Why the '.com' Domain Name Extension is important
Us humans are calculative creatures; like it or not, we do judge or gauge every element we come across. The same goes for Domain Names. While you may give a lot of impetus to the Domain Name itself, the extension that attaches to it is also important.
Note: For the sake of simplicity, I am going to refer to Domain Name Extensions as Extensions from hereon.
There is a myriad of extensions out there, and some of the new ones are quite peculiar. However, here are two reasons why the .com extension is a great choice:
The Global Image
Say you come across a site by the domain name ‘aquirkyname.us.’ now, the .us extension is synonymous with American sites. Similarly, you can find websites with extensions such as .uk, .co.uk, .in, .ca, .au, etc.,.
Although these extensions are excellent representations of the respective countries, they leave a rather local appeal to a global audience.
These country-specific extensions are great for educational/political/institutional websites as these are meant for a specific country’s population.
However, if you assign a similar extension to your blog, a user from another country might get a first impression that the blog is meant or instead focused on an audience of a specific country, or rather the reach is intended to be within the country, which we don’t want.
The whole point of creating a blog is to reach a global audience, so why not form the best first impression you can?
Assumptions
Since the advent of the internet, the ‘.com’ extension has been used extensively, so much so that in the late 90s, economists called the excessively speculated era of internet companies the dot-com bubble. Hence, a majority of the audience assumes there is a .com extension attached to almost every domain name.
There are new and exciting extensions, such as ‘.website,’ ‘.blog,’ etc. While these sound unique, they add to the things a visitor needs to remember to reach your blog.
The Domain Name Registrars know that the ‘.com’ extension is the most sought after; hence, they offer super cheap rates for other extensions but don’t fall for it.
What if the domain name is decided, but the ‘.com’ extension is taken?
If you love a particular domain name from your list, but the ‘.com’ extension is taken, here’s what you need to do:
Visit the Website
As it is taken, why not take a little stroll? What we are looking for here is the popularity of the website. If there is a good website design in place and significant interaction on social media channels, it is better not to engage in the domain name with other extensions as you will be competing for attention, and you’ll never really gain good brand value, not to mention the confusion visitors will encounter.
If there isn’t a website yet, then it means the current owner has booked the domain name for future plans, in which case, you can go ahead and look for the same domain name but with another extension.
Note: The best alternative to the ‘.com’ extension is the ‘.net’ extension. It was used heavily as the internet was getting popular among the masses.
Other Supplementary Articles:
Every Blog is a Website but not every Website is a Blog.
Why should you start a Blog?