Online presence has now become mandatory for any business person to cope in today’s competitive market. One advantage of creating an online website for your business is that you will be able to reach out to numerous customers who might be interested in purchasing your product. However, one thing while you start putting up your website online is the name or the URL for your website. A URL has various components, among which two major ones which the user needs to decide carefully are the domain name and the extension.

While the name is based on your business name, i.e., the type of your business or your company name, the extension of the domain (.com, .org, .net, etc.) simplifies the purpose of your website based on your location, business type, and business model. Thus you need to decide carefully on the domain extension for your URL. Numerous domain extensions are available online, out of which the most commonly used ones are .com, .org, .net, .co, and io. Here we will provide you with details regarding various domain extensions and which one to choose based on your business and other parameters. Read the article further to know how to choose a proper domain name.

What Is A Domain Name And Domain Extension?

A domain consists of two parts- name and extension. While the name can be easily decided, it can be anything based on your product or your business or any other thing; while deciding the domain extension for your URL, you need to consider various parameters like your business type (private or public, or nonprofit), location (your country) and many others. Let us take an example of the given URL: advologysolution.com.

Here the name is based on the company name, and the extension is .com which represents that it is a commercial organization. Domain extension also contributes to the authenticity and credibility of the website to make it more trustworthy in front of the users. Thus it is very important to decide on the domain extension. Various common user domain extensions are discussed further in this blog.

What Is A Top-level Domain?

A top-level domain comprises all the domains which come under the highest level of the domain name system. Currently, there are more than 1500 top-level domain names available for users. Through this, they can create a unique name for their website that defines their business and its purpose of creating the online presence very well.

Various Types Of The Top-Level Domain

Based on the purpose of their use, various domain extensions can be categorized into three major categories. These are Generic Domain, Sponsored Domain, and Country Code Domain. All of these categories are discussed below:

Generic Domain

The generic domain comprises various widely used domains preferred by any person who has just recently started his online business. The generic domain comprises majorly top-level domains like .com, .net, and .org. The reason why generic domains are preferred by any internet user is that they can be easily purchased by anyone through various domain hosting services like GoDaddy, WordPress, Hostinger and various others.

Sponsored Domain

These domains can be purchased based on the status of the organization after it fulfils certain criteria like educational, governmental, or any other. The reason why these are not available without authentication is that they indicate that the website which they represent is the genuine source. Some of the common sponsored domains are .gov and .edu.

Country-Code Domain

These domains represent the location or the country where you want to publish your website. It can be considered similar to the Generic domain. The only difference is that the Generic domain represents the type of your organization or business, i.e., commercial or network.

Some Commonly Used Top Level Domains

Among different top-level domains, some domains are most commonly preferred. Also, these domains have the highest usage share among the users. Some of them are listed below:

.com Domain Extension

One of the most preferred domain names is the first choice of any users who are establishing their online business. The word “.com” has been derived from “commercial” and is intended for users who are building a commercial organization. Thus any website that has .com in its URL can be considered a commercial website trying to sell its product or generate revenue through various means.

.net Domain

This domain is second in the list of the generic top-level domain. The original intention for the availability of the domain is to represent a network-based technology. As of nowadays, the .com and the .net domain hold equal importance, and “.net” is preferred by any user when the .com domain for the same name has already been acquired.

.org Domain

The domain extension .org was initially available for various organizations that do not fit into any other category. Such examples of these types of organizations are non-profit ones, open source projects, and other charitable communities whose main intention is anything other than revenue generation. Initially launched as one of the original top-level domains, the .org domain is currently the third-largest domain extension used worldwide.

.co Domain

This domain represents any Company or Corporation which can also be used along with any other country-code domain. These types of domains are currently in most demand for online businesses and are often used as a replacement for .com or .net extensions in case they are not available for the users.

.biz Domain

The .biz domain is currently the least preferred domain extension for anyone who is starting to create an online business or e-commerce line.

.io Domain

This domain can also be interpreted as Input/Output which is preferred by tech and SAAS companies. The domain was initially the country-code domain used to represent the Indian Ocean territory acquired by the British Empire. Now, this domain extension is treated as a generic domain.

