How Much Do People Trust Com Vs Org Co And Other Domain Extensions
A domain people trust is more likely to get clicked on, linked to and shared.
Making it easier to build a brand with.
Here are the perceived trustworthiness scores of the 8 top-level domains we tested, on a scale of 1 5:
As you can see, .com comes out on top with a trust score of 3.5.
But it doesnt win by a huge amount: the .co TLD comes in right behind it with a 3.4. Followed by .org and .us, each with a 3.3.
Bringing up the rear is .biz with a 2.9 trust rating: 17% lower than .coms.
Key takeaway: .com is the #1 most trusted domain extension, with .co in a close second place.
Does Domain Name Affect Seo
Are domain names important to SEO? Broadly speaking, while your domain name itself isnt considered to be a direct Google ranking factor, elements of your domain name may play into your overall SEO success. These include elements such as memorability, length, keyword usage, brand-ability, and more.
The Most Popular Domain Extensions 2021
One of the oldest TLDs in the world is still the most popular domain extension after more than 30 years: .com. Originally intended as an abbreviation of commercial and planned only for companies, many users now associate .com domains with websites in the USA. This is for good reason, as the domain extension .us, which was actually intended for the USA, isnt used as much as .com, although .us is on the rise for government websites, alongside .gov.
| TLD |
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| ccTLD |
This ranking is taken from Analysis by W3Techs.com. This service provider measures published websites and tries to filter spam websites from its statistics. This therefore sometimes results in different statistics to other publications. Another source worth checking out is the Domain Name Industry Brief from Verisign, the operator of the .com domains.
No matter which statistics you look up, more than half of all Internet addresses have the extension .com. Also high up in the rankings are the other two generic top-level domains .net and .org. Like .com, these have been around since 1985. The other domain extensions in the top 10 are primarily country code TLDs , which are country-specific. .us isnt high up on the list at all possibly because most websites in the USA will use .com.
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Different Types Of Domain Name Endings
As mentioned above, lots of people are unaware that there are more than just as a handful of domain name endings to choose from. Whilst in the early days of the internet you may have only been able to choose from common endings, such as .com, nowadays, you have much more versatility in this regard.
It is beneficial to be aware of the other types of endings you can choose from when buying a domain name as they may be a great choice for you. All of the endings available fall into different categories and this is the best way to distinguish between the available options. Below are the three main categories everyone should be aware of
- TLD These are the most common endings and they include things like .com, .net and .org.
- ccTLD These are specific to a certain country, for example, .fr for France.
- gTLD These are also fairly common but include endings like .info, .gov and .biz too.
These days, there are dozens of different options that fall into these categories but, knowing about TLD will definitely help when youre buying a domain name.
Buy Similar Domain Names
Purchase easy misspells and other popular TLDs if they are available to keep anyone from squatting on your business name.
This could be costly later once you have built up a brand and the domain squatters know that you dont really have any negotiating leverage.
I once worked with a global brand that had to spend a couple of thousand dollars per domain name to successfully reclaim domains that could have been purchased for a few dollars when they first launched.
Read Also: What Is A Company Email Domain
What Extensions Should You Avoid
We mentioned before that new domain extensions are available nowadays and you are no longer limited to a .com, .org, or a .net domain. The options range from .design, .guru, .rocks, .site, to .online, .xyz, and even .blog.
Seeing all those new options might be tempting and you might fall into the trap of thinking it will make your website more creative and memorable.
The truth is that those domain extensions havent been available for long and most people arent even aware of their existence. Aside from the aforementioned problem of people simply attaching the new extension to the standard .com, there is also a risk of coming off as unprofessional, especially if you choose an extension like .ninja or .guru.
Top Domain Name Extension List 2022
Last updated on January 21st, 2022 by Editorial Staff | Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us.
Are you wondering which are the most popular domain name extensions?
Choosing a new domain name is a very important decision for every business. Your domain name extension is a big part of this decision and can influence your brand identity.
In this article, we will share the top domain name extensions, so you can choose the perfect extension for your new domain name.
What are Domain Name Extensions?
Domain name extensions, also called top level domains , are a part of the domain name thats to the right of the dot. So, with wpbeginner.com, the domain name extension is .com.
