When deciding on a domain name for your website, there are a few things you should consider. First, think about the brand of your website and how the right domain name will reflect your brand. Second, choose a recognizable domain extension that is easy for people to remember.
What is a recognizable domain extension, you may ask? A domain name extension is the ending of a website domain, such as .Com (The golden standard of all extensions). Some other examples of domain extensions are .Edu, .Org, .Net, and .Info. One of the most common misconceptions is that domain names have to end in one of these options, especially .Com. Surprisingly, there are many more extension options (280 total to be exact)! Did you know that there were that many extension options? Did you happen to think that the only compatible ending to a domain name was .Com? If so, you are not alone. A majority of people are under the impression that .Com is the only purposeful domain extension out there. There are many others to choose from. Domain name extensions may not even be something that you notice, but it has a big impact on the traffic to your site.
It’s no secret that .Com takes home the trophy for the most well-known domain extension. That extension is the single most “accidentally” successful digital revolution to exist today! Well… we might be biased. But we challenge you to find something that rivals the explosive success of the .Com. There is no competition! Many people tend to think that there are only a few domain extensions to choose from, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! You already know the most popular extensions. Less common extensions that you might see tailing the end of domain names are .Club, .Download, .Site, .Loan .Store, .Men, .Biz, .MOV, and .Free. The less common domain extensions are typically very low cost or free, while the more popular extensions can cost you something fierce (only sometimes). All extensions are different and vary in price based on what extension you choose.
Depending on your website, it may be worth the money to invest in a .Com domain name, because, as you already know, it is the most well-known domain extension out there! When choosing your domain, keep in mind that a popular domain extension, such as .Com, will help drive more traffic to your site. Regardless of whether or not you are using a .Com extension, the fact is that people will just assume that your website ends in .Com. If your website ends in any other extension, you will need to make sure that you market your site very well! For example, let’s say that Besty owns a Bakery named Betsy’s Bakery. Her website domain name is BestysBakery.Food. If Betsy only marketed her website as Besty’s Bakery, then naturally, a person’s first instinct would be to look up BestysBakery.com. Unfortunately, in that scenario, the customer would be directed to a different site and Besty would lose the sale. We’re not saying it’s a bad thing to have a lesser-known domain extension, we’re just saying that if you choose to have one, you better market it well!
The .Com extension dates back to 1985 when it was meant to represent the commercial intent of a website. The .Coms were not thought of as businesses where consumers could buy things. Many companies with a .Com extension were doing government work.
The Internet at the time was not yet a place where businesses marketed or tried to sell their things. It was built around educational and governmental entities. The extension quickly became one of the top-level domains, as it started being used by actual businesses. The .Com extension grew and became known worldwide as the most recognized extension of a website. The extension has since altered the way people think, live, and connect with others. As you can see, the evolution of .Com has some history behind it. Now three and a half decades later, .Com continues to be known as the top domain name extension. Think of .com as the Ferrari of all domain names…
Other reasons you might consider leaning towards using a .Com extension are because it leads to giving your brand better credibility. Many people are not familiar with less common domain extensions, which means people may have a difficult time trusting your site if you’re not using a .Com extension. This extension also implies that you are more established as a business and as a website. Some search engines even favor .Com domain extensions over others! This is not always the case, but studies show that search engines like Google have ranked non-country-specific domain names better in universal search results.
There’s no rule out there stating that you absolutely need to have a .Com domain extension. There are 280 different extensions to choose from! Keep in mind that the .Com domain extension will most likely always be known as the best of the best. Although it is the most well-known ending to a domain name, it will not hinder your business website from growing or succeeding. Only you have the power to decide that! Now that you know more about domain extensions, you can move forward on your domain name and choose the best extension for your website!