Boulder.co Hits Over $10K In Bidding
2010 August 23
The first major Colorado city being auctioned off in the Land Rush .CO auctions is Boulder.co and with a day to go, bidding has topped the $10K mark.
The current high bid on Boulder.co is currently $10,150.
Bidding will get extended by 24 hours if there is a bid in the last day which beats the previously high bid.
Auctions for Vail.co, Aspen.co and Denver.co are yet to start
We are in this auction and will let you know how it turns out.
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Interesting discussion, and some people got a little heated about it, but I think the name is good, as long as the buyer has the cash to make a good site on the domain. Calling it the Ford is not going to help anyone though. I have .orgs and .coms in top positions for their keywords, and since Google said they would treat .co as a .com, I think anyone can use the domain name and get to the top of the engines.
Joe, sorry to be nitpicky but your comment has a huge error: “and since Google said they would treat .co as a .com” – no, they said they would treat it as an international extension, which is a huge difference. FYI, that puts it in the same category as .mobi and .name, and when’s the last time you saw either of those rank for anything prominent?
As far as international extensions are concerned, Google gives major preference to the big 3 (.com, .net, and .org) over everything else and has for quite some time, so .co is most definitely NOT getting treated anything close to .com. The fact that none of the sites or domains right now would have any age compounds that.
I still think it’s worth it at around $10k for a developer, but said developer needs to keep in mind that the SEO benefits of the exact match isn’t going to be nearly as helpful with a .co as it would with a .com.
@ steve jones….great point, my developed .co is indexed, but has no meaningful rankings…yet…will be interesting to see if, how long and how much $ to achieve results…also noticed hardly any sales over at flipping.co these days..
“Google gives major preference to the big 3 (.com, .net, and .org) over everything ”
Folks that own and operate a business using a generic or commonly used .com do not need to rely on SEO and pay dearly for SEO – and all the games and rule changes that occur regularily with these fine folks.
As mentioned before if you have a huge marketing budget – buy a non.com – otherwise spend you money upfront and buy a generic self-promoting, self-marketing and self-advertising .com
8/26 Update On Boulder.co
Bidding today has hit $12,700
Auction is now extended until tomorrow
Didnt Google deny that they give preference of one extension over another.
I thought I read that somewhere.
So what is the deal with the auction. They are just arbitrarily extended the auction for another day because they feel like it? Extending it for 5 or 10 minutes is one thing but why is it being extended extra days?
Brad
Todd
The sales info from the .co land rush auctions is coming to us from the registry and we do not think it is available anywhere else.
Keep checking back we should have new info every few days
Brad
They are following the same pattern as the .ME auctions did.
If there is a bid placed within the last day of the auction that beats any proxy bid and therefore becomes a new high bid the auction gets extended for 24 hours.
If there is no bid within the last 24 hours that becomes the high bid the auction will end as scheduled.
“…FYI, that puts it in the same category as .mobi and .name, and when’s the last time you saw either of those rank for anything prominent?”
To gain a top listing on Google there is a laundry list of things that you need to be at the top of in the development of your site.
You can have porn.com and not have the number 1 listing or even be on the top 10 on a Google search for the keyword Porn.
In fact if a .TO rounds out the top 10 spots.
I know there are several factors that go into the Google ranking. Traffic plays a role, Link backs play another roll. Domain age also plays a huge roll.
No extension has the age that generic .com, .net, and .org have. Most of those sites (if they have been built up) have been around for a while. Huge link list have been associated with them. Its very very hard for ANY extension to compete with that.
Sure you can pay HUGE amounts to a professional SEO to get the top ranking spots but lets consider the owners who would buy another extension. Someone or some company buys a non .COM because (most of the time) they can NOT afford the .COM. Lets face it, generic .COMs are expensive.
I know for a fact that I do not have the money to purchase porn.com if it was for sale and probably neither do most of the people posting on this site.
So if I was a business and wanted a meaningful generic domain name that would fit my budget, I would have to look outside of .COM. That leads me to believe that the people who purchased another extension do not have the resources to pay the SEO to list in the top 10.
Also consider that .MOBI, .ME, .NAME, .TV where never marketed to the company/cooperation side of domaining.
Mobi was marketed as a mobile phone website extension. I guess you could possibly use this for a business but why would you when your .COM works just as well?
Me was marketed as a personal website. Not to much of a pull towards business there!
Name….. I have no idea where the hell that one even came into play!
TV was …. well marketed for site that are either TV related or feature video. I guess some businesses could use this??? But something like a tire company, car company, banking and loan company, real-estate… ect. I just dont see it.
None of these are very strong for the business/company world, therefor I think its safe to assume that not many companies purchased these domains.
Not much funding behind the development of the sites and thus the domains and there for you dont get the high ranking on the Google results.
