How to Choose a Domain |
Topics Discussed
1. Naming Considerations
2. Which TLD?
3. Multiple Domains
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| Which TLD? |
TLD stands for Top Level Domain with the following common extensions:
- The most popular extensions: ".com", ".net" and ".org"
- The newer extensions: '.info", ".biz" and ".name"
- Country code extensions (also called .cc extensions): ".us", ".ca", ".uk" etc.
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| .com |
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The .com extension is by far the most popular extension followed by .net. If your first choice for a ".com" domain name has already been taken then you need to decide how important getting a domain with this extension is to you. The importance of getting a ".com" domain name should be always be balanced with the availability of suitable domain names with this extension. If you find that only very obscure domains are available with the ".com" extension then it is probably in your best interests to go with a different extension.
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| .cc |
If your company does business solely in a specific country then a country code domain may even be better than a “.com” or “.net”. Customers will often prefer to deal with local businesses and thus a country code extension could even provide a competitive edge. One consideration with “.cc” domains is that you usually have to be a resident of that country to register a domain with that extension
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| .net, .org , etc. |
If all the best “.coms” are taken and a “.cc” is not suitable for you or your business then you be looking at getting a “.net”, a “.org” or one of the other, newer domain extensions. After a “.com” your next choice should be a “.net” as they are the second most common domains. “.Org” domains were originally intended to be for non-profit organizations and are typically not used by for-profit businesses.
The newer domain extensions including “.info”, “.biz” and “.name”, although not as widely used, are becoming more popular. Registering a domain with one of these less common extensions can provide you with the benefit of getting a combination of more common words. The downside to one of these domains is that people usually assume a “.com” domain, especially for a business. You can help to alleviate this issue by putting your full domain name on all advertising and print material for your organization.
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