Get The Perfect Domain Extension For Your Business
Taking the time to choose the right domain extension will pay off in the long run. It can help you improve your branding, build trust with your target audience, and establish yourself as a credible source of information.
As we discussed in this article, there are many domain extensions to choose from. The perfect one for your business will depend on your website niche, audience, and budget. Fortunately, you can explore the available options and their pricing when registering your domain name.
At DreamHost, we offer various domain services to help you find the perfect name and extension for your business. You can use our search tool to see the availability of domains youre interested in, then purchase and register one in no time!
When People Remember The Top
This last factor is an interesting one:
When people remember the URL almost correctly when they remember the brand name but put the wrong domain extension at the end which domain extension do they say?
This helps us see how much of a bias people have in favor of each TLD.
For example, if the correct URL was mattressrankings dot net but they misremembered it as mattressrankings dot com instead, that would count as a point for the .com TLD.
The results of this test show an even bigger difference between .com vs other domains.
Heres the data:
First place again goes to .com, by far.
Out of all the wrong-but-almost-right answers, 57 of them said .com instead of the correct TLD. Thats 3.8 times more often than the next highest, .org.
When people arent sure which TLD a website uses, theyre much more likely to guess its .com than anything else.
In other words, .com domains are still thought of as the default.
The distant second place goes to .org, which people guessed only 15 times: 26% as often as they guessed .com.
Not shown on the chart above is the .co.uk domain suffix, which received two guesses. But it wasnt a subject of this study .
Key takeaway: People are 3.8 times more likely to assume a URL ends in .com than in anything else.
Is Info Good For Seo
From an SEO perspective, a .info is just as good as a .com, .net, or .org.
Search engines like Google consider .info to be a global domain extension. So, you need not worry about being filtered out in search engine results because your URL is registered with a .info extension. It will be treated at par with .com or .org counterparts.
Google is only bothered about the quality of content. It will not penalize your website for the extension if you deliver quality information. If your content is SEO-optimized and relevant, you can even outrank your .com counterparts in google search results.
When it comes to organic traffic, the issue is mostly with the general mindset of users. Most users directly click on the title of the page and do not pay attention to the domain name in search results. So, if you depend on search engine rankings to popularize your website, you should be fine.
Less tech-savvy people may also not be bothered about the .info domain extension. So, a .info domain extension shouldnt affect your business prospects if you employ good SEO strategies for online visibility.
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Is Info Domain Safe
Data security is a big concern for many website owners and visitors.
For internet surfers, not all domains are equal. Domain companies often cut corners when it comes to security concerns for certain domains. This can be risky as spammers and cybercriminals can target such lapses. And this can cause irreparable damage to your business and reputation.
So, if you register your website with a .info extension, will you be compromising on the safety of your visitors?
McAfee considers .info to be a risky domain to visit. It has flagged 11.7 percent of .info websites as dangerous or potentially dangerous for visitors. Although no domain extension is 100% secure in this regard, this number is significantly higher than other extensions. For instance, only 5% of .com sites were identified as dangerous.
Having a .info wont automatically make your website spam. However, there is a tendency for spammers to go for .info extensions due to the lower offer price.
That is why it has a bad reputation and is trusted less. So, even if your website is genuine, potential visitors may not be confident to click on your URL. This can indirectly affect your sales and branding potential.
But First Some Valuable Information
There are a few things to consider when securing a domain name. Typically, domain names are not yours to keep indefinitely. Theyâre usually free for a year or two, after which the registrar will bill you for the renewal. You may also lose the domain if you use it for what the provider deems an illegal activity . In addition, nearly all registrars reserve the right to make changes to the registration agreement whenever they wish, and without notifying you. Be sure to check any prospective registrar carefully before committing.
Domain names rarely come with privacy protection. This means that your information as the domain owner is publicly available to anyone snooping around the Whois database. If youre a brick-and-mortar business and your info is already publicly available, privacy likely wont be a major concern. However, if youâre a blogger who doesnât want your personal address available for all the internet to see, privacy protection is an important security step. Depending on the registrar you use, this can be as low as $2 per year or as high as $20 per year.
Now that weâve got that out of the way, letâs explore the three methods for obtaining a free domain name.
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Check The Domain History Via Wayback Machine
Note: This one is worth checking even if youre getting a new domain name. In some cases, the domain name youre trying to register may have been registered in the past but then abandoned by the owner. Its still good to have a look at what was on it.
There are a couple of ways in which you can look up a domain names history. One of the more popular ones, and one thats also within anyones reach , involves Wayback Machine.
