With the pool of desirable .com domain growing smaller everyday, the Internet community breathed a collective sigh of relief inmid-2010 when .co domain names were released for purchase to the generalpublic. In addition to having the advantage of being new, “dot co”domains are useful to a wide variety of consumers looking toenhance their presence on the Web. As with any new Internet-basedproduct, there is still some confusion around who should use .cofor their websites, so here’s a helpful list of the four types ofconsumers most likely to benefit from a new .co domain.

* Those who can’t find an available .com domain

Businesses owners and individuals have become increasinglyfrustrated with the lack of related .com domains available.Understandably, many of the “best” and simplest .com names havelong ago been purchased and either serve an actual website or arebeing sold at great profit. The new batch of .co domains shouldalleviate much of the hassle of finding the perfect domain,particularly for small business owners, who often must settle for adomain name only somewhat related to their business moniker.

* Those who want to lend credibility to a business

Much like .org or .edu domain names immediately indicateauthority and legitimacy to a website, .co domains seek to betterorganize business-related queries. Associated with the words”company,” “commerce” and “connect,” .co aims to remind Webbrowsers that the site they’re visiting has a vested businessinterest. Particularly for smaller businesses or companies with acommon-word name, .co is useful in a sea of sometimes meaningless.coms.

* Those who are looking to stand out

In addition to providing the Web with a vast array of new domainname possibilities, .co addresses instantly set businesses andorganizations that use them apart. Yet to become a household term,.co domains allow owners the opportunity to brand themselves in anew way, and to encourage questions about the domain itself.Newness and uniqueness often equate to innovation in customers’minds, so the use of a distinctive domain could go a long way inframing a user as technologically savvy.

* Those who want to try something different

It’s been decades since webmasters, developers and SEO expertshave had such a powerful new source of data to play with. Domainsformed around .co are largely untainted and untouched, offeringblank slates to those who want to research the ever-changingeffects of the Web. In addition to hosting packages and otherfeatures, many domain registers such as Network Solutions andDomainNames.com are offering specials surrounding .co domains tolure in curious tech users. The opportunity for information andlearning is rife with this new field of domains, and the time toact is now.

Technology moves fast, often faster than the average Web usercan keep up with. Fortunately, the buzz surrounding the release ofmillions of .co domain names has been relatively quiet, so thereare still many great names to be had. Whether being used for abusiness, organization or an individual, .co domains have much tooffer for those looking to branch out in the Internet space.