If companies put their money into another extension, regardless of what anyone else says, that extension will take off. So now we just have to find the right extension that is marketable toward companies and that can be treated as a generic TLD like .com, .net and .org.
Long entry Slate – I have no use for ALL non.com’s but very good SEO info – thanks
I’ve done in-house SEO/SEM for nearly a decade and believe that the advantages of .com/.net/.org have less to do with Google’s preferences and more to do with site age and extension trust.
Currently, “.com/.net/.org” are primarily favored in one aspect by Google – the “exact match” bonus (which is diminishing). Here’s how I’ve seen the exact match work: if you own “redwidgets.com” and somebody searches “red widgets” or “redwidgets” your site may have a specific algorithmic advantage, albeit minor. If the searcher looks up “bright red widgets” – no exact match bonus is applied. To my knowledge, this exact match bonus is given favor with the .com/.net/.org.
As Slate mentioned above, there are hundreds of other factors that come into play and “exact match” is just one of them. Google has turned down the “exact match” bonus dial quite a bit lately too. Yahoo had given exact match strong credence in the past, but Bing is now serving their search results.
Keyword domains do benefit additionally from having the terms in their URL, because link anchor text pointing to that site will likely include those keywords, but this is a factor which isn’t directly related to domain extension.
In any case, I’d wager that a .com domain outranking a .info or .me for a competitive term, has less to do with any extension preference in Google’s algo and more to do with a preference towards aged domains (a .com site could have been around for years where a new extension couldn’t have been) AND the large volume of aged links to that aged .com domain. A strong link profile built up over time can easily trump the exact match bonus.
There’s also an inherent link advantage which certain extensions benefit from (.com/.org/.gov …). An established outside website is much more likely to link to sites built on one of these extensions, rather than a .info, .me or even a .net.
.CO has to achieve a certain level of known and trusted status, for sites built on it to become a suitable link target from other trusted websites. I believe .CO does have a solid shot at becoming a known and trusted global extension, but it won’t be years until we really know.
8/27 UPDATE
Boulder.co is now at $15,650 and the auction has been extended by another day
I understand that some auctions are set up to get extended another day with bids vs. another 5 minutes like NameJet & Snap.
How long have we been at it – a week now.
Almost seems like this extended bidding on a daily basis could be perceived by some as some kind a hype vehicle for promoting .co’s
Brian,
Everybody chooses to it different and if you owned .co how is this wrong?
To give Juan credit the idea being extending auctions a day I’m sure was to avoid any time zone difference, allow corporate buyers access during working hours and more. Nothing wrong with this – its only irritating to the people bidding possible but who else cares.
@ Alan,
I don’t buy it – otherwise NameJet and Snap – Pool and the rest would be extending auctions daily vs. 5 minutes intervals – in order to maximize sales.
All this rationalization just lifts an eybrow even further.
One can be cynical about anything if you want to be – I would probably get a cup of coffee and move on with your day Brian.
.Me land rush auctions were handled the same way and some of those auctions went on for weeks.
I certainly prevents last minute snipping
Dont do caffeine – just lots of booze
I might appear to be cynical simply because I have not bought one cent into non.com’s the lastest being “.co” – (actually I wasted $25 on one). The 1 days extensions is nothing more than a hype strategy to draw in another sucker – and some might think it might be something more.
@ Mike,
And look how .me took the world by storm – wow – wow – wow – its just a sales strategy to draw suckers in to buying useless worthless non-brandable non.coms’s
Those who do probably are not bidders anyway.
People investing are those who who like the .co and nobody is holding a gun to anybody’s head to bid past an amount so I really dont see how any of your points are relevant here about why they are extending auctions.
People will bid what they want to.
Grab a drink – its Friday.
To: BrianWick
What .CO did you waste your $25.00, maybe I will take it and give you your $25 for it? Contact me, and you could eliminate your loss in that one.
Alan
Sounds like a good idea
Where’s the Vodka
@Uzoma – CapitolHill.co – I may take you up on your offer to buy it from me for $25.
@Alan – “People investing are those who who like the .co and nobody is holding a gun”
“Investing” to flip rather than Investing to build a business is a recipie for guaranteed failure – I am constantly reminded of that going on 13 calendar years in the business.
Also – I do not start drinking heavily until later – I may drive up to Boulder and have a
.co cktail later today
I’ll take it, Brian. Where do you want to do the deal? You can click on my name and send me your Paypal, and I’ll send you the money. Thanks for the sale.
“Investing” to flip rather than Investing to build a business is a recipie for guaranteed failure
Wow – that quote is up there with Latona’s “There is no money in web design”
You sure you’re not drinking already.
@Alan,
I am not sure what was missed on that – ALL the money is in db programming and web design especially the Web 2.0 stuff (you know Windows on the Web) – and that is what building a business around a .com is all about.
FYI – I made all my money as a programmer before getting into .com’s – you know buying them back then – so I can build them out now.
