.In vs. .Co.In – Which Is Better?

Unlike most countries, there is not one definitive ccTLD in India.  Canada has .ca, the United Kingdom has .co.uk, Australia has .com.au, but India has both .in and .co.in in widespread use.  One of the most common questions people ask when starting to invest in Indian domain names is whether they should invest in .in domains or .co.in domains.

Here are a number of factors to take into account in making that decision:

1.  .Co.in is India’s original ccTLD.  It is the extension that endusers in India are more familiar with and has a strong presence in consumers’ minds.

2.  There are many domains for which the .in version is registered, but not the .co.in – it is rare to find the reverse situation.  From what I’ve seen though, this is mainly the result of purchases by domainers.

3.  Both .in and .co.in domains receive type in traffic, which is a good sign of their viability.  Generally, I’ve seen that a .co.in domain gets more type in traffic than the same .in domain, but others have reported the opposite.

4.  .In is shorter – companies generally prefer to use shorter domain names.

5.  If you look at reported sales, .in domains generally command higher prices.  From what I’ve seen, they are also more liquid.

6.  .Co.in is more likely to be used by a domestic Indian business – and there are still millions of them that do not have their own websites.  On the other hand, international companies tend to use .in.

Right now, .in tends to be more popular with domainers, primarily because they believe that even though .co.in is better established, .in will become more popular and overtake .co.in.

I personally believe that India is large enough that both extensions will do well and be used extensively.  In my opinion, both extensions are worth investing in, keeping in mind the slightly different uses and audiences of each one.

For futher discussion of this, see:
.Co.In or Just .In
.In vs .Co.In – The Big Debate!