subject: Which top-level domain (TLD) to choose? [print this page] Which top-level domain (TLD) to choose? Which top-level domain (TLD) to choose?
Ever since the advent of the Internet, the term .com has been synonymous with websites and due to the extreme popularity of this extension not many are aware about the other (TLD) such as .net and. org. There are a number of other Top Level Domains too but the main question is why they are not used as often as .com and can they promise maximum results, as does .com. A good web hosting provider will always be able to assist in which extension to choose depending on the kind of website and business one deals in.
How good is .com?
.com is known to have an impact on the customer's mind because it is being associated with Internet ever since Internet came into existence. It actually stands for commercial' that implies the website is a commercial property. But due to the extensive popularity .com is now being used for practically all kinds of websites including blogs, personal websites despite the fact that most people don't even know what .com stands for. The other reason why .com is also more popular is because when people tend to type in a domain name they usually end up typing .com even if the domain name may not be with a .com extension. This obviously acts negative because the competitors may enjoy an edge by choosing the same domain name but with a .com extension rather than .net or .org.
.Org, .Net and regional TLD
.Org and .Net are the two extensions that stand for organization and network respectively. They should be considered if it matches with the purpose of the website or if .com is not available as an extension of the desired domain name. In fact according to Google search rankings it is possible to get an equally good rank just like .com and there's hardly much difference. There are regional based Top Level Domains (TLD) too that are purely dependent on the country or the region to which the website belongs. For instance in a country like India, the extension .in is also used and this kind of TLD is perfect if one is planning to sell products and services locally.
Deciding and choosing the Top Level Domains does matter to an extent but finally what counts is the online marketing efforts that go into promoting the website. But to get the right kind of domain name it is always beneficial to check with the web hosting provider who'll be able to pinpoint the pros and the cons of a particular domain and guide in the right manner.
