Should I Use A Net Domain

Com Vs Net Main Differences

Since both .com and .net are generic top-level domains, many people assume that theyre interchangeable. Knowing the difference between .com vs .net domain extensions is essential to choose which one is best for you.

.com is the most popular domain name extension, used on 51.2% of the websites on the internet. Thats because it mainly represents commercial intent, and its also very easy to guess.

If a customer wants to find your website, their first option will certainly be yourbrandname.com. Thus, .com is a domain name extension suitable for all types of businesses, from eCommerce sites to blogs and corporate pages.

On the other hand, a .net domain extension isnt as generic as a .com domain. Businesses that use .net extensions are mostly network services, database providers, and technology companies, such as ThemeForest.

Make Sure Its Easy To Type

Think of some of the most popular websites in the world. What comes to mind?

Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yahoo, CNN

One big thing they have in common is that theyre all easy to spell.

Your visitors should be able to type your domain name without a problem. If you have to explain the spelling more than once for it to be understood, its too complicated!

The last thing you want is for the potential visitors to mistype your domain and end up on a different website!

Heres an easy way to test this

Tell 10 people your potential domain name and ask them to spell it. If more than a few people struggle to spell it, you need to simplify it.

What Exactly Are Domain Extensions And How Do They Work

To fully understand domain extensions, you need to understand how domain names work.

A domain name is like the address to the place where your web files are stored on the internet. These files are stored on a remote computer called a web server.

For users to find your website, they need a way to connect to your web server through their browsers.

Strictly speaking, the actual address for your web server is a string of numbers known as an Internet Protocol address.

IP addresses tend to be long and not very user-friendly so we mask them with a domain name and use DNS to translate that domain into the IP address.

Humans find it easier to memorize words than strings of numbers, which is where domain names come in.

A domain name is made up of three parts.

Some domains also include the www. but this is optional.

For example, with , HTTPS is the hypertext transfer protocol, and represents the particular manner in which the website communicates with web browsers.

In the example above, wpastra the domain. This indicates to users and to search engines that the domain is associated with the WPAstra product.

Finally, .com is the domain extension. Domain extensions are also called top-level-domains .

First, well briefly consider the types of domains that exist.

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Be Careful When Buying Existing Domain Names

As I mentioned a couple of points above, buying an existing domain name is a bit different from buying a new one. First of all, since its not new, this means it already has a history. And you can never be entirely sure what that history is.

• On the bright side, the domains history may give you a boost in Google since youre not starting from scratch Google already knows the domain.
• But, on the flip side, if the domain has featured any kind of non-kosher stuff , then it may be banned from Google entirely.

Buying your domain from a marketplace such as Flippa gives you some safety, since every domain is validated at least in the most basic way. However, to make things a bit safer, you should also perform checks of your own.

First, do a manual check by going to Google and searching for:

site:YOURDOMAIN.com

This will tell you whether Google has any pages indexed from that domain. Finding anything is a good sign. It means the domain isnt banned. Not finding anything doesnt have to be a deal-breaker, though.

• If the domain is blank no website then theres nothing for Google to find in the first place.
• However, if there is a website but Google cant see it , this is a red flag.

You can also do checks via tools such as bannedcheck.com and ismywebsitepenalized.com. But also keep in mind that these things are not foolproof. Consider them helpers.

But we can still do more:

Is Your Business Name Common

Another factor to consider is the popularity of yourbusiness name. If your business name is popular, then it is very likely thatthe .com extension for your desired business name is unavailable. If that isthe case, then .net would be an excellent alternative for you.

Last year, over 46% ofwebsites used the .com extension, while only 3.7% used the .net extension.It might be easier for you to register a domain with the .net extension becauseit is more likely that someone already registered your name with the .comextension.

However, we recommend that you check the availability ofdifferent domain names and extensions before making a decision. Taking the timeto plan your website strategy ahead of time will save you a lot of time andenergy when you start developing your site and building your brand.

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When To Use Net

While a .com domain is probably what youre looking for, it can be useful to know when a .net domain should be used. Often, a .net domain can be found when a website is offering a networking, internet, or data hosting service. This type of domain name was originally intended to be used as a way to signify different internet providers, but nowadays these businesses stick to using their .com domain variants instead.

More commonly, .net domains are used to signify a particular catalogue or system of distinct entities. For example, some websites that connect various freelance writers might have a .net domain extension as it denotes a network.

Create A Standalone Landing Page

We, here at DigitalGYD, dont believe in one size fits all rule.

If you dont want a blog and are still wondering I bought a domain now what?, we have 9 more options for you!

Read on to discover more ideas

If you arent ready for a blog yet, you can create a simple one page website and convert visitors into leads/sales or customers.

Sometimes, you simply want a landing page .

A landing page differs from a website as in you dont need to update it with content often and it will have no additional attached pages too. The aim of landing pages are to get visitors to land on that page and make them do what is expected of them .

What You Can Do With A Landing Page?

1) Get customers for your offline business

Do you have an existing business ?

