.eu and .us.com

[davebarnes]

I need some advice about the usefulness of using .us.com and .eu TLDs. (I know that .us.com is not a TLD, but it is be promoted as one.)

Specifics.

My client is PeakData Inc -- a small US-based, high-tech company -- with a subsidiary of PeakData LLC.

PeakData.com is taken by someone else. So, for the last 5 years, they have owned and actively used PeakDataLLC.com

Now the CEO has gone out and purchased:
PeakData.us.com
PeakData.eu
and wants "to use these going forward".

My questions are:
1. Would you use PeakData.us.com instead of PeakDataLLC.com ?
2. What do you think are the downsides of using .us.com ?
3. Is the .eu TLD worthwhile in Europe or is a .com domain better?

thanks,
dave

[bobchrist]

1. No
2. It decrease the value of a good domain name.
3. Unless you're targeting EU market for global market go for .com

[djrobs]

I wouldn't change if it's currently working. You could use the new domains with directs to PeakDataLLC.com so he could advertise or use the new domains on literature/business cards if he really wanted to but then your links etc wouldn't be affected.

[crankydave]

If it were me, I'd stick with the .com

I don't see a problem at all with the .com ranking for the company name so I don't see any advantage of switching to the us.com TLD.

I do think the new domains could be useful if developed properly. Geotargeting the .eu (perhaps in different languages?) stricly to the European markets could prove to be beneficial. The us.com if developed as a separate and unique entity could also prove to be benificial. Perhaps a site dedicated to compliancy info.

Dave

[Dubbya]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

1. Would you use PeakData.us.com instead of PeakDataLLC.com ?
2. What do you think are the downsides of using .us.com ?
3. Is the .eu TLD worthwhile in Europe or is a .com domain better?

In terms of Google's geo-specific targeting, I'm certain that using the .us.com and .eu TLD's is going to help.

In relation to your current SEO and marketing efforts, being that the new TLD's are recently registered, it's definitely a "one step forward, two steps back" situation. You're not exactly going to be starting from square one, but changing the domain is going to have a negative impact in the SERPs, even if only temporary. How significant that impact will be is anyone's guess.

It appears that your client is in this for the "long haul" and that they're thinking in terms of the "bigger picture". Just be sure to cover your butt by outlining some reasonable expectations as they relate to SERPs and proposed world domination.

.02