If you are new to buying a domain name for your website, you might be wondering which tld – top level domain – extension to get. The main ones to choose from are .com, .org, and .net. But then there are also .biz, and of course the .[country abbreviations], like .us for USA domains, .co.uk for the United Kingdom, etc. And there are even some new ones that registers are starting to advertise. Here are some tips to help you choose!
1) Are you commercial business?
Try to get the .com. It is easy to remember, one of the first domain name extensions, and just about everyone associates it with a business. If the .com is not available and you already have a well known brand and established business, you might want to consider the .org or .net, or your country tld. Or perhaps even a new unique tld that fits your business, like .io for tech.
2) Are you a non-profit organization?
Go for the .org domain name – just about everyone associates nonprofits with .org domain names.
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3) Networks?
Go with the .com or .net … or even possibly .org. An example of a type of network is craigslist – they actually have several tld’s, the .com, .net, and .org, with all of them redirecting to the main tld they set up – the .org.
4) Blog?
Depends on what type of blog you have, what type of content you are posting. Depending on that, decide on the tld that feels right for your website. It could be a new, special tld, something unique. Chances are that the .com isn’t available for what you want, so you will probably need to be creative.
Multiple tld’s?
Thinking about buying several tld’s for one website and redirecting to your main one? Check out this blog post first: Should you get .com, .org, and .net domain names – all the tld’s?
Related:
How to choose a domain name for your website
WWW or no WWW – That is the question
Decoding .com vs .org: Which Domain Extension Is Right for You?
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