[Dolemite]

Due to the lack of good domains, I may be forced to go with a .net. The .com is registered but has no site, BTW. You can follow my exploits in trying to purchase the name here.

This raises the question of whether repeat visitors (or really any non-referred traffic) might screw up the URL and type .com. I'm hoping someone would be gracious enough to check their stats and see what percentage of their traffic is referred from other domains, where the extension difference would be a non issue.

Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

[Heyder]

All of my visitors come from the search engines

[Dolemite]

Interesting...and encouraging.

I think this might vary a lot from site to site, though. I'm hoping for at least some repeat traffic, and I don't think everyone's going to bookmark my site. The bigger question is, can people distinguish between .net and .com. Inevitably, some will screw it up. Hopefully that will be only a small percentage.

The worst case would be if I developed the .net and the .com owner then came up with a competing site. I suppose trademarking could protect me from this if the site was profitable enough to make it worthwhile. Still, thats a couple hundred in avoidable expenses.

[Heyder]

Even though all of my visitors come from search engines I would put my nose to the domain name grinding stone before I bought a dot net. Especially like you said the other person could start up and do quite well off of your efforts. I don't know trade mark laws but I would guess since the other party had the name first you might not have a case if you ever had to fight them.

[Dynamoo]

My main site is 92.4% SE or link referral. 75% or more is from Google SE results.

My cobbled together affiliate sites are basically almost 100% Google traffic.

________
All your commission are belong to us.

[flamingoworld]

I only have 25% of my visitors come thru search engines. Most of my visitors come from bookmarks, direct type ins and from my newsletter links. I guess If I really wanted to work the Search Engines I could really pump up the traffic!
But at least I don't have to sit on the edge of my seat in fear of the google dances!

Connie Berg
www.flamingoworld.com

[gsubbara]

All my sites are 100% Google Driven ...

My sites are mini sites themed around a single product/service and its only function is to presell and send the user to the merchant ( i almost have 30-40% click thro ratio )

I dont think repeat visits is possible for this kinda sites unlike a mall/ coupon/ comparison site .

So if are going to create a single product site forget about repeat visitors or branding and just go for a SE friendly url . But if you are creating a multi-product mall or comparison site repeat visit is possible , so go for a short memorable url prefarably a .com one ( dont forget to put a big "Bookmark us" link )

"The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their Dreams."

[gsubbara]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> But at least I don't have to sit on the edge of my seat in fear of the google dances!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thats where the real fun is

"The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their Dreams."

[flamingoworld]

I have a teenage daughter, I don't need any more reasons to sit at the edge of my seat!

Connie Berg
www.flamingoworld.com

[Dolemite]

Thanks for the responses, everybody.

25 - 100% is quite a range to work with. I'm thinking I would fall somewhere in the middle of that, with a majority of initial traffic coming from search engines. For the "man on the street" opinion I asked a few non-techie friends if they had ever forgotten something was a .net and screwed it up, and for the most part they seemed to think they'd remember. Of course how can you be asked to remember situations where you forgot something?

I think in many ways the site I'm working on would depend on return visits, and I'd just prefer to have a .com. So as Heyder so aptly put, I think I'll "put my nose to the domain name grinding stone" some more.

The fact that Connie and many others have had tremendous success with catchy domains that don't necessarily reveal their site's subject matter from the name itself shows you just what possibilities exist even with so many good domains taken. BTW, Connie, I spent my first year of life in Owatonna and grew up nearby. Small world, eh?

So...back to the domain name search. Well, the good news is that when I do get a domain for this site figured out I'll have a lot of the groundwork of site design and content development done.