When creating an online presence for your business or brand, you should not undermine the importance of a perfect domain extension. Fortunately, you have options galore when selecting a desirable domain extension for your business.
They allow you to increase your brand visibility by optimizing your website for Google and other leading search engines. In this post, we will compare .com vs .net vs .org to discover their impacts and help you decide which domain extension is the right choice.
What Does It Mean By A Domain Name Extension?
Domain name extensions, also called Top-Level Domains (TLDs), such as .Com, .Net, and .Org work like labels. These labels help classify and organize different web addresses over the internet.
When you write a web address into your browser, DNS (Domain Name System) converts the web address into a numerical IP address. This number reveals the location of the website on the internet.
What Do You Mean By .Com Domain Extension?
The .com top-level domain is the most famous extension in the world. Initially, this domain was launched to support commercial websites, including businesses, firms, etc.
With time, professionals like bloggers, entrepreneurs, doctors, motivational speakers, celebrities, and others have started using .com domains for various reasons.
What Do You Mean By .Net Domain Extension?
The .net extension was introduced for networking or internet service providers. However, anyone can use the said domain extension because its popularity has recently increased significantly.
Users now perceive the .net extension as a reliable and impactful alternative to .com domains. Web-based and technology-oriented companies can use .net domains since their prime focus is network and technology.
What Do You Mean By .Org Domain Extension?
The .org domain extension was introduced for nonprofit and charitable organizations. Through this Top-Level Domain (TLD), they can provide valuable information to their existing and potential users.
That said, commercial organizations can also benefit from .org domains as they can appropriately support their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives.
This top-level domain mainly stands for “organization” and is suitable for NGOs, open-source software projects, and educational institutions.
Important Things to Remember When Selecting A Domain Extension
When selecting a domain extension for your personal or business website, keep different factors in mind. Here is the list that consists of various factors, such as:
- Availability
- Relevance
- SEO
- Brand Name
- Target Customers
- Cost
Availability
The first and foremost thing to consider when choosing a domain name is availability. A strong likelihood is that someone has already bought your desired domain name.
So, you will not easily find your preferred domain name with a .com address, as over half of all websites are registered using a .com domain.
Therefore, you might have to choose a suitable domain name for your business or other websites with a .net or .org address. Frankly speaking, people have selected other domain extensions like .org and .net in the recent past for various purposes.
You can launch your personal website using a .net extension hassle-free. For instance, you can go with the domain name davidsmith.net, provided your name is David Smith.
Similarly, a US-based Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) has established its official website incorporating a brand name i.e., lisa.org.
Therefore, associations or governing bodies should select a .org domain extension when establishing their websites.
Relevance
You should not undermine the importance of relevance in case you want a domain name for your business or company. For example, you should not register your website for your hospitality or restaurant business with a .org domain extension.
Instead, you should use a .com domain name because it suits your hospitality or restaurant business.
Simply put, the meaning of domain extension must be relevant to your business needs. On the other hand, there is no harm in using a .org extension if you want to build a personal website.
SEO
Domain extensions do not affect SEO (Search Engine Optimization) directly. Still, they influence search engine rankings indirectly to a certain degree. For example, people are more comfortable clicking .com domain extensions than .org or .net extensions.
This is why websites with .com domain names perform better than websites with other domain extensions SEO-wise.
If you want to make your desired domain name SEO-friendly, choose a simple one without using a keyword. Additionally, you can select .org over .com and .net addresses if you find an appropriate yet results-driven domain name for your website.
Brand Name
Acquiring a perfect domain name for any brand is a daunting task. Over 158 million domains have been registered with the .com extension. Hence, you will have to look for other extensions like .net and .org, depending on your brand name. In short, your potential website name should resonate with your brand identity. Therefore, consider using the above-described domain extensions, including .nets and .orgs.
Target Customers
Understanding your target audience is crucial for your domain name’s success. For example, if your target audience is primarily mobile users, they will likely visit your website if it has a .com extension. They can quickly type .com domains using their mobile browsers.
E-commerce businesses should focus on using .com domain names. On the other hand, organizations that offer informative and educational content should use domain extensions like .org and .net to attract the attention of their target customers.
Cost
You have to pay more to get a desirable name alongside a preferable extension. If you are willing to use an already established domain name with a .com address, you will have to stretch your budget. Surprisingly, a domain name, such as “voice.com,” was sold for $30 million in 2019. Yet, this is an extreme case.
