question on a .ie domain

I have an idea for a domain name but its only available in .ie

I want to reach a worldwide audience so would it matter that it is a .ie website?

Would search engines find me if it was a .ie website?

I know .com is better but it isnt available and have nearly exhausted all other possible names and cannot come up with a better name

Having a .ie will not limit the amount of people who can view your site. In fact when we set up websites for clients, the feedback they usually get is that irish audiences have more confidence in a .ie. They generally think it means the company is more reputable than a .com. I don't know if foreign buyers have any particular view of a .ie as opposed to .com.

If you like your name and it is memorable and works, then register the .ie.

IMO, the main advantage of a .COM address is that people tend to try it first. If the .COM equivalent of your (proposed) .IE site operates the same type of business, then potential customers may end up there by mistake.

Of course this also depends on how you will be getting people to your site - if they're clicking on a link, the name isn't too important, if you're relying on Google, then it may be. For a worldwide audience, I think a .COM is better.

Where possible, I think it's better to own both the .COM and the .IE version of your chosen domain name. Then you can make a decision as to which one will be your primary site. You can set up a dummy site, or a permanent redirection from the other one.

Thanks for that lads. I found a different name available in .com .ie .org and .net so I think I will register all 4.

Another question tho.

When I checked this name it wasnt available as a .com so I checked who.is and went to the company that owned the domain. They are net services hosting company and the name is only available if you get it from them. Why is this? Did they buy the name so they can profit from it????