When you are starting a business there is much to consider. Your brand, finetuning your product or service, target audience and your online presence. Owning a domain name that matches your brand significantly benefits your company. The benefits include improving recognition, building credibility, generating new customers, and establishing your company identity. Buying a domain name that matches your brand is truly a no brainer!
However, there are domain names that are superior to others. Owning a .COM domain name is one of the keys to success when it comes to branding your business. These are the .COM domain extensions. They are the golden standard on the internet and we are going to tell you why.
History of the .COM
.COM was first implemented in January of 1985 as one of the first top-level domain names in the DNS, or Domain Name System. This was years before the launch of the World Wide Web. Other top level domains included .gov, .edu, .mil, .net and .org. Although they were not created with business transactions in mind, the .COM was created based on the words “company” and “commercial”.
However, with the fast growing popularization of the Internet, the .COM was opened to the public. It became the most popular for websites and emails, both for large corporations and individual people. Today, the .COM domain extension is the most used top level domain on the Internet. As of March of 2021, there are 363.5 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains. Additionally, 154.6 million of these have a .COM extension. Coming in second is .tk, with 24.7 million domain registrations.
Benefits of the .COM
So, why do so many internet users use the .COM extension for their website? Why is the .COM truly the king of domain names?
It is Memorable
Think of when you sit down to search a website. You type in the domain name and probably without thinking add .COM as the extension. The .COM is most people’s default when searching the internet.
Both tech savvy people and people with no technological knowledge associate .COM with most websites. Additionally, it is easier to remember than .biz, .info, .tv, .de, .int and other region specific extensions. People associate most websites with this extension, and when they are searching the internet this is what they type in the browser.
It Builds Credability
Not only is the .COM the default when searching the Internet, but it is also the most trusted by Internet users. People associate .COM with successful businesses and trusted names. If you have a premium .COM domain name, that means you had the financial resources to acquire that domain. Additionally, you have the expertise to brand the domain and rank high with SEO.
Think of trusted companies like Amazon.com, Apple.com, Target.com and more. If Amazon had a domain name like AmazonProductFinds123.tech not only would it not be memorable, but it would not be trusted.
It Gets the Most Traffic
Because so many people go to the .COM as the default when searching online, it gets the most traffic. For this reason alone, we recommend acquiring the .COM with your domain name. The amount of site traffic you could miss out on is too great to not purchase it from the start.
No matter what your domain name choice is, you should always acquire the .com first, even if that means spending thousands of extra dollars. The value of having the .com name simply cannot be overstated.
Are .COM Domains Better for SEO?
For your website to rank well, there are a few things that you should be doing.
- Buy a domain that is one word; easy to spell, memorable and brandable
- Match your domain name with your brand
- Avoid non .com extensions
Now, the .COM is not the end all be all of your website. There are alternatives, like region specific gTLD’s. Additionally, if you are a niche or local market and traffic does not matter as much to you, it is probably not necessary to purchase the .COM. However, for most other businesses we would strongly recommend buying a domain name with a .COM.
Why? Google also loves websites that use .COM. This extension is the oldest and most used, Google understands this and the fact that most people use .COM as their default. Google as well as other search engines are programmed to understand and prioritize human search behavior. If most people are searching websites with a .COM, that is what Google will rank. So, are .COM domains better for seo? Yes, Google will prioritize and rank them higher and you will have more site traffic since people automatically assume your website has the .com extension.
Use Saw.com to Register a .COM
Saw.com has extensive experience selling premium, .COM domain names. Interested in purchasing the .COM top level domain? Contact us today to speak with an expert from our domain brokerage service during a free consultation.
Saw.com wants to see you build a strong business website and meet your company goals. This starts when you buy a domain. Our domain brokers share extensive experience in the industry and specialize in domain acquisition, appraisal, branding, brand protection, portfolio management services and more.