However, this is not the case with unregistered domain names, as you can buy them as low as $10 accordingly. That said, .coms is the costliest domain name available in the market. But you can purchase domain extensions like .org and .net by paying around $10.
Moreover, you will have to pay the price for domain registration yearly at least. Likewise, some domain registrars offer attractive discounts to their customers if they buy multi-year plans from them.
When Should We Use .Com Domain Extensions?
You can use a .com extension for various purposes, including:
- You manage an e-commerce store or a for-profit firm. Numerous e-commerce stores and commercial organizations perform well when they use .com extensions.
- When you need a general-purpose website. If you are still determining the main objective of your website or are looking for a website for personal use, .com domain extensions are a better option.
- Your target users should remember your domain name. If you want your target customers to remember your domain name, .com extension is the way to go.
- Your target audience is smartphone users. If you manage your mobile app or mobile-facing website, .com domains are a good choice as they come pre-installed in several mobile browsers.
When Should We Use .Net Domain Extensions?
You can use .net domain extensions for different reasons that are described below:
- Your business offers IT or technological services. If you manage your business mainly as an IT or a networking service provider, .net extensions help you build relevance.
- Usually, users consider .net domains highly reliable and trustworthy. Therefore, you can make your website credible for your target customers if it has a .net extension.
When Should We Use .Org Domain Extensions?
You should use .org extensions for the following reasons:
- You are an owner of a nonprofit organization. Nonprofit organizations and charities should use .org domains because they help them build trust and authority.
- Your website primarily works as an information resource. If your website provides content related to research, information, and other data, the .org extension should be your preferred choice. Wikipedia.org, WordPress.org, etc., are some of the prime examples.
- If your website is open-source. Different software projects incorporate .org extensions, such as TenserFlow, OpenCV, IncludeOS, SerenityOS, Apache Tomcat, etc.
Comparison of .Com Extension With Other Domain Extensions (.Net and .Org)
Use Cases for .Com Domain Extensions
- Facebook.com
- YouTube.com
- Etsy.com
- Usps.com
Use Cases for .Net Domain Extensions
- Behance.net
- Nyser.net
- Broken.net
- Sesqui.net
- Mr.net
- Slideshare.net
- Slickdeals.net
Use Cases for .Org Domain Extensions
- WordPress.org
- Wikipedia.org
- NPR.org
- Cambridge.org
- Archive.org
How Can We Create A Website With .Com, .Net, and .Org Extensions?
To create a website with domain extensions like .Com, .Net, and .Org, here is what you should do:
Step 1: Choose a Domain Registrar
Various companies sell domains that are commonly known as domain name registrars. Luckily, you can turn to different domain registrars as they provide affordable cost, free WHOIS protection, and discounts that enable you to get multi-year registrations under your budget.
Step 2: Domain Name Registration
Once you have searched for a domain registrar, take advantage of this search tool, which allows you to explore, register, and purchase a domain name for your website.
At this point, you will create an account and complete the payment process accordingly. Moreover, be mindful of hosting packages, multi-year discounts, WHOIS protection, and other offerings.
The best thing about WHOIS protection is that domain registries cannot access your personal information.
Step 3: Select a Web Host and CMS
Once you have bought a domain name, you should link it to your website. However, you will have to rent server space from a web host in the first place.
Interestingly, different registrars also provide hosting services to their customers. So, purchasing a hosting package from your domain name provider is better.
If you are willing to use WordPress, managed WordPress hosting is a go-to option. After getting a web hosting service, it’s high time to launch your website. As you might know, the website launching process is a lengthy task. Therefore, we would recommend you go with an engaging yet result-oriented Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress to make the whole process a lot easier.
Wrapping Up
You must buy a domain name when developing websites based on different niches like technology, e-commerce, finance, trade, small business, and entrepreneurship. By doing so, your target audience can find your business and brand online. There is no hard and fast rule when choosing a .com, .net, and .org extension for your website.
The .com extensions work best for commercial firms, while the .net extension is ideal for web-based businesses, networking organizations, and apps.
Lastly, the .org extension is a tailor-made option for nonprofit organizations, charities, and educational platforms. All these domains can exceed your expectations, provided you know how to benefit from such top-notch yet impactful TLDs.
