As the world goes increasingly digital, business owners should be able to cope with the latest trends. The key to spreading the word about your business is by putting up your own website where your customers can visit and check what you have.
When creating your own website, one of the challenges is choosing the perfect domain name. Chances are, domain names can be very tricky. The perfect domain name for your business may have already been taken.
The New Top-Level Domains (TLDs)
What can you do to make sure that your branding reaches online users? You might want to consider the use of other domain extension for your preferred web address.
During the late 2012, companies were allowed to apply for top-level domains (TLDs). In a report by Moz, domain extensions were considered the next big thing when it comes to website nomenclature. To date, there are more than 1,930 applications for TLDs.
According to Hubspot, there are many factors to consider in selecting the domain name that works for you. Choosing the correct domain name can impact your website’s traffic and search engine optimization (SEO). You may use any of the available domain extensions to improve site traffic and lead to more potential customers.
Apart from .com, here are some of the most common TLDs you might want to use:
- .net is the most popular domain extension that you can use if you can’t get the.com domain name. It is widely accepted in most businesses.
- .org is the appropriate domain extension if your business is a non-profit organization. It can be used by any business but the extension was originally designed for non-profits.
- .info is the best domain extension if your website provides information about a product and service.
The reason why we need to find the perfect domain name and extension is to make sure that your customers won’t think that your website is a spammy domain. We have to consistently remind them about what kind of product and service you offer.
We have listed down the top reasons why you should register a domain name under a new extension:
1. Availability
Since it can be hard to find a .com domain, you can alternately use any other domain extension. Use the domain extension that perfectly describes what your business is. However, if you’re looking for a more generic domain name, you might want to use .net or .online for your business.
2. Affordability
The regular price for a .com domain may go up onward to thousands of dollars. In contrast, domain extensions like .net and .org are significantly more affordable. The best thing about this is that you can finally have the option to make your website name as creative and attention-grabbing as possible.
3. Keeping it Creative
You can play with words and make your domain name as unique as you can. Have fun and use the domain name extension to make your website more interesting. This will work well in keeping your potential customers entertained.
Domain extensions can be more meaningful by letting your customers know what to expect when you get to your website.
4. Google Support for Domain Extensions
In 2013, Google bought different domain extensions like .google, .how and .youtube. These are telltale signs to show that Google fully supports the use of new domain extensions and highlights how it impacts search rankings.
Google confirmed that there is no ranking advantage for .com domains over those with new domain extensions. In other words, Google doesn’t penalize domain name extensions.
5. Better Branding
With the use of new domain extensions, you can now use a shorter URL with effective recall of your brand. By playing with words and unleashing your creative side, your website has the potential to gain traffic. Furthermore, it can also help in being number one on search rankings.
6. Be on Top of the Game
The domain extension name is fairly new when it comes to the web industry. Isn’t it better that you can be the first to get the domain name that fits your needs? Stay on top of the game by registering a domain extension to bring forth your creativity.
7. Grass root business
Do you want to be known as a local business? Want to maintain a local image to capture the market where your business is operating? You can now register in your own country’s top level domain, such as .us or .co.uk.
8. Be the first
SEO strategists find it more effective if the presence of the desired keyword or keyword phrase is visible on the web address. With the use of a customized domain name, your business can be the first to use that particular keyword, leading you to better search ranking in some of the biggest search engines.
The challenge in creating a website for your business is in finding a way to generate website traffic and getting more clicks on search engine campaigns. Experts recommend the use of exact keywords that you want your website to be associated with. Remember that brand recall on domain names is better when it is “brandable” and much more creative.
Here are factors you need to examine when you want to make a brad-worthy domain name with the use of new domain extensions:
9. Demographics
Know the age and profile of your site visitors. Know what they want and what makes them visit a website by learning more about their needs. Research the target market and follow what they want to see and read in a website.
10. Market
Learn your market from the inside and out. Cater to the needs of your market so that you can provide them the kind of service they want.
11. Interactivity
Social media is heavily used these days, and serve as effective strategies to understand who your customers are. Make your websites as interactive as possible by promoting your website URL on your social media accounts.
In addition, ask your followers and site visitors what they want, by participating in polls and forums to promote your business.
