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November 18, 2017Dot com domain extension has been in existence for so many years. It has been used in internet such as gmail.com and websites mostly. When we think of a website, we think of a dot com. It’s no wonder then that the dot com is the most sought after and popular domain extension.
But have you ever wondered if there really is any benefit to the dot com domain extension beyond its popularity? Does a dot com have any SEO significance? Should you consider some other domain name if your desired name is not available with the dot com extension? Read on to find the answers.
When acquiring a domain name, you want to make sure that:
- It is relevant to your business
- It is easy to remember for your target customers
- It identifies you with your industry; it identifies your brand.
- It seems credible and respectable
- If possible, it should suggest that you are one the leading players in the market
While the dot com is the most popular domain extension, there are actually over 100 different name extensions that you can choose from. The .net, .biz, .org, .mobi and country extensions are just some of them. Why then should you consider a dot com domain extension before opting for any of the others?
Why is dot com the most preferred domain extension?
Credibility: Dot com has the highest recall of all domain extensions. Almost anyone familiar with the web relates to a “dot com”. A site with a less familiar domain extension may not have the same credibility as the same name with a dot com extension.
Default Extension: Even if you type in “website” into the browser address bar instead of “website.com”, many browsers today check for the dot com extension by default. As such, instead of returning an error message, your visitors will still reach your website if your website has a dot com extension.
What was that domain? If your customers know your business name but either do not know or have forgotten your domain name, they are most likely to try out “yourbusiness.com” to find your business. Many of them may not think of trying a .org, .net, .biz or other domain extensions.
Resale value: You may not be buying a domain name to sell it. But if you were to ever consider selling your domain name in future, a dot com extension is most likely to fetch you the best price.
It does not mean that you should only have a dot com and other domain extensions are undesirable or useless. That’s certainly not the case. When you look for your preferred domain name, you should always try to see if a dot com is available.
However, if a dot com is not available for any of your preferred names, you may want to seriously consider one of the other domain extensions. If your business is local or geographically targeting a certain region, you may want to consider a country-specific domain extension. As stated earlier, it is more important that your domain name reflects your business, is easy to remember and spell than to have a dot com domain extension. But it is the best if you can get the perfect name and the dot com extension.