What Does Your Domain Name Say About Your Business?
Your domain name is often the first thing a customer notices about your business. What kind of message are you sending?
Did you know that a domain name can make or break an aspiring company? By having a domain name that is concise and also describes your business well, you invite your future customers to interact further with your brand; your wording could make or lose you revenue.
Business owners commonly make the mistake of settling for a cheap domain name that doesn’t relate to their business or is too lengthy and complicated, making it difficult for their potential clients to arrive at their site.
That’s why it is vital that you register a domain name that is going to send the correct message about your business. But with so many domain names already registered, how can you find one that’s marketable, unique and affordable?
If you’re unwilling to pay against the odds for a premium domain name, you should consider registering a gTLD.
When we say gTLD, we’re referring to generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). ICANN, the nonprofit organization in charge of managing internet procedures, released a new gTLD program with the hopes of expanding the limits of the internet’s real estate. gTLDs are the new domain name endings that differ from the common .com, .org and .net domains. Some examples are .xyz, .nyc, .photography and .guru.
So far, these new gTLDs have seen success around the web. These domain name endings are more likely to be available when a .com domain isn’t, providing businesses with a legitimate alternative.
Is registering a gTLD a risky move? Not necessarily. Although .com remains the most popular domain name ending around the web, we’re starting to see more and more gTLDs take flight.
So which TLDs say what about your business?
.com
We’ll start with the most common of the bunch: .com. Most of the world’s largest companies utilize a .com domain name. Over the years they’ve become the norm of the internet and the default for most people.
A .com domain name tells the world that you’re serious about your website. Instead of settling for a free domain name that often comes with a blog (such as .wordpress or .blogspot), a .com signifies that you’re running a legitimate website with a purpose.
The downside of a .com domain? It can be difficult to acquire the one that you’re after due to high demand, and they can sometimes be very expensive.
.org/.net/.biz
For a while, .org, .net and .biz were some of the only alternatives to .com. This led many businesses to settle for the next best thing.
.org actually stands for organization, making it a viable domain for any kind of organized group, whether it’s for profit or nonprofit. The other options, .net and .biz, refer to ‘network’ and ‘business’.
These domains are still commonly seen around the web, especially when the .com version of the name is already taken. Most people see .org, .net and .biz websites as reputable options, with many large companies choosing them for their global sites.
.co
Another common domain name is .co. Many times .co is associated with a country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) such as example.co.uk or example.co.in. The .co represents ‘company’ and when it’s conjoined with a ccTLD, it shows where the company is based out of.
A .co domain name relays a message that you’re an aspiring company with sturdy roots. When grouped with a country code, .co shows the world where you’re coming from.
.xyz
We arrive at the first of the new gTLDs: .xyz. This domain name extension has really caught on and is by far the most popular of the new gTLDs. Since its release in June of 2014, there have already been over 1.1 million registrations, which is more than triple the amount of the next highest on the list.
Not only is .xyz attracting tons of new domain name owners, it’s also getting some of the world’s largest companies to take a try. Larry Page, CEO of Google, and Sergey Brin, President, recently announced that they’d be starting up Alphabet, a new parent company to Google, the website for which can be found at abc.xyz, the perfect domain name for the global company known for its innovation.
A .xyz domain name tells the world that you’re just a bit different from the rest. It says, “I could register a typical .com, but I’d rather take a small risk and go for something different”. The .xyz domain names seem to be a little more hip than others, possibly giving your business the slight edge.
.nyc/.london/.berlin
These large city domains send a slightly different message than the rest. In fact, they have restrictions making sure that only companies located within these city boundaries can register the corresponding domain name.
This makes these city domains perfect if you want to show the world where you’re located. Cities like New York and London are business hubs of the world, and having a city domain shows your potential customers that you’re based in the heart of the business world.
.tech
The world of technology is advancing at an outstanding rate. Tech startups are all around us, with many of them starting to hit it big. Each of these tech companies needs the perfect domain name for their online traffic.
.tech tells everyone that you’re an innovative company that wants to showcase its creations and ideas to the world. Tech enthusiasts love to see change; the switch from .com to .tech might just be it.
.ninja – .space
We’ve only listed a few of the new gTLDs that are currently available. At the time of writing this there are 604 different gTLDs that ICANN has released, with hundreds more coming. Explore your available options; chances are there is a new gTLD that’s perfect for your website.
New gTLDs such as .ninja and .space show that your business is unique from the rest. It highlights that your company is always looking for the next best thing, a desirable trait in today’s world of business.
Now that you know what your domain name will say about your business, go to WestHost to register yours today!