You can create an online landing page and optimize it to rank so that you appear whenever anyone near your city searches for your business .

Now they click to your page and get information about reaching to you . Boom you got your customer who would otherwise never know you.

Same goes for any offline business like a beauty parlor, a pet grooming store, a spa.

The landing page technique works well if you offer services too.

2) Get leads and sales for your courses, products

If youre already working online and have something to sell you could use a landing page as a lead generation funnel.

How to Create a Landing Page With Your Domain?

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Where Can I Get A Domain Name

The most straightforward way to get a domain name is to register through a domain registrar, like Bluehost, Domains.com, or . These registrars offer different introductory offers, prices, and plans, so you can shop around to find the most affordable deal. Otherwise, you can usually get a free domain for a year by building a website through an all-in-one site builder, or by purchasing a hosting plan from a hosting provider.

When To Choose A Com Domain

For branding purposes, a .com extension should be your first choice. This is particularly true if you are running a commercial operation of any kind.

Com extensions are not only popular with webmasters, they are easier for users to remember. An additional perk is that they are so commonly used that most desktop and mobile keypads have inbuilt .com buttons.

As we noted previously, if the .com version of your chosen domain name is not available, you might be tempted to try a .net extension of the same name. But there are other solutions you might consider first.

For example, you may consider adding an extra keyword or letters to your domain label. Just remember to keep it short.

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The Pros And Cons Of Com Vs Net

As weve outlined, the .com extension is the go-to for the vast majority of websites. As a result of this popularity, it enjoys several advantages. First, .com is easily recognizable. Theres no need to guess which TLD a website uses if youre unsure, and its going to be a standard for many.

Additionally, it has a professional and trustworthy feel, helped by some of the biggest names on the internet using it, such as Facebook, Apple, and Amazon. The only real disadvantage to .com, aside from maybe a lack of creativity, is that the popularity means getting a .com address with your preferred domain name might be tough.

In contrast, the story with .net is essentially the opposite. The chance that a given domain is available as a .net is naturally higher. However, it lacks the recognition and professionalism of .com.

The biggest drawback with .net is that many people simply assume a .com domain studies indicate users may have a hard time remembering other TLDs. This means users may be landing on competitor sites accidentally, especially if you choose .net because someone else has the same domain with .com. Even if this is a rare occurrence, its a risk youll have to keep in mind.

Use Domain Name Generators When Stuck

At this point, you should have at least a general idea of some possible words to put in your domain. Some of those words may already be taken, trademarked, or just dont have the sound youre looking for.

Thats where domain name generators come into play. These generators can turn your ideas into fresh, available domains.

Here are some of our favorite domain name generators to try out:

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Are There Any Indirect Risks With A New Tld

One indirect risk of a new TLD is that some are only available at a limited number of domain registrars. Not only could this lead to a higher price, but this might make you more prone to losing your domain name if youre forced to use an unreliable registrar.

You should ideally try to purchase a domain name from a registrar that you believe is ethical and technically competent enough to maintain the security of your domain name. An unreliable registrar can lead to minor annoyances or major issues like accidentally transferring your domain name to hackers. A full range of possibilities is discussed in a Stack Exchange thread.

With that said, registrar horror stories are extremely rare. Most top registrars obtained their status by providing ethical, quality service. But like any service provider you do business with, you should try to evaluate a domain registrars competency, ethics, and other risk factors.

Com Vs Net Whats The Difference Between Domain Extensions

Are you starting a new website? Trying to come up with a domain name? Cant decide whether to choose a .net or .com domain?

Choosing a domain name is going to be one of your first steps when launching a new website. If youre like most people, youre probably thinking of using your business or organization name as your domain name, along with a .com extension.

This makes sense, as .com is the most popular domain extension in the world and you want your new website to be instantly recognizable.

As you may already have found, most good domain names have already been registered on a .com extension. If this is true for yours, you might be contemplating using a .net instead.

Since .net extensions have a far lower penetration than .com, youre far likelier to find a suitable domain name that matches your brand.

While .net domains may be more readily available, thats often for good reason.

Before you go ahead to choose a .net extension in place of a .com, you should understand what each extension means and the pros and cons of choosing either one.

Read on to find out more!

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Use The Domain For Branded Vanity Url

Sometimes the best use of a idle, unused domain can be to simply make it your branded custom link shortener. If youre asking what is a link shortener, it is a small, custom domain that is used to shorten any link for the purpose of making it branded and easy-to-remember.

Link shorteners can also be used to track clicks of that particular URL.

For example, my portfolio URL is http://www.swadhinagrawal.com/ which is great but I make it even more sweeter and easy-to-remember with my vanity domain swdh.in so when I have to share my URL with anyone I just give them http://swdh.in.

You can also use this very domain to share articles on the web with a shortened URL like you liked this very article you could use your domain to make the URL like http://example.com/domain-guide or even shorter like http://example.com/shduHt

Here is a complete guide to using your domain names as URL shorteners.

Com Vs Net: Key Differences

Here are the main differences between.Com and .Net

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