Domain Name Extensions

Domain Name Extensions and Customer Traffic

Many different domain name extensions are available; with the .com being the most popular extension for business websites. Is it better to purchase this domain name using another extension such as .net or .biz, or should you choose something else that is available with the .com extension?

Usually, the answer is no. Businesses should select another domain that is available as a .com. For example, if you would like to purchase the domain SmithsPlumbing.com, but a plumbing company in another state already has this domain and uses it for their website, it would be unwise to instead purchase SmithsPlumbing.net. Because the .com extension is so popular, many internet users will not recall your domain name extension, and will immediately assume it is in fact .com. As a result, customers who hear about your company's website via advertising may absent-mindedly go to SmithsPlumbing.com — sending your customers to a competitor.

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Domain Names and SEO

Domain Name Extension

Two main factors of your domain name can influence the search engine optimization of your website. The first is your domain extension. Business websites with .com domain extensions always fair best on search engines — particularly Google, followed by .org and .net, respectively. Much lesser known domain extensions such .biz, .info, .mobi, .co and others will make high search engine rankings much more difficult to achieve.

Keywords in Domain Names

The second factor of domain name SEO involves keywords. One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes a business can make is to choose a domain name that reflects the company name, without considering keywords. When Google analyzes your websites and determines which sites to place at the top of its SERPs (search engine results pages), you will fair better if your domain includes a word or two relevant to what your business does.

Consider the fictious case of Belle, a candy store. Choosing a domain such as Belle.com based on that would not help search engines understand what the website is about. Instead, a domain like BelleCandy.com or BelleCandyStore.com would make the domain more effective by adding 1-2 simple keywords. Not only will these domains help search engines better index the website and understand what it is about, but it will also help Internet users understand that this website is relevant to their search, increasing the likelihood that they will click on the Belle website when they see it as a search result.

Domains and Spelling

Radio and TV Advertising and Domain Names

It is important to think about how your potential customer might perceive the spelling of your domain if they hear it announced through a type of audible advertising such as a radio or television commercial. Domains with numbers (2 or two) or with common words that have multiple spellings can cause customers to inadvertently visit the wrong website.

Consider a company that is called Colour Consultants that perhaps specializes in European interior design. If their domain is ColourConsultants.com, customers will most likely visit ColorConsultants.com when they hear the domain broadcast over radio. In this situation, it would be best to purchase the domain using both spellings of the word color. If one of the variants is unavailable — it would be smart to choose another domain altogether. Numbers in domain names should also be avoided when possible. Consumers who hear "visit our website: FirstChoiceBuilders.com!" broadcast on the radio may go to 1stChoiceBuilders.com or FirstChoiceBuilders.com, so again, both spellings of the domain should be secured, and if both are not available, a different domain should be chosen. Hyphens in domain names can also make for awkward pronounciation of your domain; so it is beneficial to choose a domain that contains only words.