.co, .com, .net: How to Choose a Valid Website URL

Your company's name is one of the most important indicators of who your brand is and what you do. With over 213 million companies operating worldwide, choosing a memorable name and website is essential, not only for your audience but for search engines as well. If your brand name, particularly your URL, is hard to read or remember, your brand awareness could suffer.

However, we inevitably find small business owners who have already legally registered their business names without first checking if a TLD, or top-level domain, is available. While there may only be a one-letter difference between .com and .co, many owners face uncertainty about whether that one letter will make or break their online presence.

This blog will break down the questions you may have to better understand the types of domains we suggest for your business and how your audience, search engine, and other platforms could be affected.

What Is the Difference Between .com and .net and Others?

To understand the difference between all these TLDs, we first have to talk about where they all came from and why.

According to Verisign, the first .com was claimed on March 15, 1985, by a computer manufacturer called Symbolics, Inc. Prior to this, the internet was largely a project driven by universities and computer scientists who used the network for research and communication. As more people and institutions began to use the network, electronic communications became increasingly challenging. Figuring out how to manually route messages through gateways was something of an art form, and as mail loads became heavier, sometimes people would be asked to stop using their connections.

Many believe the TLD .com stands for company, although some debate it stands for commercial. Regardless of which one is true, the majority of companies following continued with this idea of using .com for their websites.

For some, endings are more straightforward, with .blog being for blogs, .org for organizations, or .us for American-based companies. Microsoft developed the .net domain in the 1990s and was designed to support the rapid development of software and technology. For this reason, the .net extension is primarily used by tech corporations, internet providers, and other similar companies.

While there is no official rule that certain businesses have to use specific URLs, these general guidelines tend to be followed. However, with a rise in companies, new industries, and other factors, unique domain names such as .co or .ai have been created.

Does TLD Have an Impact on Brand Awareness?

Yes and no. Trust-wise, there is very little difference between a TLD ending in .org or one ending in .com. However, audiences start to mistrust companies that use domain endings they may not have encountered before, such as .wow or .me.

Since 75% of all domains end in .com, human and computer internet users tend to prefer this type of TLD only because it is the easiest to remember. However, there is little evidence that Google will intentionally drop your ranking based on your TLD.

If you are unable to use the ending .com, no problem! Luckily audiences basically trust all TLDs the same. As long as it is a general domain they recognize, is easily remembered, and is consistent with your brand, ending your domain in something other than .com shouldn’t have a significant impact on your brand awareness.

Key Takeaways

Not only should your website address be simple and straightforward, but all similar links should be as well. For example, if your website ends in .co, your email should as well.

The .com domain extension is by far the most common, so from a branding perspective, it is sometimes preferred because there is a sense of trust instilled when someone sees “.com.” But Google or other search engines are not using these extensions as ranking factors that boost or hurt your potential to pull in organic traffic.

If you require a new or updated Wix website, give the Wix Experts a call or book your free consultation at the link below.

Speak to a Professional