.ca and .co.uk

taggert · #1 (**permalink**) 03-24-09, 21:56

If I have a website whose niche is a foreign market, would it be prudent to ditch the .com suffix for .ca, .co.uk, or whatever one indicated the country I am marketing towards?

bod-jack · #2 (**permalink**) 03-25-09, 00:20

I would suggest you to use .com TLD. It is a gTLD that is mostly used for commercial websites. It was one of the original top-level domains.

Amelia · #3 (**permalink**) 03-25-09, 00:39

I agree. Also, to register a .co.uk domain you will need to be a UK individual.. same in the case of .ca, anyone who is of Canadian nationality or permanent residence can register a .ca domain name.

Noobie · #4 (**permalink**) 03-26-09, 09:10

You don't need to live in the UK to register a .co.uk domain. I own two and I'm in Australia. These can be really good for optimizing international sites and attracting new customers from different markets.

carl owen · #5 (**permalink**) 03-26-09, 19:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amelia

I agree. Also, to register a .co.uk domain you will need to be a UK individual.. same in the case of .ca, anyone who is of Canadian nationality or permanent residence can register a .ca domain name.

Wrong. I am not too sure about Canadian domains. However, it is not necessary to be an individual of UK to register a .co.uk domain name.

jason s · #6 (**permalink**) 03-26-09, 21:02

I completely agree....i am an American and got an .co.uk domain name registered on my name.

Chiana · #7 (**permalink**) 03-27-09, 04:10

I think you should use the domain extension for the country in which you're aiming. I have several .com.au domains for Australian audiences. I also own a couple of .co.uk domains for the same reason. The rest of my sites are .com domains because they're aimed at the US

nickgrnt · #8 (**permalink**) 03-27-09, 19:32

IMO, Domain extension totally depends on your target audience. If you want to target only the US audience then you should opt for .ca and if you want to appeal uk audience the you should choose .co.uk domain extension. or else .com is the best for targeting international audience.

bill mates · #9 (**permalink**) 03-28-09, 04:09

I don't think there is any restrictions on registering a co.uk or .ca domain. We have 2 .co.uk .

Martin · #10 (**permalink**) 03-28-09, 06:13

Well, you can register a .co.uk domain even if you are not UK Citizen. However to register .ca domain there are few restrictions. You must satisfy the following conditions in order to register .ca domain:-

Canadian Citizen
Corporation (Canada or Canadian province or territory)
Permanent Resident of Canada
Government or government entity in Canada
Canadian Educational Institution
Canadian Unincorporated Association
Canadian Hospital
Partnership Registered in Canada
Trade-mark registered in Canada (by a non-Canadian owner)
Canadian Trade Union
Canadian Political Party
Canadian Library, Archive or Museum
Trust established in Canada
Aboriginal Peoples (individuals or groups) indigenous to Canada
Indian Band recognized by the Indian Act of Canada
Legal Representative of a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
Official mark registered in Canada
Her Majesty the Queen

These are known as Canadian Presence Requirements (CPR) for registrants.

Registering a domain with TLD's like .co.uk, .ca or any other will definitely help you to get the traffic from that area or nation however if you wish to get the traffic across the globe it is recommended to register domain with TLD's like .com, .net etc

nickgrnt · #11 (**permalink**) 03-28-09, 18:37

Thanx for the great info, Martin.

Bodhost-Andy · #12 (**permalink**) 03-28-09, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amelia

I agree. Also, to register a .co.uk domain you will need to be a UK individual.. same in the case of .ca, anyone who is of Canadian nationality or permanent residence can register a .ca domain name.

I completely disagree with you Amelia.You can register .co.uk domain if you are not UK citizen but you will have some restriction to register .ca domain......

Martin · #13 (**permalink**) 03-29-09, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickgrnt

Thanx for the great info, Martin.

You are most welcome Nick

Well, if you need any more information Google is anytime ready to help you. You can search there if you have any more questions about .ca domain or else simply post your questions here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bodhost-Andy

I completely disagree with you Amelia.You can register .co.uk domain if you are not UK citizen but you will have some restriction to register .ca domain......

And I agree with you Andy! Yes you can register .co.uk domain without any problem even if you are not UK citizen however to register .ca domain you must satisfy all the conditions that I have mentioned in the above post.