1. Introduction
Almost half of all websites use a “.com” top-level domain. The second in this list (.org) is only used by 4% of all internet websites. These differences are extreme! Even though “.com” TLDs have many advantages, situations exist when you should look for other TLDs.
In this article, we take a look at the real essence of top level domains, and cases when you should rather use something else than “.com”!
2. What are TLDs?
TLD is an abbreviation that comes from the expression: Top Level Domain. As you may figure out from its name, TLDs are part of the domain names, but they are just one half of it.
Let’s see an example for proper understanding. In the case of YouTube, Youtube.com is the exact domain name. But we can take this into two parts:
Youtube – is a second-level domain which describes the brand’s digital identity
.com – is a top-level domain that indicates the type or category of a website
The second-level domain and the top-level domain together, are called the domain name. A domain name is a unique characterization of a brand, therefore only one company can own a specific domain name. For example, Youtube.com is in Google’s hands, no other company can grab it.
3. The categories of TLDs
Although, in the beginning TLDs indicated the category of a website, nowadays this relevance has decreased. Now let’s see these categories and whether they preserved their real meaning.
a. .com
In the early years of the internet “.com” was a TLD for profit-oriented businesses. However, as years come and go this TLD became the general domain name extension. Nowadays non-profit businesses regularly use it as well, just like: TED.com, or invisiblechildren.com.
b. .org
Primarily, “.org” is used by non-profit organizations. Well, some of the most prominent, and famous non-profit organizations rather use this domain name extension, but not in every case (as we wrote earlier). For example: Wikipedia.org, or Unicef.org.
c. .net
Originally created for network-related businesses, nowadays one of the most versatile options for any type of business.
d. .gov
“.Gov” is a strictly regulated domain name extension, and can only be used by a US authority.
e. Country-based TLDs
Every country has a specific TLD mostly for local websites. The British TLD is for example “.uk”, while the United States’ is “.us”.
However, some country-based TLDs got global popularity. For example, the “.co” TLD abbreviates Colombia, or the “.io” abbreviates British Indian Ocean, but they all became global TLDs by their short and memorable appearance.
As you can see, even if some TLDs are restricted to use, many of them are available now for public use. But why should you pick something different than “.com”? Here are some reasons!
4. Why look beyond “.com”?
In this chapter, we will discover those situations when you should use a TLD other than “.com”!
a. If the “.com” domain is taken
By 2024, more than 700 million domain names have been registered. And each year, the number of new domain names is drastically increasing. It is a real scenario that you can’t use your preferred domain name; because a business has already taken it.
What should you do in a situation like this? Well, you have two options:
- You can change your name, and try again. However, sometimes you have already got an offline business, with many customers. In this case, if you change your domain name, there is a chance that you can’t lead them to your site
- The other option is to switch to another TLD
For example, both Strive.com, and Strive.org exist. Do they belong to the same enterprise? Absolutely no! They can work simultaneously.
How should you check that your preferred domain name has not been taken?
Well, some domain name registrars have in-built domain name availability check tools to help their users with their journey. Rackhost.uk, one of the most versatile domain name registrars in Europe, offers this tool! Also, after you are done with the checking phase, you can register the domain name through our system.
b. To grab attention
Some researchers believe that businesses with older audiences should not use other domain name extensions rather than “.com”. Since, older generations only rely on these sites, and easily be suspicious if the domain name ends with “.io”, for example.
However, in the case of tech and startup lovers, everything works differently. These audiences love new solutions, revolutionized ideas, and even unique TLDs. If your business belongs to one of these industries do not hesitate to switch to a new TLD!
Startups often use:
- “.ai” (if their point of sale is something with artificial intelligence)
- “.tech”
- “.dev” (for tech projects)
- “.app” (when there’s a mobile app at the center of the innovation)
Believe us, the number of available options is too much for your imagination!
c. To decrease your cost
Well, telling you the truth this is a rare scenario. First, you have many other fields of your business, where you can more drastically reduce your costs than trying out another TLD. Second, “.com” TLDs are one of the cheapest ones.
According to domain.com, the average price of a “.com” for the first year is $12. For example, “.agency”, or “.art” may be available under $4 for a year, but nobody uses these. On the other side, one of the stars of the revolutionized TLD market, “.io” costs $48 on average for a year.
d. To target specific geographical areas!
Also, there is one more reason to brand beyond “.com”. This happens when you only want to target one specific geographical area. This case, using the designated country’s specific TLD can boost your relevance, increase your website’s trust, and credibility.
On top of that, even if in most cases the domain name does not influence your search ranking according to Google, there can be one exception. Google believes that there’s a bigger chance that a .uk site’s content is more useful for a local than a .com, that’s why Google can give them a slight boost in searches that are coming from inside the designated country.
4. Conclusion
As you can see, “.com” top-level domains will rule the market in the next few years, but there are some scenarios when you should think outside the box. Remember, there’s no simply better or worse option than “.com” as it always depends on your preferences, your audience, the industry you are in, and a couple of other factors!
