When it comes to deciding on the best SEO domain extension, questions are sure to abound. Once the domain name has been decided upon, the domain extension is going to come next. Gone are the days when businesses had two or three simple choices to select from. Now that things are more complicated, it is time for business owners to learn as much as possible.
In 2009, there were nearly 300 domain extensions to choose from and that number has only continued to skyrocket. While the .com extension is still the most popular by far, is it the best SEO domain extension? This is a decision that every business has to make for themselves. It all starts by answering the following question:
What’s The Website’s Objective?
The chosen objective of the website has to be taken into full account. With so many extensions to choose from, it is important to remember that they are all going to fall into different categories. Let’s take a closer look….
Commercial Businesses
These businesses will typically choose the most popular domain extension. That does not mean that is the only one that can be used. .co got its start as a country code for the nation of Colombia but it is now utilized by companies and corporations for commerce purposes. .biz is another common choice for business, while the .io extension is used primarily by gaming companies within the British Indian Ocean Territory location code.
Miscellaneous Organizations
Of course, .org is still a popular go-to extension for miscellaneous organizations but this is not the only option that is available. .net is used by sites that are specifically designed for networking. This does not apply to the social media giants of the world, who are still primarily using the .com domain extension. Online businesses that are looking to foster an environment of community and sharing use the .org extension most frequently.
Country Related Codes
.ly is a code that may confuse some, as it was used as a country code for Libya initially but now it is used by some businesses that are looking to stand out from the crowd. .us was once limited to the United States government but now .gov is used by these entities. Businesses that are looking to cater to a more patriotic crowd love the .us extension, for good reason. .uk is used by sites that are created by British business owners.
Specialized Domains
Specialized domains are rising in popularity as businesses try their best to differentiate themselves. A pizzeria may decide to use a .pizza extension, to further their level of buzz. A catchy name can make all the difference. Other companies may decide to choose an extension that is unique to them. Think .online or something along these lines.
The Moment of Truth: Picking The Best SEO Domain Extension
Knowing how these different extensions are going to affect search engine optimization is of the utmost importance. Google Domains says that this should not be a problem for anyone. According to this search engine, all of the domain extensions of the world were created equally.
Some companies may be worried about making a change from their current extension because it may affect their search engine rankings. Google Domains is not going to punish anyone for making the change. Of course, there are other factors that have to be considered.
The domain extension that is chosen needs to be as memorable as possible and as trustworthy as possible.
If the business’ customers cannot remember the extension in question, they are not going to be making too many visits and this should be fairly obvious to all parties involved. Availability and pricing also have to be considered but this should also go without saying.
