Most entrepreneurs while setting up a company website find that their dream .com domain names are already purchased by others. By far, .com is the most popular domain name that is used worldwide. Therefore, an individual when planning to select top-level domain usually first think of .com extension, which are very hard to avail. Let’s find out what is a top-level domain? And, what are the other alternatives?
Top level domain(TLD) is the last section of the domain name, part that comes after the dot. It is also known as domain suffix. Some of the most popular TLDs are .org,.biz, .edu,.gov,. net,.co and offcourse .com.
These domain names help to identify certain elements of a website like:
- Country of origin
- Purpose of the site
- Type of business
- Creative
There are several other region-specific domains like .co.uk (for United Kingdom), .de (for Denmark),.au (for Australia), .cn (for China) and many others. These are known as Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLDS).
For the past two years, new generic TLDs are added to the already existing host of domain suffixes. With so many domain extensions in use, it is a daunting task to find out a suitable top level domain that will match your website purpose and your expectations. Here are a few tips to help you find a suitable domain name:
Try.com Suffix First
Almost 75% of all websites end with.com. It is in use for more than 20 years. So, why does it still matter so much when there are hosts of other options available? Because, it is the most recognized and easiest domain name that is familiar to people all over the world. Even the non-tech can relate to .com extension at once. When building up your website, therefore, first try to register a .com domain name. Do think of three or four names before starting the search for a domain name. If one choice is not available, you may try with the other ones.
Try Other Top Level Domains(TLDs)
It is true that though the consumers are most familiar with the .com domains and it still reigns supreme, but there is huge competition. Many people have made it a business to register dozens of domain names which are attractive in their name especially with the .com domain and are ready to sale them at hefty price to someone whose website may need that website. You may not be able to register attractive .com domain names for your website as they are either unavailable or are not available at reasonable prices.
You can consider other domain options like .net or.co. They are quite well known. Apart, from that there are domains available for every industry. These TLDs have the advantage of communicating about your company using the domain name, .edu is common for educational websites. For example, if you are starting a creative agency think of .design domain extension.
Don’t Forget Country Code Top level Domains(ccTLDs)
If you have certain specific geographic area to target, you may consider ccTLDs. The extension shows the users and the search engine the country in which the website is registered. This extension also helps the web viewers to understand for whom the site is most relevant. However, if your website does not target a specific region or a country these extensions are not effective.
Though, Google has made it clear that they do not prefer any particular TLDs over others, it is seen that extensions play a significant role to make a domain name or a brand successful. A domain extension is an important decision and your site’s relevance, meaning, connection with audience and easy recall of your site depends on having a right domain name.