Deciding a domain name may seem overwhelming. Choice can significantly affect your brand and business. In addition, this great decision is more complicated by the fact that you also have to choose an appropriate domain extension.
There are many available domain extensions, but two of the most popular are .Co and how. Ultimately, what you conforms will depend on your unique needs. You need to take into account the scope of your business, your budget and the available domain names that adapt to your brand.
In this article, we will explain what the domain extensions are. Then we will explore the differences between .CO vs .com and we will explain how to choose between the two. Let’s start!
An introduction to domain name extensions
A “domain name”, or simply a “domain” is the web address of a site. Just as you could remember the home address or phone number of a family member nearby, you may easily remember some known domains, such as www.facebook.com.
These simplified web addresses are possible by the domain name system (DNS). In a nutshell, the DNS connects a friendly domain for humans to an IP address (here is how to see your IP), so servers can show the correct web page to visitors. There are those who refer to the DNS as an Internet telephone book, because it allows users to find a website without memorizing a long series of numbers.
Each domain has a higher level “extension” or domain (TLD). This is the last part of the domain name. For example, the .com in www.facebook.com It is the extension of domain. While most websites end in .com, there are dozens of other extensions you can choose.
.co vs .com: two extensions of popular domain
Since there are currently about 1.88 billion websites in the world, it is only natural that there are several organizations that control the TLD. Perhaps the most important of these is the Internet corporation for assigned names and numbers (ICANN):
Thanks to these organizations, there is an established number of domain extensions that you can use to create a new website. They add more every day, but a good number of traditional options are the most popular.
As was one of the original TLDs, implemented in 1985 along with other known options such as .org and .gov. It is the most common extent of domain for a large margin and is, in many ways, synonymous with the Internet. It is understandable that many Internet users still assume that each place ends in .com.
On the other hand, .Co has a more complicated story. It was created to be the TLD Country Code for Colombia. In other words, it was originally to be used specifically by websites and companies located in this country.
However, this extension of domain has changed hands a few times, and over the years it has lost its restrictive nature. Now anyone can use it, regardless of where they are and is no longer linked exclusively to Colombia.
In fact, these days you will often see .Co known as the acronym for “company” or “corporation”. Although anywhere as popular as .com, it has gained traction in recent years and is now used almost 1% of all websites.
3 Factors to take into account when choosing .co vs .com
Now, let’s go on some of the most important factors that you may want to consider when choosing between .Co vs .com. If you carefully evaluate these three aspects, you can make a wise decision for your future website.
1. Availability
As much .Co and .com are common tlds. However, .coming significantly exceeds .Co in terms of popularity. In fact, more than half of all global websites have a TLD .com, while .Co does not even make the top ten.
These data are useful, but they can also be misleading if you do not look at the big image. For example, it is important to keep in mind that .com websites are not on the list of nut Leading gtlds (neither are the places. CO). The most popular GTLD for new places is .xyz.
Because the extensions of .com are finite, fashion domain extensions are constantly emerging. Unless you want a highly unique domain name, it is likely to be combined with the GTLD .com may not be possible. On the other hand, the extension of the .CO domain is more likely to be accessible:
Of course, if you will encounter a potential .com that you like and available, we recommend buying it in case. If you know that you will not be able to use it for a while, you can always turn it into a parked domain until you are ready.
This is a smart strategy for reserving potential brand names. If you end up changing your mind, you can always let your domain expire or sell it to an interested client.
2. Price
Unfortunately, when it comes to the prices of these two TLDs, there is no hard and fast rule for which it is more affordable. You need to check the costs case per case. For example, sometimes an extension. As are dramatically more expensive:
For other domains, you could discover that the .coming extension is slightly cheaper:
Because prices can be so unpredictable, we recommend doing broad research. Fortunately, the price list vision allows you to easily compare relevant costs with TLDs.
When you determine your budget for your domain, you must also be aware that there are some additional costs. For example, unless you parked your domain, you must buy a accommodation plan to accompany it. In addition, you may want to buy the Privacy Protection of the Domain to safeguard your personal data.
3. SEO
Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about search engine optimization (SEO) when you decide among domain extensions such as .co vs .com. Your TLD has no impact on search rankings.
However, you should consider your domain name as a whole, in order to shoot your website at high visibility. Most importantly, a strong domain name is concise, memorable and easy to write.
You may also want to incorporate your main brand and/or major keywords. It is important not to let your desire for a given domain extension exceed these other factors.
When to use .co vs .com for your website
Because most companies are commercial, if your desired domain is available, it would be good to buy it. In addition, TLDs .com are usually associated with more established businesses. As such, many Internet users can assume that websites with this extension of domain are more credible and trustworthy.
However, if you have settled in a perfect domain name and the .com version is not available, .co is a perfectly valid choice. Of course, it is also a relevant choice if it is based in Colombia.
Ultimately, remember that your domain name is more important than your extension choice. Whenever it is a brand and it can be easily recognized, you should be successful with any common TLD. Do not forget that you can also buy several versions of your domain (with different extensions), redirecting the secondary ones to your primary domain so that no visitors are lost.
How to buy a .co or .com domain
To buy any domain, you must go through a domain registrar. These are companies that manage sales of online domains. ICANN must be accredited by a legitimate domain registrar.
We recommend something like NameCheap or Godaddy, as they are reliable, simple to use and offer several additional advantages:
Ultimately, however, you can buy a .co domain name or .com from anywhere. Just remember to look for a few basic elements. For example, a quality domain registrar must offer privacy protection, automated renewals and various options for their length of registration.
Summary
Selecting the perfect domain name can be difficult and the many available domain extensions can further complicate this crucial decision. Fortunately, both .Co and .com can help you create an authoritarian brand image for your site.
For most companies, we recommend going with .com if you can find a strong domain name with this TLD, as it seems authoritative and makes things simple for your target audience. However,. In some circumstances, it can even be a cheaper option.
After registering a .co or .com domain name, you would like to be entitled to work on your website. At Kinsta, we offer lodging solutions for WordPress users to help our customers save money, without compromising expert support, safety or speed.
Kinsta
Senior Editor of Kinsta, WordPress web developer and content writer. Outside all the WordPress things, I enjoy the beach, golf and movies. I also have high problems.