellent opportunity for early adopters to secure short and memorable domain names and truly help shape the .CO name space,” said Juan Diego Calle, CEO of .CO Internet. “Participants in the program will benefit by potentially being featured in an aggressive .CO advertising and marketing program; likewise they will be expected to actively promote their domain to benefit the broader .COmmunity,” added Calle.

If you’re interested in participating in the .CO Founders program you will need to submit an application at www.COinternet.co/cofounders.