.COM vs .ORG vs .NET vs .CO vs .IO- WHICH TOP LEVEL DOMAIN IS BETTER?

With majority of shopping happening on the internet, the dynamics of marketing has changed significantly and one of the most effective and lasting methods of reaching potential customers is through a well-developed and maintained website. From marketing stand-point, you can create a lasting brand image with the right domain name.

What is a Domain name?

Your web address or a unique name given to your website is the domain name. It has a direct impact on your search and has massive impact on search rankings and how people find you online. The two critical parts of a domain name are- the name and the extension. Deciding and registering a domain name should not be done is haste. It is a valuable marketing and search tool that is utilized successfully by top digital marketing companies in India, such as Qwerty Brand Solutions among others, to lead customers to your site. Careful deliberation and research should be applied, as it might be the most important decision you make when carving out your share on the online marketplace.

What is a Top-Level Domain (TLD) or Domain Name Extension?

The name of a website is known as the second-level domain. It is a unique identifier of the website, a differentiator. The domain name extension follows the second-level domain. It is referred to as a Top-level domain (TLD) and both terms are often used interchangeably.

Three types of Domain Extensions:

1. Generic Domain Extensions- Most common among the Indian businesses and across the world and the popular ones include- .com, .org and .net. One can easily buy generic domain extension by signing up for a domain name or domain hosting websites like Bluehost, Hostgator and GoDaddy.

2. Sponsored Domain Extensions- These are the elite domain extensions that only a select few organizations can use as you need to fulfil the qualification criteria to use these extensions as part of your website name. popular examples include- .gov and .edu. Only certified educational institutions like universities and colleges are allowed to use the .edu domain extension. .gov is explicitly used by government agencies

3. Country Code Domain Extensions- As the name suggests, these are country-specific domain extensions. Most countries have unique two-letter domain extensions to showcase the location of the organization. Such as an India-based organization will use .in extension, for United Kingdom .uk and for Russia .ru and many other country-specific extensions.

After the basic differentiation of the types of domain extensions, let us understand the wide variety of domains utilized by leading SEO agencies in Gurgaon and their popularity in detail.

• .COM- Initially designed for eCommerce extensions, the .com is extensively used for commercial websites today which simply showcases that the particular business is a commercial website. Many blogs and personal websites also use .com inferring that the owner may not necessarily be someone who runs a business or an eCommerce platform.
• .NET- This one stands for network, which was originally envisioned for websites specializing in network-based technology such as ISPs, email services and database services. Lately, it has begun to inhabit equal importance as .com domain extension.
• .ORG- Earlier, .org was explicitly designed for non-profit organizations but this limitation has been recently lifted and made more accessible to foundations and charities, education service providers, open-source software projects and not-for-profit entities as well.
• .CO- This one stands for company or corporation and is popular among online businesses.
• .BIZ- It is designed for business owners and is least popular and most affordable extension among its competitors.

Why is .COM widely used and trusted domain extension as compared to any other TLD extensions?

.com domains are over 33% more memorable than URLs with other TLDs. It is ranked as the most trusted TLD, with .co in a close second position. When people try to remember a URL, they’re 3.8 times more likely to assume it ends in .com than any other TLD. In short, .com outperforms all other domain extensions. Use a .com extension if you run a business, blog or personal website and use .org if you run a not-for-profit organization. .co and .com are equally viable options as both are used interchangeably. Owning a .biz website means that you are running a business and it is relatively cheaper extension to purchase. Looking at all the options available, .com remains the undisputed winner as the premium domain due to the versatility and trust it brings with it for your website.

Impact of Domain Extension on SEO

Selecting any competitive domain extension is not a sure-shot kill for scaling SEO rankings as neither does owning a .com website give you an SEO advantage over website with other TLD. Google has also announced that it doesn’t consider domain extensions as a ranking metric. This clearly means that if you want to rank higher in search engines, you have to optimize it for on-page, off-page and technical SEO.

While selecting the perfect match for your website domain extension, keep the following parameters in mind:

• Trustworthiness and memorability of TLD extensions
• Versatility
• Industry Niche
• Pricing

A strong domain name is pivotal for any size business, at any stage of development. It will entice customers with a snappy slogan or unique title and promotes a sense of professionalism and satisfaction. So, keep it simple, memorable, that resonates with your business well.