Google has clarified its stance on the .co domain, days after it was released for sale. Google generally keeps country specific top level domain names local, such as with .nz domain names where you will rank better in New Zealand but not elsewhere.

This move puts .CO alongside generic top-level domain names such as .com, .net, .org as well as other country specific domains that have crossed over such as Tuvalus .TV and Montenegros .ME.

While the .co domain is still assigned to Colombia, a Google spokesperson said that would soon change. “We will rank .co domains appropriately if the content is globally targeted. Webmasters will soon have the functionality to be able to specify this by using the geotargeting options in Google Webmaster Tools.”

With over 300,000 .co domains registered in the first week it seems likely this extension will rapidly become a popular alternative to the hugely oversubscribed .com name space.