When The .Com Is Taken What’s The Better Alternative .Net or .Org?

[Jon Tees]

If a .com you want is taken is it better to go with the same name as a .net or .org? Personally speaking I try for a different name or variation with a .com and only pick alternative extensions if every possible variation of the name I want is taken in .com form. This is rarely the case.

[Robin3972]

It depends. I use .com .net and .org on different sites. As far as rankings go I've got good and bad rankings with various ones.

[Daniel Wilson]

I doesn't matter SEO-wise. I personally prefer .net but that is just my personal opinion.

[localvseo]

What about .co, has any found that to be valuable?

[Seth Bias]

My theory or what I use is this.

1. .com
2. .net
3. .org

I am not sure if it has any SEO relevance but I have been doing this since I started and its worked out greatly for me.

[snowdrifter]

. My vote is .net .com .org

[Leonardo Silva]

All good .com domains seem to be already taken these days.

If you really want that exact domain, my second choice is .net and third .org.

But you can always add small words to the beginning or the end of the domain.

For example:

mydomain
domainnow
domaintoday
domainreview
bestdomain

etc.. Simply use common sense.

I also made a quick search on google and found this article:

200 Prefixes and Suffixes for Domain Names

Hope that helps.

[mikeauton]

not all of the best .coms are gone but they are a lot harder to find these days...

this article i wrote may help you with your question:

Best Domain Extensions

[JSProjects]

It doesn't matter. .com, .org, .net, etc.

You can rank them all just as easily. I guess I'd suggest the .net over .org. But that's because I prefer to avoid .org if possible since they're associated with non-profits. (Even though they can technically be registered by anyone.)

[Danny Cutts]

I always prefer .com .net .org in that order :-)

Dunno why but I always build a site with the possibility of selling :-)

Danny

[razztek]

I've ranked plenty of .org domains w/o any problem. That being said, I think .net is just as good. Personal preference I think.

[sbucciarel]

Here's my preference order, but it makes no difference. All of them rank when equal SEO measures are applied equally.

.com
.net
.org
.info
.co

[Praveen Kumar]

Really it doesn't matter because it all depends on what you are looking to do , if it in SEO wise i prefer to use

.Org
.Net
.Biz
.In (Indian)
.US

But Remember choosing a domain name not a simple job though it may be cause BRANDING issues.

[HeySal]

I would hope that if the .com is already taken, that you are doing a trademark search before you use any alternative. thissite.com might just take your domain thissite.org to be cyber squatting or trademark violation.

In short - if the .com is already taken, I'd rather just get a different domain name. Even if the other site doesn't mind the domain use, I don't want my site mistaken for someone else's business.

[Lexi76]

I would go with .com only
If not available will add words such as tips, help, news, tools, update, blog and so on

I think it's better option as far as SEO

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by Lexi76

I think it's better option as far as SEO

This is mistaken, Lexi76 - top-level domain extensions don't affect SEO at all. A ".com" does not rank any differently from a .net, .org, .info or any other TLD. There may be many other reasons for preferring a .com domain-name (such as potential resale value), but SEO isn't one of them.

[dave_hermansen]

I would go with .net over .org if you are looking to sell something on the website. When people see a domain name ending in .gov or .edu from the SERPs they often times assume it will strictly be informational content.

[Nathan2525]

Originally Posted by Jon Tees

If a .com you want is taken is it better to go with the same name as a .net or .org? Personally speaking I try for a different name or variation with a .com and only pick alternative extensions if every possible variation of the name I want is taken in .com form. This is rarely the case.

I have found ranking .org's easier to rank than .net's

[greenowl123]

I tend to agree with what Lexi76 said and add tips, data, info, help, blog, etc.

But - An .info will get position n SERP with proper SEO, if the competition is weak enough. I have at least 6 or 7 .info domains in the top 3 positions in Google SERP with the domain keyword getting 1,000 + exact searches a month.

But again, competition must be low to pull this off. So otherwise go with a .com and add a small word to it if necessary.

[marketingwithjosh]

I would think .com .net and .org are the best. People tend to think (including myself) that .co or .info links are viruses....

I loves me a .com...

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by Nathan2525

I have found ranking .org's easier to rank than .net's

Originally Posted by greenowl123

But again, competition must be low to pull this off.

People just don't like hearing the truth about this issue, do they?

Top-level domain extensions do not affect SEO/ranking, at all.

This simple, factual statement, repeatedly confirmed by Google, Matt Cutts, every SEO textbook writer, every SEO professional who knows what he's talking about, Warriors who have formerly worked for Google, MicroSoft and other companies who know, and about 300 Warrior Forum threads where all the evidence is linked to, discussed, verified, and so on, still - astonishingly - remains enormously contentious: some people seem determined to get their "information" on the subject only from the Urban Myth School of internet marketing.

This one really is nearly as difficult as explaining to people that duplicate content and syndicated content are two different things.

[sbucciarel]

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

People just don't like hearing the truth about this issue, do they?

Top-level domain extensions do not affect SEO/ranking, at all.

This simple, factual statement, repeatedly confirmed by Google, Matt Cutts, every SEO textbook writer, every SEO professional who knows what he's talking about, Warriors who have formerly worked for Google, MicroSoft and other companies who know, and about 300 Warrior Forum threads where all the evidence is linked to, discussed, verified, and so on, still - astonishingly - remains enormously contentious: some people seem determined to get their "information" on the subject only from the Urban Myth School of internet marketing.

ditto ditto ditto

There is NO difference in the ability to rank any top level domain. Zero.