@Uzoma -
As mentioned earlier or in a different thread SiteAnalytics.Compete.com shows 1 “.co” typein for every 2000-2500 “.com” typins.
At this early stage of “.co” one would have to assume those are pure typos – as no one is really wanting to go to a “.co” intentionally. This service is very consistant with my internal “.com” numbers so I beieve their numbers.
Typos ratios do not change over time. So should the ratio be reduced significantly in the next 3-6 months – say 1 “.co” for every 200 “.com” this represents “.co” gaining traction and I will pass on your offer. Should the ratio stay higher than that I will likely accept your offer – i.e. meaning “.co” has gone away to the non.com bermuda triangle along with .mobi dick and the all the rest.
Sound fair enough ?
all hype no game on .co
so a couple of things:
1) stinks for those of us in this auction who dont want to go above $15k because our initial $300 credit card charge is tied up all these added days, will extend tie up of funds for colorado springs, aspen denver(any guesses??) and vail thru october i think, any way to “opt out” of the auction?
2) the publicity for boulder has become a self fulfilling valuation rampup because everytime the Boulder.co is shown it just look sooooooooo darn cool.
3) i think the competitive nature of the com should have knocked down this one from $15k to $5k.
now if the com is taken by a plumbing or rock company, or a non competitive use, i makes the .co easier to be “the” portal.
im glad these auctions went in alphabetical order.
per page howe:
”
stinks for those of us in this auction who dont want to go above $15k because our initial $300 credit card charge is tied up all these added days, will extend tie up of funds for colorado springs, aspen denver(any guesses??) and vail thru october i think, any way to “opt out” of the auction?
”
There are snake oil salesmen willing to deliver something for everone desparate to be on the cutting edge of something new.
Although not explicitly stated – ACPA and UDRP have dictated the .com – the only one on the shelf – sure there are a few kangaroo exceptions. Cost me a lot of money in suggesting otherwise – at this point I look at those costs as “tuition” – and that is what anyone buying a non.com, including “.co” is paying.
Cheers to the “.co” Snake Oil Salesmen
Page
I don’t understand this:
“stinks for those of us in this auction who dont want to go above $15k because our initial $300 credit card charge is tied up all these added days, will extend tie up of funds for colorado springs, aspen denver(any guesses??) and vail thru october i think, any way to “opt out” of the auction?”"
I mean if you are worried about $300 being tied up, you shouldn’t be bidding $15K
Brian
If you think the results have been crazy so far don’t miss my post tomorrow morning.
Got a whole new set of completed domain auctions and you won’t believe the prices
MHB:
I’m curious NOW. Let out a few …
I am not really that surprised by high prices in the landrush auctions, but it still doesn’t mean it is a good investment. Landrush auctions are always at peak interest.
LasVegas.asia – $30K is a good example.
It is taking money out of the market that normally goes to established investments, which is fine with me. It just means more deals out there.
Brad
Per Brad:
“LasVegas.asia – $30K is a good example.”
Good God – Good God – If I was willing to sell my soul – I would invest/buy into a non.com registry – however I just believe in Karma – and not bilking the naive.
Everything has a BEGINNING and an END !!!! Also the .COM
Everything changes and also PEOPLE,S MIND !!!!! NOTHING last FOREVER and also the . COM
This is ESPECIALLY to ALL .COM lovers who think that the “KING” (.com) can NEVER lose it,s crown;
Take an example at the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ( “KING of the world”) Nobody in this world
could imagine that one day the USA should end up into such a crisis; Banks and COmpanies (Genaral Motors) needed tax payer,s money to secure their existance, Americans (big time speders)running out of their houses, and handed over the keys from their precious homes to avoid Foreclosure
Prestigious banks like FANNY MAE (america,s pride) ended up in trouble They where the KING (mortgages)
The message to all dotCOM lovers is very simple, ” DON,T BE SO SELF-COnfident cause you can be surprised in an UNPLEASANT way one day since EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO A CHANGE ”
Have a nice day and greetz from Europe (dotDE) !!!
.COM DESTRUCTION
Boulder 8/28 UPDATE
High bid currently at $16,150
Auction extended another day
8/29 UPDATE
High bid is currently at $17K.
Auction is ended until tomorrow
FINAL UPDATE
Boulder.co sold for $17K today.
Denver.co auction starts on September 2nd
Thank you for reliable Updates, MHB. This is a great and useful Blog.
fyi aspen extended today at $11000 i believe
Aspen.co – Another ground floor opportunity – more like 6 feet under
Page
Thanks keep us updates on that one
Denver.co starts on September 2nd.
I strongly believe there is great future value in CO domains and the “CO” association with Colorado ads extra value. I would not be suprised to see in the long run for many existing Colorado related web sites to gradually migrate to CO extension, or even abandon the original domains.