Comparative Analysis Of Various Domain Extensions

We have here provided a detailed comparison of all the domain extensions available. The details can help you decide which domain name to choose for your business.

Why .com Domain Is Currently The Largest Domain Name?

The .com domain is among the very first domains available to users. Currently, the domain has reached a peak level in terms of usage share. Currently, there are more than 130 million users who have registered for their online, including the .com extension. Today any internet user considers any website with the .com extension as a genuine source. Numerous reasons add up to this fact, some of which are listed below:

.com Stands For Commercial

Although many people think that .com represents any website as the original platform for any business, the .com extension is an indication that the website you are visiting is created for commercial purposes. As the main purpose of the majority of people to create websites is to generate revenue, they opt for the .com extension, which thus exponentially increases the number of .com users.

User Preference And Trustworthy

As the number of .com users increases, the usage of the extension reaches the situation that the .com is the benchmark to represent the authenticity of the website that belongs to any particular business. 

People looking out for any particular website, whether online shopping or any particular business or entity of organization, will always prefer the one with the “.com” in it.

Comparison Of .com With Other Domain Names Available

Various domain names are available for any business person or any other internet content creator. While thinking about creating a website, users often get confused about which domain extension to choose. Although the purpose of every domain extension is different, nowadays, every person often considers the domain extension which is more popular and trustworthy rather than the one which defines their purpose. Based on that, we have provided a comparative analysis of various domains.

.com vs. .net

Considering the purpose of both domain extensions, the .com represents any commercial website, while the .net indicates that the organization is somewhat related to network technology. However, keeping the current situation in mind, many organizations or businesses prefer the .com domain as it is the largest domain used worldwide which contributes to the authentication and trustworthiness of the business name to which it is attached.

.com vs. .co

After the .net domain comes the .co domain, which somewhat reads similarly to the .com. While the latter represents the commercial organization, the former indicates that the URL belongs to any professional company. Another reason why people prefer to use the “.co” is that it can be used in combination with another country code domain. Examples of such domains are “.co.in” or “.co.uk” and various others. However, the popularity of the .com extension is still unbeatable by any domain, be it .co, .net, or anyone.

.com vs. .org

Although no doubt .com is the number one option for anyone when they start to create their online presence. However, when it comes to creating an online platform related to any non-profit, open-source hub, or any other charitable organization, the .org extension has better credibility. Also, sometimes a business can prefer to use both the extension where they can consider the .org extension to define their non-profit branch.

.com vs. .biz

Among various other domain extensions available, the “.biz” is the least preferred extension when someone looks out for an alternative to “.com.” The .biz extension indicates that the organization has created the website only for business purposes and that the main objective of your website is sales.

Thus we always recommend preferring the “.com” or any other domain instead of “.biz”.

Does Domain Name Affect The Website Ranking In Any Search Engine?

With the advancement of Search Engine Algorithms, the dependence on just the search queries/keywords as ranking factors has become more & less. However, the presence of unique keywords and the relevant domain name can positively highlight the fact that the information provided is totally relative to the search query entered by the user. Thus, it is recommended that the name of the website should closely relate to the business or the product you are selling or providing information on. Also, you need to keep in mind that many other ranking factors to rank the one with the best features available for the users; the exact name or related has little to do with ranking. Along with that, various SEO tactics do not include the domain name or the extension while promoting any website.

Which Domain Is The Best For My Business?

Although the name of the business or the website has little to contribute to boosting your online presence, there are still some things you should keep in mind while choosing the right domain for your website, as the end user might consider it when they visit your website or purchase your products. The name of your website should be like that it should settle in the mind of the users whenever they leave the website. Apart from that, sometimes a funky name can create trust issues for the users. Choose a name that signifies both the name of your company and the products you are selling to them. When it comes to the users, it is recommended that the .com extension should be preferred first.

On An Ending Note

From the above discussion, we have provided all the details regarding various domain name extensions. The details that we have provided can be helpful for you in choosing the name of your online starting business. However, if you need any help, as starting an online business requires various expertise like web development, email campaign, social media, and various others, you can contact us at Advology Solution.

Advology Solution is among the top web development services in Gurgaon, which have assisted numerous businesses to reach the top in their market sector, including both new startups and already established businesses.