Present study investigates the photoabsorption properties of single crystal rutile TiO2 (110) surfaces after they have been implanted with low fluences of cobalt ions. The surfaces, after implantation, demonstrate fabrication of nanostructures and anisotropic nano-ripple patterns. Creation of oxygen vacancies (Ti3+ states), development of cobalt nano-clusters as well as band gap modifications have also been observed. Results presented here demonstrate that fabrication of self organized nanostructures, upon implantation, along with the development of oxygen vacancies and ligand field transitions of cobalt ion promote the enhancement of photo-absorbance in both UV (similar to 2 times) and visible (similar to 5 times) regimes. These investigations on nanostructured TiO2 surfaces can be important for photo-catalysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.