The current talk as of now has many marketing gurus thinking that new domain extensions will somehow have an adverse effect on marketing - more specifically, SEM. Is this true? The so-called issue that many people believe the .com extension will have higher rankings by default as compared to the other various extensions being approved by ICANN seemingly every hour.
An even scarier question: could new domain extension create impassable walls around content development and ensuing SEM? First, we must debunk the myths around the old before getting into things you need to know about registering new ones.
Debunking 'grandfather' domain rumors
I'll say it again - domains are only worth what someone is willing to pay.
For no reason at all, .com's are still considered more 'exclusive' than .org's. So how is this myth going to get debunked? Well, those who are selling their .com websites for more than what they are actually worth are spreading the word that .com websites are worth more when it comes to rankings, and this is how they are making their sales hit the ceiling - by manipulating the buyers. Generally, with this occurring, you can find an .info extension that would cost you less money than if you were to buy an .org, .net, or a .com - and rank it better. Don't hold back from buying an .info, .career or any other brandable extension because of the false rumors that are so commonly spread around.
If you are on the web enough, you have most certainly noticed that there are not very many websites that end in .biz or .info. Of course, this is where a lot of people get the idea that the sites ending in these extensions do not get good rankings. Ranking content, or complete sites, is only as effective as the individual behind the marketing scenes.
One of the only reasons that these extensions may appear as though they don't have the potential to rank high is because more people aren't sure how to build a website with them. However, those that actually use these extensions have had some luck with their rankings based solely off content alone. Rather than observing the reality of this situation people are too busy looking at what others are doing, and following behind them.
Does anything rank higher than our government?
Theoretically, yes.
While there are those who think that the .com extension will rank the highest, there are others who think that .gov, .mil and .edu have higher rankings. However, when viewing the SERPs you will see that these extensions do rank quite high. The main reason for this is because many of these extensions represent sites that have more exact niches, whereas .com extensions are far too broad to mandate high natural rankings.
These government entities are indeed well-respected; due to this, many natural backlinks are achieved. This is why they receive lots of traffic to them and they have higher rankings than your common .com's or .net's. These sites, by far, are those that are expected to rank higher because of who and what they represent, but should not be treated as 'benchmarks' to your own ranking successes.
Of course, great content can amass the search position of even our government (by virtue of content marketing, of course). Another big help is getting into the right niche.
Building great content is hard work, especially where new domains are concerned. Not only do you have to worry about getting people to read it, but readers must also remember the content as well as be motivated enough to share it with others. And on top of all that, the content must help you further the reach of your brand.
And while this may seem obvious when creating LSI content for your own business, new domain extensions become that much more important when it's for someone else's benefit, so choosing the right one will make all the difference.
Ok, what about these new ones?
Essentially, they'll be a godsend to those struggling with local SEO/SEM.
From .construction to .Chicago, TLD's are being added to assist the commoner in finding local venues, such as diners and businesses. These are, theoretically, the gift search marketers have sought for years - whether they'll be good for content marketing or general SEO purposes is still several years away from being realized. And as financing the new ones, people are actually getting loans from places like Landmark Cash when they need to fill gaps in their business expense sheets.
Should marketing pros and businesses register these through their favorite registrar? Absolutely. Paying a billion dollars for domains that are one word, catchy or are based off phrases equates to buying an elaborate coathanger if the content isn't there to keep the 'worthiness' alive. True story.
Conclusion
Marketing professionals that have truly mastered their craft should find new domain extensions a mere 'gift' rather than an insurmountable hurdle. To the rookie breaking into the digital marketing world, concentrating on content proliferation should be of higher importance than what TLD this content rests on since natural backlinks will always find great work without much effort.
Choosing the right extension for your website should be based off of factors that are more relevant to branding needs. They should be selected today, nurtured proactively and remembered by tomorrow's wave of marketing professionals.