There is a lot of negativity when it comes to domain extensions other than the big 3 (.com .net .org).
The idea that non-TLD extensions (e.g. .cc, .ws, .me) do not rank in Google is an urban myth, plain and simple. The primary reason you don't see too many of them in the search results is due to perceived value, a psychological quirk us humans posess. There are so many TLD domains in the top results because people think they are the best and therefore invest in these domains. If the same websites were originally developed on other non-TLD domains, it is very likely that they would still hold similar positions in the search results.
Mat Cutts of Google has stated unequivocally that domain extensions do not have any effect on SEO. The primary effect they have is that most surfers will type in the .com extension before anything else. I am not denying that this is an advantage (it is a HUGE advantage), but in terms of ranking in search engines, this is irrelevant.
Let me back this up with some hard evidence (based on US Google search results). Do a Google search on the following terms:
Photoshop Tutorials
33,800,000 results
#1 is
www.photoshoptutorials.ws
Ted Murphy
49,600,000 results
#1 is
www.ted.me
Cricket Games
221,000,000 results
#1 is
www.cricketgames.me
Englisch-Deutsch
22,000,000 results
#1 is
www.dict.cc
Manga
476,000,000 results
#4 is
www.mangafox.cc
Wretch
114,000,000 results
#6 is
www.wretch.cc
Bible
426,000,000 results
#8 is
www.bible.cc
These search phrases have plenty of competition. The sites identified are high in the search results because they are high quality websites with good backlink profiles. All of them have some kind of .com / .net / .org / exact match competitor websites that perform worse. What really affects your rankings are the keywords you are targeting, how strong the competing sites are, the quality of your backlinks, your on-page SEO and, most importantly, the quality of your content that will keep visitors coming back for more and linking to it.
So ask yourself, with the myth of non-ranking non-TLDs dispelled, what is stopping you from cashing in on highly sought after EMD search terms with non-TLD extensions? Domain resale value only? Snobbery?
I have the following domains for sale with a lot of inherent SEO value (yes this is a shameless punt) for very reasonable asking prices:
Indie.ws | 110,000 exact monthly searches
Fetish.ws | 135,000 exact monthly searches
Player.ws | 135,000 exact monthly searches
Casting.cc | 201,000 exact monthly searches
Gangbang.ws | 301,000 exact monthly searches
Kinky.ws | 368,000 exact monthly searches
Fisting.ws | 368,000 exact monthly searches
FreeGayPorn.me | 550,000 exact monthly searches
Upskirt.ws | 550,000 exact monthly searches
GirlsKissing.Me | 821,000 exact monthly searches
Teen.ws | 827,790 exact monthly searches
Shemale.biz | 1,220,000 exact monthly searches
OFM.me | 2,240,000 exact monthly searches
Sanook.xxx | 3,350,000 exact monthly searches
I have some others on my books that I can't advertise on forums, with even more impressive search volumes. Contact me at
[email protected] if you are interested in any of these domains or have similar domains you are looking to sell.
Disclaimer: There are some non-TLDs that are distinctly bad for SEO. In particular, any domain extension that is given away free or is significantly cheaper than the big 3 eventually gets used by spammers. For example, Google has delisted .co.cc domains because of spam problems.
If you can afford to buy one of the big three, go ahead and do it - PROVIDED you can make profit enough to justify the expense! HOWEVER, strongly consider the possibility that you could save a lot of money with a non-TLD domain by rather channeling your funds into decent content generation and a good back-linking scheme.
Peace
DG