Most Popular Domain Extensions

Operating a business today almost always requires having a website, and purchasing domain names is one of the first – and one of the most important – steps to establishing your online presence. Choosing the right domain extension can impact where your site shows up in search engine results and how visitors and potential visitors evaluate your site.

.com Domain Extensions

“.com” is the world’s most popular domain. Standing for the word “commercial”, .coms are the “gold standard” for businesses for many reasons: one being that .com IS the original business domain extension, so websites with .com domains are viewed as being the most established. This is what has led to some of the most expensive domain names sales, like Insure.com, which sold in 2009 for $16 million.

Perhaps the most valuable benefit of .com’s is that they are the most widely used extension. So even if a visitor only remembers the first part of the business’s domain name, they will likely type .com afterwards. Owning a .com can captures this (also known as type-in or direct) traffic.

Lastly, .com is a domain used across the world. Operating a business as a .com offers a global image that can increase the value of the business itself.

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.net Domain Extensions

Following .com, the next most popular domain extension is .net. Abbreviating the term “network”, .net’s were originally used primarily by internet service providers. .Net is growing in popularity amongst other kinds of businesses. RealEstate.net, for example, recently sold for $300,000.

.org Domain Extensions

.org is another very popular domain traditionally associated with non-profits and NGOs. Representing the term “organization”, .Org’s were generally registered by trade associations and non-profit organizations. They are available for businesses to use now, but are still most common in not-for-profits.

.biz Domain Extensions

The .biz domain extension was created for small business websites, intended for local shop owners looking to get online inexpensively. .Biz has grown to include businesses both large and small, though it is still not as widely recognized as a .com or .net.

.info Domain Extensions

Another domain that has seen rapid growth in recent years is “.info,” which is supposed to denote that a site contains informational content. .info has become a popular extension for businesses and organizations looking to provide information and faqs to their customers, as well as for individuals looking to provide online informational resources.

.mobi Domain Extensions

With the astronomical growth in popularity of smart phones with 3G internet capabilities, particularly while on the advent of 4G internet speeds on mobile phones, .mobi is a domain all businesses should consider purchasing in addition to their main domain.

.Mobi, short for “mobile”, is a domain extension intended for websites accessed by smart phones and other mobile devices. As more and more people adopt mobile technology, being able to reach customers on their smart phones will be a critical part of any business’s online marketing strategy.

Developing a website optimized for mobile viewing is key to maintaining competitiveness. For example, XYZ Web App Company may wish to purchase xyzapps.com and xyzapps.mobi. The first would be designed for viewing on standard computers and monitors, while the latter would be optimized for the unique requirements of viewing on a mobile phone. Companies adopting mobile optimization strategies have the greatest chance of capturing and converting mobile traffic.

.tv Domain Extensions

Commonly used by the media industry, .tv is a popular extension tied to TV stations, video streaming services, and other media rich websites.

International Domain Extensions

Country specific domain extensions can provide many benefits, including improved search engine position for searches conducted in the website’s home country and a clearer connection with local customers.

Some international domain extensions (also known as cctlds) are: United States (.us), Canada (.ca), the United Kingdom (.co.uk), Germany (.de), China (.cn), and Taiwan (.tw). The number of country-specific domains, however, is certainly not limited to these countries. In fact, even the European Union has its own domain extension for businesses or citizens that reside there, .eu.

Some country codes do not have location specific requirements. Essentially, this means that businesses registering those domains do not need to live or work in the country. Both .be (Belgium) and .de (Germany) are examples of unrestricted country-specific domains. Purchasing such domains can offer location specific benefits without requiring a physical presence in that country, an invaluable asset to many international businesses.

You can see more cctld extensions here.

Popular domains are not limited only to those extensions listed above. Others include: .name, .bz, .cc, .vg, .ws, .aero, .museum, .jobs, and many more. Choosing your domain investment wisely can offer tremendous benefits down the road. Find your perfect domain today.

Check out these other articles on domain strategy:

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