Choosing a domain extension that can appeal to your target audience is essential to having a successful website. Although there are different types to choose from, not all are suitable for your business or purpose.
Today, it is used to make a company more credible, to strengthen its position among its competitors in the market and to attract the target audience to visit its website. This article will briefly discuss the best tips for choosing domain name extensions in 2022.
What are domain name extensions?
A URL has four main components: the protocol or https://, subdomain or the wwwand the unique domain name, then the .com, .net, Where .org domain name extensions or the letters after the period found after the domain name. Choosing the right domain name and extensions to build a website is essential because that’s what people type into their web browser’s search bar.
Before deciding on your domain name extension, you should know the different types of top-level domains:
- Generic Top Level Domains or gTLDs
The most recognizable and popular top-level domains usually have three characters. The best examples are: .com, .net, and .org expansions. Brand extensions and others such as .pharmacy, .guru, .cloud, .samsung and .toyota are also examples of gTLDs.
- Sponsored top-level domains or sTLDs
These are the extensions used for a particular entity like a business, government branch, and other types of groups. The most common sTLDs in the United States are .gov, .edu for education, and .mil which is used for the US military. Another well-known sTLD is the .works for job boards.
- Country code top-level domains or ccTLDs
ccTLDs are top-level domain extensions that represent a specific country or location. Since each ccTLD has its own rules, it may be prohibited from being used in other organizations in the country. The best known ccTLDs are .co.UK for the UK, .California for Canada, .of for Germany and .cn for China.
Get the right domain name extension
To make it easier for you, here are five pro tips for choosing a domain name extension for your website:
1. Choose a popular domain extension
Most URLs end with “.com” because it was the standard domain extension. It was first for shopping sites until it spread to most websites on the web.
In 2022, new domain extensions have become available for any website or business:
- .org – became the 2nd most popular TLD in the world in June 2022, created for non-profit organizations and donation websites;
- .report – is one of the oldest extensions originally designed for use by networking sites;
- .Info – mainly used for purely informative websites;
- .co – Commonly used by businesses, brands, corporations and commercial enterprises;
- .we – can only be used by US citizens, companies and non-profit organizations registered in the United States.
2. Pay attention to your branding and location
Remember that your domain extension reflects your brand. It will tell the audience about your organization type, business, location, and products. Therefore, it is essential to choose a domain extension that matches the purpose of your site.
For local businesses, it’s best to use country code top-level domains. It will help you grow your business through geographic research.
3. Get a cheap but reliable domain registrar
One of the best tips for choosing a domain name extension is to find a reliable domain registrar at an affordable price. The registration cost will depend on the extension used, costing between $10 and $40 per year. To get your money’s worth, look for a domain registrar that offers a domain name generator, SSL certificates, registration or privacy of personal data, and customer support.
4. Make your domain extension memorable
While domain names should be unique and easy to spell and pronounce, extensions should also be popular, reliable and memorable. Due to these factors, .com is the best extension since 33% of the 1,500 people find it more memorable than the others. It is also the most trusted site extension with a trust rating of 3.5, followed by .co and .org.
5. Avoid unknown and suspicious domain extensions
Due to frequent hacking, spam and other online issues, people are becoming more cautious while visiting various websites. For this reason, it is better to use well-known TLDs than new ones, as they will appeal to a larger potential audience.
Final words in choosing a domain extension
The original purpose of the extensions has changed and will continue to change over time. But the letters at the end after the period will remain an integral part of a URL. This can result in a large number of visitors and surfers or the other way around.
Remember to choose popular, reliable and affordable site extensions and registrars when building a website. Also, make sure the site extension will give the audience a clear idea of what your site is about.
Alice is a professional writer and editor at Research Snipers. She has a keen interest in technology and gadgets. She works as a junior editor at Research Snipers.
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