Do the SEO on any one of them and the results are the same.

[vikramd]

Why do you want this domain name in the first place?

For this sort of stuff I'd say pretty much ignore the SEO value of a domain name. It is easier to rank an "exact match" keyword but the advantage isn't all that it is cracked up to be.

I can outrank exact match (or close to exact match domain names) with my affiliate sites by just having a better link profile and better content than what's on the exact match.

Just get a domain name that is easy to remember, marketable, brandable etc. For that I'd say always stick with ".net" or ".com".

It is true that many people find ".info" to be spammy (and a lot of .info domains are spammy) but I think the average customer who is about to make a purchase doesn't know that.

So forget about the SEO value of the domain altogether and just pick the one that is the most memorable.

Stick with domain extensions that are also fun and easy to remember.

[greenowl123]

Ok, ok Alexa and Sbucciarel - I will take your word on this since you are both very well respected Warriors !

Seems I was under the wrong impression like so many others.

But I am now a little confused why an .info costs less than .com and the other extensions ?

If it is as easy to get an .info domain in the SERP as the others, with the same amount of SEO, why does it cost less ? I think this is probably the cause of a lot of others confusion on this.

[FraserC]

As people have said, the domain extension doesn't really matter. People are conditioned to type in .com after a domain, so that's why it's better to have the .com. But that's decreasing every day.

But it's absolutely vital that you avoid a domain that someone is already targeting.

For example, let's say that you come up with an idea for a great domain. You check Whois, and the .com is taken and the .org and .net are available.

The next step is to see what they're doing with the .com. If the domain is registered, but it's just a parked domain without an active website at the .com, they have made a terrible mistake. You can move forward with the .org/.net and build up a site.

With enough work you'll own the keyword itself, with one of those fancy listings with all the subsections. For example, search for "warrior forum" in Google.

At that point, the only way the .com site is going to do better is if they build up an even better site than you've created. You've essentially limited the value of the .com domain, and reduced the number of potential buyers down to 1... you.

They can build up the domain to compete with you, or sell you the domain at a firesale price. In general, they'll hold onto the domain forever, never actually building anything, which is fine too.

[fin]

I've spoken to lots of people who know nothing about Internet marketing and they all tell me the same thing, which is the only domain extension that matters is the one on the top of google .

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by greenowl123

If it is as easy to get an .info domain in the SERP as the others, with the same amount of SEO, why does it cost less ?

Domain-name registration prices have never had anything to do with "ease of ranking" at all.

Why should they

There are domain-extensions that cost $30/$35 to register, you know? Probably more than that. And you certainly wouldn't/shouldn't expect "easier ranking" from them?

We all have to test and think about these things for ourselves, but for my business, ".info" is actually the best domain-extension to use, because my potential customers and subscribers like it best (I asked them). They think that ".com" looks just like "someone selling something" whereas ".info" looks like an "informational site", so that earns some trust and respect.

In the affiliate marketing business (which I am), trust and respect are how sales are made.

Marketers think ".info" domains can look "cheap". My customers don't, at all!

Personally, I buy the .com and the .info. I use the .info to build my business, and I buy the .com because I don't want anyone else buying it. I redirect the .com I'm not using to the .info I am using.

(I wouldn't necessarily do that in the "internet marketing advice" niche, because in that niche one's inevitably dealing with the prejudices and misinformation of marketers).

[xlvba]

I prefer .com, but also use .org some. It is good for people that have an ORGannization. Typically .net is a me too extension that is not as good for you. Also, you will be sending a lot of traffic to your. competitor that has a .com - so please use .com for commercial selling .net for information, and .org for an organization - as this is the best use in names.

[Tricerra]

As with anything the cost of the domain extension has more to do with demand than anything else. A while back the .tv extension had a tremendous run in price as marketers jumped on the bandwagon to be the first. In the end marketers continue to come back to .com, .net and .org because they were the first.

Alexa has found that .info does the best for her and for me the answer is "It depends" and it mainly depends on what a client wants or to the extension proven to provide the most conversions.

Happy extending!

David

[anthonybfrye]

I personally like .com, .net, then .org in that order pretty much like the majority of everyone else. However, try to get your name as a .com or .net. Even if your name is taken for those extensions, try "who is [your name].com" or "meet [your name].com"

People tend to click more on the name of a person in the URL. Plus, it's a branding thing. If you offer great content, value, etc., people will associate your name with the content and value you offer and remember you more.

Hope that helps you further.

[Alex Barboza]

I used to care a lot about this but now I just go for the .info. It's cheaper and it's the same in terms of rankings. Even from a user perspective, the domain extension doesn't matter a lot.

We tend to think that .info's are seen as spam sites because we are marketers and are very aware of the fact that some spammers use .info, but they also use .com's.

I don't think my wife cares about domain extension when she is looking for crochet patterns and that stuff she likes.

[bumba1988]

To be honest, it does not matter which one you take when .com is taken. I personally stay away from the .info ones. Between .net and .org, If I really need to make a choice, I'll will go for the former.

[owenlee]

Both .org and .net is still the same..it depends if you like it or not...lol

[JustLight]

For me it really doesn't make any difference in choosing between .net and .org when .com is taken. I make the choice based on how i want to put the domain to use.

[HostMafia]

i always prefer .net.
.org dont get noticed in searches , i mean many visitors tends to ignore .org/.info results while searching in google.

in my exp. .com are almost always taken, and when you check them,most of the time they are on domain parkings.