Do I need a .com or a .co.nz? or both?

New Zealand businesses have the opportunity to register a .co.nz or a .com domain name. What is the best choice for your business? You can answer this by thinking how you want your business to be perceived both within New Zealand and internationally.

If your target market is international customers, a .com domain name is highly recommended. One advantage of a .com name is that most people outside of New Zealand are familiar with it. The .co.nz extension is less familiar to international web users. Many international web users will find it easier to remember a .com domain name as this is more familiar to them.

Finding a .com name can be difficult. Many of the shorter and more memorable names have already been taken. Do not stop if your company name is already taken. Think about the keywords people will use to find your company and the types of products you sell. Domain names with these keywords are often much easier to remember than a company name. For example: newzealandcheese.com is a much more memorable domain name than johnsondairy.com.

If you are targeting the New Zealand market .co.nz is recommended. Again do not stop with your company name. Think about a domain name that describes your business or your products.

For many companies the best choice is to register multiple .com and a .co.nz domain names. This allows businesses to protect their company and brand names and focus various domains towards particular target markets.

Other resources:

• What makes a great domain name?
• Where can I get some ideas? Go to Nameboy
• New Zealand Domain Name Search