Is .Com the only way to go for a domain Name

Banned 11 years ago

For Google SEO/ranking, it doesn't matter in the slightest: all international TLD extensions are identical for ranking purposes (as Google keeps on reiterating ad infinitum in every means and medium possible).

However, you have to decide whether or not you want to build a business on a domain extension of which the .com variant already belongs to someone else. As long as that's the case, you can clearly never control what ends up on the .com in the long run. And at some point, you're likely to lose some traffic to the .com owner. Your own potential resale value will also be significantly lower, through your not owning a .com. And some people even think their customers attach greater credibility to sites on .com domains (mine don't, overall, and I've asked them, but I think marketers who haven't asked them tend to assume that they do!).

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feedthegoats

11 years ago

If visitors will come to your site primarily through links, then the domain extension doesn't matter at all. If you want them to remember your site's domain and come there by typing the domain in their browser, then most people will assume the extension is .com and type that in.

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butters 11 years ago

it all comes down to how you want to brand your company, certain domains are used for certain things. For example, .org is used for non profit orginisations so it isn't the question of what type of extension it is, it is what one makes sense. Well the .com in general is always a good domain to grab hold of but if you a targeting only a uk market then co.uk is more then sufficent and may help with branding in some cases. Asses what your business actually is and make the descision around that.
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beastmode80

11 years ago

Originally Posted by feedthegoats

If visitors will come to your site primarily through links, then the domain extension doesn't matter at all. If you want them to remember your site's domain and come there by typing the domain in their browser, then most people will assume the extension is .com and type that in.

That's exactly the point right there. If you are building a site that you feel people will be talking about then you want to make it as easy as possible to remember.

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manicmethods

11 years ago

I do it based on my audience. Simple as that. If I'm targeting an international/US market then I go .com - .co.uk if I'm targeting the UK (which I usually do) and so on....

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moneymakerway

11 years ago

Maybe you can make some little change in your
domain name!
I think that the best extension is .com, because
it is the most popular among people! If you buy
for example .net, someone can make mistake by
typing your keyword and .com and he or she can
go on that site instead of your!

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ikhwanudin

11 years ago

I believe you can choose other domain names too, it is all about contents after all. I do not care what the domain name of a site is, all I care for is the contents.

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latestnewsheadline

Banned 11 years ago

If you agree, the content is most important for a website, the choise for a domain name related to your keywords and any extension, it's easy.

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davehayes

11 years ago

This is Great Thread, having read the other replies, I have to agree with some of them, in as much as I don't think it matters so much if the name you want is not available in .com

A few years ago, I was in the same posistion and found a little way round it, which is still good to this day & has not affected business one way or the other.

Applied Education is The difference

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PatriciaS

11 years ago

I've seen some websites (or actually domain names) that I thought the .info extension was perfect. I know it's supposed to have a "spammy" reputation, but it worked for these topics/niches, and well.

I don't even know what .me is, but I saw one the other day that made a play on words of that, similar to: Call.me Cute.

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thedanbrown

11 years ago

You could definitely go with something other than .com

I would suggest .net or .co but really it's all about what you're going to be using the website for. Considering it's a blog then it doesn't have much relevance if you choose .com or not aside from positioning in people's minds. Like if I'm at a .com or .net website I normally think of it as higher authority than like .info or something but I'm sure this depends on the person

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RachelLily

11 years ago

There are many other ways. you can try .me, .name, .tel, .info, and .im. anyway you prefer would, but there are pros and cons for them.

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RobOrracle

11 years ago

If you can't get the .com, then check in to some of the alternative TLDs (top level domains) like, .net, .me, .us just to name a couple. I've had a .net for my personal name for years and I have never seen any problem with having it. I've also got the .us too, but the .com was not and still is not available. I'm of the opinion that .com and .net are basically the same in terms of perception and I work with clients who use both. If you can get .net then lock it up.

I also have an internet "username" or "persona" that I use that I've locked up too. That may be something to look at. For instance, just about any site you go to, if you see "roborracle" that's me. I use it for Twitter, Facebook, and just about everywhere I register. But the interesting thing is that I also have the .com, so if you go to roborracle.com, it will take you to my Tumblr account. That may be a strategy that you can use possibly.

I'd stay away from hyphens like the plague. They're ugly, and they're hard to communicate verbally.

Here are a couple posts I wrote on my ideas behind the issue.

http://www.orraclemedia.com/blog/dom...t-walk-registe...
How To Choose Your Domain Name | Tallahassee Website Design & Development

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sirkusleeu 11 years ago

I think you only need to listen to Alexa Smith on that one.

In short:
It doesn't matter if you get a .com, .net or .info if you are only aiming at hitting SE rankings. I have easily ranked all of these variations with no notable difference. If you are looking to build up a brand out of it I personally think that you should not go to far past .net...
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tamalanwar

11 years ago

I highly recommend + ask my students to go for a .COM domain.

Why?

Because the entire population who are noob to the internet thinks that a website means a .COM. Your business.com is taken so what? Try this: TheBusiness.com or iBusiness.com or mywaybusiness.com you get the point.

Human brains have been trained by now to type a .COM after each website. Only the tech savvy people know much about the other extensions.

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edhuu

11 years ago

.com is the best extension for a domain name IMO. I would change the domain name a bit if the .com is already taken..

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Malcolm Thomas

11 years ago

.com is the most trusted domain extension according to the eyes of Google. You will be able to rank faster and build a brand using a .com extension.

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donhx

11 years ago

A dot com is essential for your branding. People expect it. They will use a dot com no matter what and you will lose traffic to the dot com.

If mybusiness.com is not available, consider another option like mybusinesstoday.com (or anything like that--a short third word that makes sense) in order to get the dot com.

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Gengis

11 years ago

I personally try to stick to .coms because it's what people remember the most.

If what you are looking for doesn't exist try and give it a little twist..

Good luck!

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Is .Com the only way to go for a domain Name

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