The right domain name extension can make it easier for people to find your WordPress website.
There are hundreds of different domain name extensions to choose from.
The two main types of top level domains are generic top level domains , and country code top level domains .
- Generic top level domains are the most common type of domain extensions including .com, .net, etc.
- Country code top level domains are commonly reserved for certain countries, but these can be used in certain cases, as youll see below.
Beyond the top domain name extensions, there are hundreds of additional new domain name extensions, like .app, .technology, .guru, and more.
Also Check: How To Add Https To Domain
What Should You Do When Your Com Isnt Available
Before digging into alternative ways of registering your domain name, its important to take a step back and think about your plan on bringing traffic to your website.
If your website will primarily be used in offline advertising like TV commercials, billboards, or business cards, it is critical that your domain be easy to spell.
Inventing a new word might seem like a fantastic idea and an easy way to get your perfect domain, but it can have unintended consequences. One older yet infamous example is that online photo service Flickr lost 3.6 million unique visits a year to Flicker.com.
On the other hand, if organic search is going to be the primary way visitors will find your website, having that perfect domain might not be as important.
On mobile search, domain names arent even visible in organic search results, so that great domain idea wont even have the opportunity to factor into the decision to click on your results.
Even on desktop search, the domain of a result isnt listed in the most prominent way.
For paid marketing channels social or search the domain name will be a very minor factor in the performance of a marketing campaign.
Find The Perfect Domain Extension Today
Creating a personal resume website is a must nowadays, but before you set out to purchase the hosting and a great personal resume theme for your site, spend a few moments to choose the best extension for your domain name. Doing so will be well worth the effort and set you on the right path of building a great personal website with a memorable brand.
If you’re in need of a fresh personal site design, you can find professional WordPress themes or easy to use resume website templates on Graphic River.
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What Are The Different Types Of Domains
If youre looking to run a website or online store, youll undoubtedly be faced with the challenge of finding a suitable web address. With the many different domain types out there, though, finding the right domain is often not as simple as it looks. For one, youll need to decide on a strong and unique name, whereby the second-level and third-level domain types play an important role. On the other hand, youll need a suitable domain ending, also known as a top-level domain.
Are you looking for the perfect web address name for your online project? With IONOS you can register a domain including an SSL/TLS certificate and a personal email domain!
The following guide will clear up the most important questions on domain types. What types of domain endings exist and what do they mean? How do the different domain levels within a domain name differentiate from one another? And how can you find out which type of domain is best suited to your project?
Contents
Build your brand on a great domain, including SSL and a personal consultant!
Private registration
Domain Name : What Do The Various Domain Extensions Mean
Everyone knows .COM, the unrestricted domain extension for companies or commercial enterprises that is the most recognized TLD on the web. Most people in our country also recognize .CA, the ccTLD that represents Canada.
But what about all the other domain extensions out there? .ORG, .NET, .MOBI, .TV, .TEL, .BIZ, in fact there are over 280 different domain extensions delegated globally. What do they all mean and whats their relative importance to Canadian small businesses? Its important that a small business understand what its options are for developing and marketing their brand in the online arena.
According to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief , the first quarter of 2010 ended with more than 193 million domain names registered worldwide, an increase of 11 million registrations or 6% from 2009.
The following are the most popular domain extensions in the world ranked by number of total registrations Source: VeriSign Domain Name Industry Brief
According to data from Zooknic, Canadas .CA ranks #15 as of March 31, 2010.
Domain names are divided into 2 main categories, gTLDs or generic top-level domains and ccTLDs or country code top level domains which represent a country designation.
There are currently 20 gTLDs in the world. The following shows what each represents:
There are currently over 250 ccTLDS :
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How Memorable Are Different Domain Extensions
An important factor for any URL is how easy it is to remember.
The question we wanted to answer is, are people more likely to remember URLs with some TLDs over others?
As you can see, yes they are:
The .com domain extension comes out on top here again, with a 44% memorability score.
That means people correctly remembered the .com URL 44% of the time.
Second place goes to .co again, but this time its a wider gap: .co earned a 33% memorability score. So its a quarter less memorable than .com. Quite significant.
