Please i would like to know which of these tld's is preferrable online.

If you are targeting global, use .com if is available, if your target is Nigeria, use .com.ng

mrperfect: If you are targeting global, use .com if is available, if your target is Nigeria, use .com.ng

Not necessarily. Mind you .com was meant for the US but everyone seems to be using it now. You can use .com.ng even if your website is for the global audience but i'll advise against that considering our reputation in the international community. It's bad for business.

.com.ng is a country specific TLD, while .com is international, just as someone replied earlier if your public target is international then you should have .com and that does not mean .com.ng is irrelevant, since you are based in Nigeria then .com.ng is also good for you and you will see some of the reasons below, so I will advice you to go for the two.

Why do you think google has a .com.ng TLd registered for themsef as in google.com.ng ?

.com.ng has an upper hand in search engine optimization when your target customers in nigeria are searching for similar product/service in nigeria

Which ever your decision is you can get a cheap, reliable and support for your domain and web hosting from http://9jahoster.com
You can even get your .com.ng and others instantly if you make payment with one of the real time payment methods.


Benefits and Drawbacks of International Domain Names

Over 40 countries have a country specific top level domain (TLD), such as com.ng .uk or .jp. International TLDs are used for many different reasons, such as government agencies in the country or companies that want a local presence for the country's customers. Some international domain names can be registered by anyone through standard domain registrars. Others have very specific laws and restrictions associated with the domain name.
Local Targeting

A popular reason to register an international domain name is targeting the local market of that country. The companies might have specific services and products that are available only to that country and they want to make sure that the right people are seeing it. Another benefit is a search engine advantage. Google has location-specific settings for many countries, allowing users to search the specific TLD or for results relevant to their area. A company using the country TLD can get better search results than one using .com. Also, these international domain names can appeal to users and potential customers who do not speak English. Roughly 65 percent of computer users in 2004 primarily spoke languages other than English, according to market researcher Global Reach.
Keywords

Domainers and webmasters might have problems finding available domains with the keywords they need among .com, .net or other common TLDs. Instead of choosing an awkward or hyphenated domain, a webmaster can register an international TLD that offers open registration.
Type-Ins

A major drawback of international domain names is losing type-in traffic. Type-in domain traffic is when a person types in domain directly. It is much more likely for a person to type in a domain name followed by a .com, instead of a specific country code. This may also prove to be an issue in advertising. Even if a person sees the specific domain extension listed on an ad or commercial, by the time he gets to the computer to look at it he may type it in with a generic domain extension instead of the country specific code.

This article may be useful for you!

"The Benefits of having a country Top Level Domain(tld) name"


Most new websites tend to look for a domain name with a .com or .net tld (Top Level Domain). They feel this gives the site a more professional appearance and will appeal to a more international audience and in many cases this is true. However, it can also be beneficial to look at purchasing a domain name with a country specific tld.

There are a number of benefits that can be gained from using a domain name with a country specific tld, especially if you conduct your business primarily in one particular country.

Search Engine Benefits
Most of the large search engines will give you a higher search ranking for a site that has the tld of the searchers country. For example, if someone from the United Kingdom is performing a search for widgets, a search engine will often rank widgets.co.uk higher than other sites selling the same product but only have a .com tld.

Having a country specific tld will also allow you to be included in a lot of great country directories that stipulate that your domain name has a certain tld. Getting your site into these directories can be a great way of improving your search engine ranking as these are 1 way links from authority sites for your chosen subject. These kind of links are graded much higher than reciprocal linking.

Buyer Confidence
Using a domain tld will often give the buyer more confidence when making a purchase as they consider the site to be local, therefore governed under the same laws as the buyer. This makes it easier to follow up and sales and make complaints if any problems occur during the purchase of the product. It also helps to settle any nerves if the buyer is able to see a street address that they recognize, rather than a foreign address.

Sometimes the best policy is to purchase both a .com and a country tld. This allows you to appeal to both international and national customers. The potential sales that you can get with a country domain tld should not be overlooked as a small investment in an extra domain can bring big returns for you and your business.

Gather information about your customer before they start browsing
Another benefit of having a country domain name is that you already know where your customer is likely to be from. This means that you can display products for that particular customers region without having to ask the customer to select which geographic area they are in. When a customer types in their country domain, you can forward them to your main domain name but display only products that will be of interest to them and have all the prices in their own currency. This gives the site a local feel and will again bring that buying confidence that is so important when trying to make a sale.

Summary
It's important to not overlook this great opportunity to bring in extra customers, simply by choosing a country domain name or simply adding as an extra name that points to your main domain name.

For something easy to remember: .com
For something to promote your patriotism, regardless of whatever anyone says: .com.ng

Personally, based on stories I have heard in the past, with respect to registration, etc, I wouldn't go for .com.ng. Even if the process has improved, I have to give it a while for the new process to mature. Especially for a high stakes site, I can't afford to take risks. Just a personal IMHO

@yawatide Actually .com.ng registration has drastically improved in recent years and nowadays its quite easy to register for one, the web hosting company I use ; www.whogohost.com.ng, register a .com.ng domain name under 12hrs after receiving payment. I havent experienced any problem with their service till date and I can tell you that their 24/7 customer support service is superb.

A .com is the best, except if ur site is targeting nigerian audience.

Why do you think google has a .com.ng TLd registered for themsef as in google.com.ng ?[img]http://www.keyforex.info/cpu.gif[/img]

It depends on what you want to use it for. I think you should go for .com or .net.

dejioke1:
.com.ng is a country specific TLD, while .com is international, just as someone replied earlier if your public target is international then you should have .com and that does not mean .com.ng is irrelevant, since you are based in Nigeria then .com.ng is also good for you and you will see some of the reasons below, so I will advice you to go for the two.

Why do you think google has a .com.ng TLd registered for themsef as in google.com.ng ?

.com.ng has an upper hand in search engine optimization when your target customers in nigeria are searching for similar product/service in nigeria

Which ever your decision is you can get a cheap, reliable and support for your domain and web hosting from http://9jahoster.com
You can even get your .com.ng and others instantly if you make payment with one of the real time payment methods.


Benefits and Drawbacks of International Domain Names

Over 40 countries have a country specific top level domain (TLD), such as com.ng .uk or .jp. International TLDs are used for many different reasons, such as government agencies in the country or companies that want a local presence for the country's customers. Some international domain names can be registered by anyone through standard domain registrars. Others have very specific laws and restrictions associated with the domain name.
Local Targeting

A popular reason to register an international domain name is targeting the local market of that country. The companies might have specific services and products that are available only to that country and they want to make sure that the right people are seeing it. Another benefit is a search engine advantage. Google has location-specific settings for many countries, allowing users to search the specific TLD or for results relevant to their area. A company using the country TLD can get better search results than one using .com. Also, these international domain names can appeal to users and potential customers who do not speak English. Roughly 65 percent of computer users in 2004 primarily spoke languages other than English, according to market researcher Global Reach.
Keywords

Domainers and webmasters might have problems finding available domains with the keywords they need among .com, .net or other common TLDs. Instead of choosing an awkward or hyphenated domain, a webmaster can register an international TLD that offers open registration.
Type-Ins

A major drawback of international domain names is losing type-in traffic. Type-in domain traffic is when a person types in domain directly. It is much more likely for a person to type in a domain name followed by a .com, instead of a specific country code. This may also prove to be an issue in advertising. Even if a person sees the specific domain extension listed on an ad or commercial, by the time he gets to the computer to look at it he may type it in with a generic domain extension instead of the country specific code.

Nice one, boss