Addison, TX (PRWEB) September 17, 2014
Globe Runner, an interactive marketing firm based in Dallas, Texas, has released the results of their search engine marketing test involving .Com and gTLD domain names. The goal of the testing was to determine if a .Com or a gTLD domain name is better for search engine marketing purposes.
Starting in January 2014, there are hundreds of new Generic Top Level Domain Names (gTLDs) becoming available for registration, including .xyz, .photography, .club, .diamonds, and even .menu. Already there are many new gTLD domain names available for registration. Globe Runner had so many questions about the new gTLD domain names that they set out to discover, using real-world data, whether or not the public cares about the domain name when they see it.
For the purpose of testing the overall marketing performance of .Com domains versus new gTLD domain names, Globe Runner thought that it would be important and most appropriate to use Google AdWords, a leading source of paid internet traffic. In the first test, Globe Runner secured two keyword-rich domain names: one with the keyword in the domain name, and the other with the keyword in the domain name and in the new gTLD.
Globe Runner chose these domain names for the primary test:
http://www.3CaratDiamonds.com
http://www.3Carat.Diamonds
And they chose brand-related keywords for the second test:
http://www.MattitosMenu.com
http://www.Mattitos.menu
Globe Runner set up and ran Google AdWords campaigns that sent paid search traffic to two separate landing pages. One landing page was set up for the "diamonds" campaigns, and the other was set up for the "menu" campaigns. The keywords used, the landing pages, and even the ad copy were exactly the same for each campaign. The only difference was the change in the domain name.
After Globe Runner ran the tests, it was clear that the .Com outperformed the .Diamonds domain name in certain key areas. Ultimately, there were more clicks and conversions on the .Com domain name versus the .Diamonds domain name. So, the consumers preferred the .Com domain name. However, Google AdWords tended to prefer the .Diamonds domain name. The average Cost Per Click (CPC) was lower on the .Diamonds domain name, and Google AdWords served up nearly twice as many ad impressions of the .Diamonds advertisements.
In order to be completely transparent about the tests and results, Globe Runner has compiled a white paper that contains all of the data. The white paper is available for free on the Globe Runner website at http://globerunner.com/com-vs-new-gtld/.
About Globe Runner
Globe Runner is an Addison, Texas based search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing and digital advertising agency. It has over 60 local, national and international B2C and B2B clients in consumer-packaged goods (CPG), beauty, credit repair, fashion, healthcare, home and interiors, jewelry, legal services and sports. Globe Runner sits on the boards of the Dallas Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association (DFWSEM) and the Social Media Club of Dallas (SMC Dallas). The agency’s staff and work have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Adweek.