What about comparing .com to two of its oldest competitors, .net and .org? You can see its not even close: .net gets a 25% and .org gets a 32%.
Interestingly, .biz has a memorability score of 31%. Which is actually better than .us, .io, .net, and especially .blog .
I was surprised to see .net perform so much worse on this test than .biz.
However, it makes sense considering that mental categorization is a major part of how memory works.
My theory is that people put the .net TLD in the same mental category as .com: theyre both general common TLDs that are often used for commercial sites.
However, since .com is the most dominant TLD in that category, .net often gets mis-remembered as .com.
On the other hand, .biz may not fit into the same mental category as .net and .com.
Think about it:
If you see example.com, example.net, and example.biz, doesnt the .biz version jump out at you a little?
Key takeaway: .com URLs are over 33% more memorable than URLs with other TLDs.
Wouldnt Something New And Different Help Me Stand Out
Possibly, but going against the grain involves many risks, and its important to know what they are. It may be tempting to go with novelty to stand out, but three decades of trust and ingrained user behavior around established domain extensions may be a large hurdle to overcome.
Many of the businesses and organizations that have been enticed to try out new domain extensions are experiencing unforeseen issues, such as customer confusion about their web address, and the technical limitations that compound that confusion. Reports of clients skepticism and operational problems, like incompatibilities with commonly used email validation systems, browsers, and other websites, has some small business owners urging caution to those interested in adopting new gTLDs.
Even some of the most experienced companies have found that choosing the wrong domain extension can have big consequences. Online retail giant Overstock.com switched to O.co in 2011 and learned this lesson first-hand. Overstock reportedly lost scores of visitors because customers instinctively typed in O.com and were greeted with an error message because it was not an active domain name. The customer confusion prompted Overstock to reverse its rebranding in less than a year millions of marketing dollars lost and customer confidence shaken.
Also Check: How To Host A Website On My Domain
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.
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Make Sure Your Domain Name Is Memorable
Some people choose domain extensions that are too long or difficult to remember. While its important to select an extension that accurately represents your company and the services you offer, you also want to make sure that people can easily remember and type in your domain name.
The same is true for ensuring that your domain is easy to pronounce. You dont want people to have trouble finding your website or telling others about it.
When To Use A Com Domain Extension
.com stands for commercial, as it was initially intended for commercial businesses. Anyone can register for a .com domain, which is the most popular top-level domain to use. Because of its popularity, registering for a .com domain name can get competitive, so make sure you come with multiple options for your business domain name.
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Can Impact Credibility
The TLD your website uses does have a chance to impact the credibility and branding of your business. Its hard to say what the future will bring. If you choose a TLD that is often associated with spam sites you can be negatively impacted. Even if Google doesnt penalize you for it, people may start to recognize it as potential spam and stay away.
You can view which TLDs have the highest percentage of spam at Spamhaus. Its common that theyll all have some spam, but before you buy a TLD for your business, check and make sure it isnt overflowing with spam.
The History Of Domains
Although the internet didnt become a household utility until the 1990s, domains have existed since 1983. Still, they werent available for the public to register through the Domain Name System until 1986. What started with only a handful of domain extensions has now grown to include hundreds of top-level domains , thanks to expanded rules that allow people and organizations to create their own domain extensions.
Domains began as a solution to a formerly complicated way of getting to a website, which involved typing a series of numbers that were virtually impossible to remember. Now, domains are a must-have for internet browsing, giving us a streamlined way to remember our favorite websites by simply plugging the domain name into a browsers address bar.
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Tip : Decide On Targetable Domain Types
Creating sub-domains doesnt always make sense. A sub-division of your web address can also be confusing to web visitors, for example, if you generally dont have a lot of content or if the sub-domain distracts too much from the actual domain name. Therefore, only decide to use an individual third-level domain if you have a clear concept in mind for this. A specific sub-domain is useful for the following scenarios, among others:
- Differentiation of different language versions
- Separation of content from other offers such as a service area, a blog, or a forum
- Marking a specific web service such as an app or an FTP server
- Operating an online store in parallel to the website under the same second-level domain