At a4uexpo in October, I was rushing around the place (OK, sauntering with a hangover) telling everyone I was keen to run a mobile site in 2008. I was a long way from achieving that goal as I could barely manage my existing website. So knowing I should walk before I could run, I set about creating a 5 point ’secret plan’ to get me there by Spring.

The plan included sorting out my brand; using a new tailored Content Management System and fleshing the site out with a new design.

What better way to launch all these new enhancements but on a new shiny domain too? How about ShopCodes.com that has been irritatingly just sat there useless with an ISPs default holding page for many months.

I had to own that site. It just made perfect sense. It would tick all the boxes and more.

During November I contacted Sedo.com, who buy and sell domain names. They would value the domain; I’d give them a maximum bid; they’d contact the owner; negotiate on my behalf and try to acquire it for me.

Sedo enjoy a success rate of over 70% but by the New Year they’d still not managed to get a response by the owner. All I knew was the domain was up for renewal in a couple of months time, so I registered my interest at Snapnames.com who could bid at a live auction.

Then just one month ago Sedo got back to me saying that they made successful contact and that the owner had immediately accepted my four-figure bid.

Then after a nervous three weeks of waiting and lots of support tickets between companies during the transfer process, the domain ShopCodes.com was finally in my hands and safely registered on TUCOWS with my current preferred ISP Servage.

I used my January trip to San Francisco to acquire some International exclusive codes and I was hoping I could keep the .com a different entity from my existing ShopCodes.co.uk.

I didn’t want to just use the .com to target the US but it was a good opportunity to try out a new CMS and design and avoid duplicate content issues by listing non-UK merchants at the start.

However, after I’d 302 re-directed the .com to the .co.uk as a temporary measure, Google started linking to my ShopCodes.com site at the expense of ShopCodes.co.uk. Even Google says this is the exception and not the rule.

It means that Google thinks users will rather see the .com rather than the .co.uk. Fair enough but I’ve no content on that domain yet.

Traffic also dipped as Google didn’t recognise the .com as a UK site. So the home page is not being returned in Google UK search results pages. It does in the full web search.

I quickly addressed that by using Google Webmaster Central tools. However, with that double blow, traffic has crashed 75% in the short term.

So I am walking before I am running but I am currently sprinting to fix these short term issues. So you may see the end of .co.uk and the launch of .com this week.

The site just won’t have any bells or whistles. As it’s blooming too early.