Thinking of switching your old-school web address to a .CO? Lucky for you, it’s a piece of cake. More and more entrepreneurs, companies, and individuals worldwide are focusing on finding domains that are memorable and make sense for their brand.
If you’re thinking that making the switch to a .CO may be difficult, think again! The key to the process is ensuring that your site’s search engine rankings and incoming links are kept intact. We’ve seen it done before and it works flawlessly. We’ve included our top tips below as well as resources to get you started.
Google has a step-by-step guide on URL changes in their Webmaster Tools area. Start with Moving your site. In there, you’ll learn the basics:
- URL Mapping – Essentially this is a list of all the URLs that make up your site. You will need to generate a list of old URLs and map them to their new .CO address destinations.
- 301 redirects – A command that tells search engines and users that your site has permanently moved. This means that if a person (or robot) clicks on an old link, they will be automatically redirected to the correct web address.
- The site move – You’ll need to decide if you can move your entire site at once, or for a larger site if it’s better to break it down into sections. During this phase, you’ll also want to update your robots.txt files so that the Googlebot can discover all of the redirects.
Google offers step-by-step directions for transferring your site, but If you’re working with a reputable digital company for website maintenance, this will be as simple as telling them that you’d like a new domain.
Why move to .CO?
Trustworthy Links Can Increase Click-Through Rates By Between 39% and 200%. People are more likely to click on shorter links – so much so that companies like American Express (AmEx.CO) and Taco Bell (Ta.co) have even added a .CO domain to make their links shorter.
You may be wondering how a .CO website will attract traffic. The use of a .CO domain offers the same traffic as your traditional domains. There is no difference between .CO domains and legacy TLDs such as .com, .net, and .US. .
Although you may be swimming in a sea of new domain extension options, remember a .CO domain provides a short and memorable option. Your brand wasn’t built to blend in – so don’t let it. A .CO domain is as unique and memorable as your one-of-a-kind idea.
