{"id":7997,"date":"2024-01-22T12:45:06","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T18:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atom.com\/blog\/?p=7997"},"modified":"2024-09-27T04:30:30","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T09:30:30","slug":"are-com-domains-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atom.com\/blog\/are-com-domains-worth-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Are .Com Domains Worth it, or Should I Choose an Alternative Extension?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So, you\u2019re ready to buy a domain name. But you have questions. That makes sense, choosing the digital real estate you\u2019ll build your brand on is a big deal! As a naming and domains expert, a question I come across a lot is \u201cdo I need the .com?\u201d or, in other words, \u201care .com domains worth it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer seems simple at first glance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

.Com is the gold standard for domains. .Coms are, in almost all circumstances, the first and best choice for anyone looking for an online home. But of course, nothing is ever that clear cut! There are a few reasons you might choose an alternative extenion over a .com, including international or country-specific operations, industry norms, and in some cases legitimate financial constraints or in rare cases the need to test a concept before you invest in a .com domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why .Com is King<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For decades, the .com domain has been synonymous with credibility, trust, and authority on the internet. When users see a website with a .com extension, they often perceive it as a legitimate and established entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This perception is deeply rooted in the history of the internet, where .com was one of the first TLDs created: it wasn\u2019t called the .com boom for nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, .com became the default choice for businesses, organizations, and individuals seeking to build an online presence. Along with a few excellent newer TLDs or domain extensions, .com domains are trustworthy, memorable, and brandable. These TLDs\u2019 widespread recognition means that users are more likely to recall and visit a .com site over alternatives, enhancing the overall visibility and accessibility of a web presence. That being said, .coms are often a bigger investment than alternative extension, and it can be a struggle to find the perfect .com if you\u2019re already set on a business name. So, let\u2019s take a deeper look at the reasons for .com\u2019s seemingly endless popularity, and the circumstances that could make an alternative a better choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The .com Credibility Boost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

.com is by far the most popular domain worldwide: 46% of all websites feature a .com domain<\/a>. That makes it ten times more widespread than .org, the second most popular domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the fast-paced digital world, first impressions count, and a .com domain provides instant credibility, not only every time someone hears about or visits your website but also every time they receive a marketing email from you@yourbusiness.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

.com can even be a part<\/em> of your brand name if you\u2019re an online-only business with an ultra-premium domain<\/a>, like Booking.com or Confused.com. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

.com has been synonymous with the internet since day one. We\u2019re still talking about the .com boom today! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among other very popular TLDs, .com tops the table for trust. In fact, research into domain trust comparing .com and .co.uk with newer TLDs like .eu, .biz, and industry-specific TLDs .fashion and .digital found that 70% of people don\u2019t trust newer website domains<\/a> at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, why are some extensions mistrusted? In part, it\u2019s because of the continued dominance of .com. It\u2019s what people expect from the businesses they frequent online, and if it was a competition between Booking.com and Booking.travel, .com would win every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People mistrust newer domains because they are unfamiliar with them, and while tech-savvy folks like you and I know that the main difference between owning and registering<\/a> a .com and a .co domain is cost, the average online shopper doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This emphasizes the importance of knowing your audience, and explains, for example, why the general population puts low trust in .io despite it being a pretty common choice for tech startups<\/a>. To programmers and tech nerds, .io offers instant recognition: it\u2019s I\/O, or Input\/Output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your business is aiming at a computer-literate audience, they\u2019ll trust a .io domain but if you\u2019re selling flannel shirts your average customer won\u2019t know .io from their elbow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, it hasn\u2019t helped that the accessibility of alternative domains makes them more appealing to scammers or less legitimate businesses. <\/em><\/strong>Investing in a .com domain tells your customers you\u2019re serious, and sets you apart from competitors with second-rate extensions. For credibility, .com is number one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How .Coms Prevent Traffic Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No matter how effective your marketing efforts are, for some people it will be in one ear and out the other: studies show that 80% of branded material is forgotten within 72 hours. That means it\u2019s inevitable that some customers will struggle to remember every element of your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if they misremember your domain name? They assume it\u2019s .com: Online shoppers are almost 4x as likely to misremember a domain as .com than as any other extension. And after a bit of confusion, a potential customer is likely to give up or turn to a competitor unless what you\u2019re selling is completely essential and unique. You can avoid this issue entirely with a .com domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why .com Domains Get More Buzz<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

.com domains are like a rare piece of real estate: with over 160 million already registered, almost every single English-language word and many great brandable word combinations have been taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acquiring a strong .com domain will build instant buzz around your brand, like Slack did when they purchased their .com domain for a rumored $60,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

.com domains also top the table for memorability. With a .com domain, it\u2019s easier for customers and industry peers to remember you, recommend you, and talk about you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All this contributes to the impact of your brand. Launching with a .com domain makes a powerful statement about your intentions: again, look at Slack\u2019s meteoric rise<\/a>. The .com domain wasn\u2019t the only thing they did right, but in combination with a paradigm-shifting innovation and a strategic marketing campain, Slack\u2019s domain acquisition signaled to potential acquirers that it meant business. You can too, with a premium domain name from Atom<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are .coms Better For SEO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest questions for businesses choosing a domain extension is about search engine optimization: do .com domains get an SEO boost?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Google has stated that using a new or alternative TLD will not hurt your search presence, many people are still skeptical. For one, ccTLDs like .fr or .de might be prioritized when the search engine recognizes a French or German IP address from the searcher \u2014 while .io is specifically treated like a gTLD rather than a country code to get around this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

.coms are a gTLD with global significance, so they certainly won\u2019t hurt your SEO. But do they help?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google themselves are no strangers to an alternative TLD: they own abc.xyz<\/a>, and docs.new<\/a> conveniently redirects to a new Google document. Modern SEO is based on multiple website performance metrics, from content to traffic to backlinks. Against this backdrop of data points, yor TLD pales in significance and technically speaking, a .com extension alone won\u2019t be better for SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emphasis on technically<\/em>. While there\u2019s no direct benefit for SEO from a .com domain, <\/strong>there is a knock-on effect from the credibility and recognition factor of .com domains. This can indirectly impact your SEO by improving several metrics that search engines are watching closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, consumers are more likely to click on .com domain results or ads with a .com domain and stay on these websites longer, leading to lower bounce rates. Cumulatively, these factors will improve your SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is that a .com domain can <\/em>be better for SEO, but mainly because of secondary benefits. A .com domain doesn\u2019t free you from the heavy lifting, but it lightens the load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Growing Landscape of Alternative TLDs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

.com domains are the gold standard for most businesses with big ambitions, but there are some constraints. There are fewer choices in the .com marketplace and they\u2019ll eat a bigger part of your budget: these factors have to be balanced with the branding potential when you\u2019re choosing your domain name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, in some industries there are other domain extensions that square up well to .com. In fact, .com has never been the only choice: .org and .net were established in 1985 alongside .com and have been consistently popular ever since. Due to the growing scarcity of .com domains, further extensions have been popularized by businesses from various industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Atom, we believe that a handful of alternative TLDs can provide businesses today with a powerful platform for their online presence. However, these extensions are only valuable with the right, brandable name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our premium marketplace, alongside .com domains, we list the following TLDS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n