Does .org have to be a non-profit website?

13 replies
My client is looking for a exact match domain and currently .com and .net are taken which leaves him with a .org option. I recommended him to go ahead with a .org option but he said that .org are for non-profit organizations only.

I don't believe this to be the case, but I wanted to verify nevertheless.
#nonprofit #org #website
  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    no they're not - but if he's after exact match then he must be pretty desperate anyway. Just give him what he wants - whatever it is.
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  • Profile picture of the author yourreviewer
    Thanks guys. Those were my recommendations too. But since he insisted they are only for non-profit organizations, I wanted to cross check just to be sure.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr Lim
    It doesn't matter unless it require you to agree their ToS.
    Like when you register a .biz they need your business information etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Mr Lim View Post

      It doesn't matter unless it require you to agree their ToS.
      Like when you register a .biz they need your business information etc.
      I have never been asked to provide business information when registering a .biz. Perhaps that's another misnomer.
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  • Profile picture of the author glacey
    Had the same problem the.com & net were taken so i went for the .org and its been running for 2 years with adsense on it ,
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    There's no reason not to get an org. There's no domain police that will come knocking on your client's door if he makes money from an org. Traditionally, the extension was associated with a non-profit organization, but with so many .com and .nets taken, many people have opted for the .org. They do great in the serps.
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  • Profile picture of the author WarpedMind
    Listen, if a client is gonna argue with you about something that he hired you to be the expert in, maybe you need to fire him.

    Just saying. I hate know-it-all clients. I don't mind clients who know it all... I hate clients who THINK they do and then flaunt it. I mean seriously, if you're gonna argue with me and know better, then why the heck did you hire me? LOL!

    .org was originally intended for non-profits... YEARS AGO. Domain extension usage is pretty much the wild west nowadays... the only one that immediately comes to mind as being strict or at least obvious in how it's to be used are extensions such as .edu and .xxx.

    If you don't fire the client because that's not the way you roll, then just do whatever the heck he wants and collect your money. My own feeling is that I'm hired to look out for their best interest and advise them, etc... but if they want to be idiots and insist, then I give them my disclaimer and say "you're the boss". Let 'em do whatever they want to do to themselves... you're not their babysitter.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Is there anyway you can give him a exact match domain name but with a hyphen in there? So for example, if his target keyword was "internet marketing"... instead of going with internetmarketing.com... would he be cool with internet-marketing.com?
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  • Profile picture of the author bassem
    if you are looking to benifit from SEO you gotta take org t wont hurt your ranking and t's reputed in google ..it's the same thing whether it's com or org . what matter is the domaine name keyword and the content

    goodluck

    Bassem Jaber
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    • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
      Originally Posted by bassem View Post

      what matter is the domaine name keyword and the content
      No - what matters is putting in place a well-focused and consistent marketing strategy.

      Keywords in the domain name are just one tiny element of what makes a difference.
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      nothing to see here.

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  • Profile picture of the author KimboJim
    OK, .org has been used for non-profit, but it doesn't HAVE to be that way. Is .com only for commercial? Is .info only for info? Is .net only for networks? Nope. In my opinion, the only specific type of TLD is the country specific ones, like .us or .jp. Aside from that, put whatever website you want on the TLD.
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  • Profile picture of the author WarpedMind
    Depending on the site, sometimes I actually PREFER to use .org. I will use .org over .com (of course, I'll buy the .com and redirect) if it's for a site where I want to build a certain type of credibility. For example, let's say that I want to have a site that is educational in nature or is promoting a cause... seeing .org implies to others a less commercial reason for the site's existence, in my opinion. I say take advantage of it! (Again, when appropriate.)
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