The new domain name for St Maarten ( with the extention ".sx" "example.sx" ) is coming now! We have already helped to set up one of the first websites under an ".sx" domain name. ( sxmregulator.sx )
1) What are the benefits of owning "mybrand.sx", or "mykeywords.sx"?
a - In our opinion, the ".sx" is interesting in that it targets local crowds. Search engines might tend to better rank websites with ".sx" domain names, when the person searching is connecting from St Maarten (using St Maarten local IP addresses provided by Caribserve, Telem, Scarlet, etc.) .This assumption requires search engines to acknowledge St. Maarten as an independent area, associating local IP addresses with the new domains in ".sx". This is not yet the case, but is likely to happen in the future.
For persons searching from abroad (US, France, ... for example), the ".sx" will not be better ranked. Traditional ".com, .net, .org" are still the most recommendable domain extensions, but offer less keywords options than new domains.
b - Another reason to own your domain in ".sx" would be to avoid others from "hijacking" your brand under the ".sx" extension.
2) When exactly? And how much does it cost?
The prices indicated below are per domain for one year. These are estimations based on several registrars. Prices will vary with the registrar you choose.(These prices do not include Litemoon's additional services for example: key word research, administrative steps to reserve domains, domain name handling, domain name linkage to the website, etc.)
| Phases | Launch (2012) | Price | What is it? |
| Sunrise | May 3rd - July 4th | $199 + $160 | This phase gives the opportunity for trademark holders to reserve their domain. |
| Local Companies priority period | July 5th - August 5th | $100 | This phase gives the opportunity for business owners to reserve their domain. |
| Local Individuals priority period | August 6th - October 22th | $80 ~ $100 | This phase gives the opportunity for residents to reserve the domain corresponding to their name. |
| Landrush | October 22th - November 11th |
$200 or more | Anybody can reserve a domain via an auction system. |
| General Availability | November 11th | $45 ~ $55 | Anybody can reserve a domain. The price indicated will be the recurrent yearly price of the domain name. |
4) How should I proceed?
Choose and contact directly one of the accredited registrars ( 101 Domains, Euro DNS, ... ). You can find the accredited registrars list by going to: registry.sx then clicking on "Registrars", and then "Accredited Registrar".
5) What can Litemoon do for me?
Before the land rush, we recommend that your administrative staff go through the registration steps, and provide any document directly to a registrar.You can hire us to find the best and relevant domain key words for your business from the Landrush phase on.
After Landrush we'll be able to purchase domain names for you like any other common domain name. In any event, we'll be happy to add your new domain to your website if you request it!
6) More Info and FAQ
Check the website registry.sx!Some sources:
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/04/where-in-world-is-your-site.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY65Mlgw124
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei_duGzEl94
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/12/region-tags-in-google-search-results.html