This is one of the first tools of its kind. Quite simply, it lets you enter a time machine, so to speak, and have a look at how any website used to look in the past.
When I say any website, its not actually any website. But you can expect to find most websites that had any noticeable traffic at any point in time. In our case, doing a check via Wayback Machine allows us to see whether the domain were interested in has ever been used for anything significant, and, if so, whether it was all kosher or not.
For example, if you look up this site, youll get records dating back to 2013:
Its safe to assume that this site didnt exist before then . When you click on any of the records, you get a snapshot of the site back then. Quite handy, isnt it?
If youre buying an existing domain name, it would be a good idea to go to Wayback Machine and browse through every month of the domains history, just to make sure there wasnt anything shady going on at any point.
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Killer Tips To Help You Choose Your Domain Name
Before you run off in search of your domain name, here are a few tips to help you make the right decision:
1. Keep Your Domain Name Short
If at all possible, keep your domain name short. Aim for a domain name that is under 15 characters, as anything longer might be harder for people to remember. There is also an inherent risk of typos in longer domain names, which can lead to potential visitors winding up somewhere other than your website.
2. Avoid Using Hyphens
Its worth mentioning that you should avoid using hyphens in your domain name whenever possible. The reason for this is twofold. First, hyphens in domain names are usually associated with spammy domains, and second, there is a good chance people will forget the hyphen and end up on a non-existent or a completely different website.
3. Make It Easy to Spell and Remember
Chances are, you will find yourself in a situation where your domain name will pop up as a topic in a conversation. The last thing you want to do is give out a long and overly complicated domain name thatâs hard to remember. Similarly, if youre talking to someone on the phone, its a lot easier to spell out a short domain name than it is to spell out a really long domain name.
4. Avoid Double Letters
Similarly to the point above, avoid doubling up on letters. If your last name begins with the same letter as the last letter of your first name, consider switching them around to avoid any typos and potential loss of traffic.
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Help Yourself To Some Domain Name Generators
This is another kind of helper that you can use if youre finding it hard to come up with a cool domain name, and thus, by extension, your business name as well.
These tools are very simple to use, but also surprisingly helpful. All they need is one keyword from you a seed keyword and, in return, they give you tens or even hundreds of suggestions, full of valid and available domain names that you can register right away.
The best such tools include:
- LeanDomainSearch, created by the guys at Automattic . For example, this is what you get when looking up coffee:
- Business name generator by Shopify works similarly to the above, and also helps you build a Shopify store with the domain name of your choice.
- Nameboy is a bit more old-school especially in its design but its still useful. This one needs more specific input, and does a better job once you have a general direction you want to follow with your name.
Why You Should Use A Info Domain Name
When it comes to choosing a domain name, there are a lot of options out there. But should you go with a .com, a .net, or a .info?
Heres a breakdown of the pros and cons of using a .info domain name:
On the plus side, .info domain names are often cheaper than .com or .net domains.
Theyre also less likely to be already taken since there are more options to choose from.
And since they dont have the same stigma as .biz or .tv domains, you wont look like youre running a second-rate website.
On the downside, .info domain names can sometimes be associated with spam websites.
This is because spammers will often register multiple .info domains and use them to redirect traffic to their main site.
So if youre worried about your website being associated with spam, you might want to steer clear of this option.
Overall, whether or not you should use a .info domain name comes down to personal preference.
If youre looking for a cheap and available option, its definitely worth considering.
But if youre concerned about your websites reputation, you might want to stick with something else.
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Access To The Startup League
If you have a startup on an .ONLINE domain, you can boost your brand visibility through the Startup League, an unique program for startups on selected domain extensions. Through this program, you can exhibit your startup at key trade shows and tech events with financial backing from the Startup League. As a result, you get massive brand visibility, not just on-ground at the event but also through social media and online marketing push.
Are Info Domains Any Good
1. What are info domains?
A domain is an area of knowledge, influence, or activity. The term is used in many different ways, but most often it refers to a specific field of knowledge, influence, or activity. For example, the domain of science includes all of the disciplines of science, such as biology, chemistry, and physics. The domain of business might include all of the different types of businesses, such as manufacturing, retail, and service. The term can also be used more narrowly to refer to a specific area within a field, such as the domain of marketing within the field of business.
2. What are the benefits of having an info domain?
An info domain is a great way to get started with your own website. It is easy to set up and you can get started right away. You can use an info domain to promote your business or to sell products and services. You can also use an info domain to create a blog or to provide information about your company.
