Thesite.tld instead of site.tld
August 31, 2008 8:06 PM Subscribe
Is it worth it to register a "the*.com" domain if "*.com/net/org" is already registered? Are there any SEO issues?
I'd say you'd be fine. From your description it seems that people who you directly know will be the main viewers.
posted by theichibun at 8:46 PM on August 31, 2008
posted by theichibun at 8:46 PM on August 31, 2008
Best answer: Depending on how you expect the site to grow - do you intend it to be a business, to earn some significant money from it? You will lose some traffic to the non-"the" domain - it happens both ways. Is the non-"the" available for sale? Buy it.
If this is all for something small time then don't worry about it.
posted by FlamingBore at 9:51 PM on August 31, 2008
If this is all for something small time then don't worry about it.
posted by FlamingBore at 9:51 PM on August 31, 2008
If * represents a common word, you should be fine. If it represents a famous trademark (e.g. thepepsi.com), you might have them coming after your domain. "The" is not sufficiently distinctive, IMO, to survive scrutiny.
posted by dhartung at 10:33 PM on August 31, 2008
posted by dhartung at 10:33 PM on August 31, 2008
i have a basically unimportant *.com, and recently a very small company registered the*.com. I now continuously get emails from people trying to email the company but forgetting to add the "the" part of the domain. So if you're looking to register the*.com, keep that in mind; the time spent explaining to people trying to reach you and failing may not be worth it.
posted by striker at 7:10 AM on September 1, 2008
posted by striker at 7:10 AM on September 1, 2008
Looking from the other side…I wanted a domain "*.com" for years; I finally took "the*.com". I'm not running a business but the owner of *.com is…a rather large one, I might ad. They don't make "*" anymore but might someday. Will that be a problem for me later? I don't know. If you can afford it, and the name will make sense/catch on with "the", then take it. (Curiously, my "*.com" now says it is available for purchase through BuyDomains. Guess that means the owner did not renew.)
posted by Dick Paris at 10:01 AM on September 1, 2008
posted by Dick Paris at 10:01 AM on September 1, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
The answer varies depending on whether you're registering the site to host pictures of your kitten, or whether you're registering the site as the page of a multi-million dollar business venture.
posted by Jimbob at 8:11 PM on August 31, 2008