Shabaka domain - Impact on SEO

[LaythDajani]

Hi All,

I heard about shabaka domain names recently and am not sure if getting a shabaka top-level domain with arabic content help from a SEO stand-point? Currently my Arabic website is on this domain: http://www.tcf-me.ae/

Do you think it is a good idea to get a shabaka domain to target the GCC countries on our Arabic website? Or does it not matter? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[LaythDajani]

Hi Gianluca,

Thanks a lot for your response.

Yes I meant to say .ae

Our english website is www.tcf-me.com

Our arabic website is www.tcf-me.ae

(From a SEO point of view, do you suggest we keep the arabic version of the website on the same domain name(.com) or use a shabaka domain name for the arabic version to specifically target GCC

Thanks

[gfiorelli1]

Hi Layth,

why are you talking of a .me domain name, if it is a .ae one (http://www.tcf-me.ae/)?

Answering your new question, if your intention is targeting arabic speaking people in a region like GCC, which - as the Eurozone or Asia or Latin America - cannot be geo-targeted, then the ideal should be using a generic domain name termination, because of the limitation and added efforts a country code level domain name needs for obtaining the same results.

So... if not classic generic termination (I mean .com or .net) is available, then you think about using the new domain termination .shabaka.

I repeat it: not just because you are using that new termination your site will rank better or will tank. Success or failure will depend by other things, classic tech SEO factors, web relevancy and popularity.

[LaythDajani]

Hi Gianluca

Thanks for your response.

So basically you suggest that I redirect my current .me website to shabaka domain or completely take down the .me domain?

The intention here is to target arabic speaking population in the GCC region..

Thanks

[gfiorelli1]

Hi Layth,

your doubts are not so different from the ones we - using western languages - have with the new domain terminations.

Sincerely, I am not at all convinced that domain terminations play a role in SEO at all, apart certain very specific cases, when Matt Cutts explicitly told that the webspam team usually associates some terminations to spam activities (i.e.: .cc, .tk or even .info).

With all this, what I am saying is that domain termination like .shabaka, .web, .marketing or whatever of the many new ones can work or not depending on the fact that the website associated is:

1. technically optimized;
2. have content that offers value to its targetet audience;
3. have a solid digital promotion strategy sustaining its visibility.

As you can see, things that are a must for every web site independently from its domain termination.

The only real consideration I'd do is if the Saudi Arabian ccTLD was somehow impeding me to better perform outside of Google.ae, or, in other words, if I wanted to reach arabian speaking people globally.

In that case, maybe, using the .shabaka domain termination could be an option, as it is a generic domain name, hence is not automatically geo-targeting Saudi Arabia only, but it can be set to target the global market via Google Webmaster Tools.

Not that an .ae domain cannot achieve the same results, but it is known that territorial domain names struggle more than generic in obtaining organic visibility, so that they need more link building/earning efforts and gain a strong authority for "breaking" the geo-targeting barrier.