3. Are there any drawbacks to having an info domain?
There are many benefits to having an info domain, including improved search engine visibility and increased credibility with potential customers. However, there are a few potential drawbacks to consider as well. First, an info domain can be more expensive to register than a traditional .com domain. Additionally, customers may perceive an info domain as being less trustworthy than a .com domain, as it may be associated with spam or other unsavory content.
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Ly Sy Tv And Other Country Domains Are Risky Do Not Buy Them
Im updating this post to include a warning about .LY and other vanity domain names that belong to foreign countries. For example, .LY belongs to Libya and in the past, the registrar has been shut down due to wars within Libya. In 2011, this resulted in the company Letter.ly getting shut down because their domain expired during that shutdown and the domain was quickly snatched up by another company when they returned. These foreign-based registrars do not abide by US law and are extremely risky to purchase. For the record, .SY belongs to Syria and .TV belongs to the Tuvalu Islands, a series of nine slivers of earth in the middle of the South Pacific, with a population of about 10,000. Buy these extensions at your own risk.
How I Pick Domains
Heres my dirty secret. I use or . They both use an Ajax interface to show you available domains asap. So, if Im looking for a domain called Brokalicious , heres what Ill look for in order of most preferred to least.
Hope that helps clear up the domain name debate.
P.S. Ive received a lot of emails asking me where I register my domain names. I currently use Namesilo to register my 50+ domains names after Namecheap raised their prices. They have the cheapest domains anywhere and they give you free WHOIS Privacy for LIFE. Everyone else charges for WHOIS protection from inception or after the first year. Ive used them since 2014 with zero problems.
Update: Its now October 2022 and I still enjoy using Namesilo. Ive slowly moved all my domains from Namecheap over the past year and currently have 30 registered with them. Transferring them over is always a breeze and usually takes around 1 day to approve all the requests and 1-2 days for Namecheap to officially transfer them. Make sure you unlock them at Namecheap first!
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Tips For Choosing A Registrar
Determine which services you require
You may want services like email hosting or support offered in French, so find out what each registrar offers. Remember, if you registered your .CA domain name as an individual you have free WHOIS privacy protection already included.
Check references
Seek out customer reviews and testimonials, and ask friends or colleagues for a recommendation. You may find that some registrars come highly recommended by your peers. If you make a mistake, you can always transfer your .CA domain to another registrar.
Shop around
Shop around to get a good understanding of how much your domain name, and additional services, will cost. Registrars may offer bundles, packages, or special promotions. Keep in mind that cheapest isnt always necessarily best.
Info Domains History And Ranking
The .INFO is meant to be an informational domain, to be used for sharing information. Unfortunately, GoDaddy completely destroyed the domains purpose with hundreds of $0.99 domain specials between 2006-2008. The result? Nearly every spammer and affiliate marketer started buying $0.99 .INFO domains in bulk to create top-level domain redirects for articles, spam and autoblogs. Google quickly took notice and penalized the domain heavily. If you purchase a .INFO domain, you can expect significant frustration trying to rank . Google simply hates this TLD. Stay far away. Only use this as a throw away domain you dont plan to develop. For example, if youre advertising in someones paid newsletter and dont want your original website being flagged as spam, use a .INFO domain redirect to protect your original sites URL.
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Choose An Extension That Suits Your Websites Content
Another mistake people make is choosing a domain extension that doesnt match their websites content. For example, if youre creating a website about travel, you wouldnt want to use a .net domain. Instead, .travel would prove a much better fit.
Choosing an extension that accurately represents your websites content is important to avoid confusion and ensure that people can find what theyre looking for.
We recommend thinking about your websites purpose and who you want to reach with it. This will help you narrow down your options and choose an extension relevant to your content.
Domain Reputation Lookup Tools #
Itd be great to know exactly what everyone thinks of your domain, but the more a receiver shares about how they determine whos good, the more spammers and other nefarious senders will take advantage of that data to beat the system. As a result, most receivers keep their judgements about reputation private. There are, however, a few free services that can aggregate multiple receivers data to give you some general insight into your domains health overall.
First check out Talos Intelligence provided by Cisco that associates your web reputation with messages sent over various IPs. If there are significant problems that pose a deliverability risk, youll likely spot them here. A neutral reputation there, however, typically means theres little data available for your domain .
Theres also third-party filtering software some use in their corporate or university mail servers. You can run a quick search in these public databases to determine if your domain is blacklisted or considered risky. Two of the most popular are Barracuda and McAfee. Beyond that, tools using open source SpamAssassin filtering can help identify any domains in your content and email headers that could hinder delivery.
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