One common question I encounter from clients  who can’t get the “.com” domain of their choice, but find the “.net”, “.org” or other country-specific top level domains (TLDs) available (like .de, .nu, .sg, etc) is, “ Should they try for these?”

The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. If your website or business caters to the local community, such as a pizza delivery business, then it makes sense to get a country-specific domain. You actually benefit from having such a local domain because the people in your country know that they’re dealing with a local business, which is what they want. After all, if they live in the United Kingdom, they’re not likely to want to try to order pizza from pizzaparlour.com, which suggests an international site. You’ll have better luck calling it pizzaparlour.co.uk, ie, with a UK domain.

What if yours is a site or business that can benefit from an international audience? Below are a few bits of information on your selection. 

Of course, it is always better to own the domain name of your choice “myperfectdomain” even if it has an extension of “.net”, “.org” or some other country specific extension. Therefore, it is best to choose “myperfectdomain.net” versus an obscure name such as “mpd.com” just to use a .com extension.

On a second note, “.net” and “.org” extensions are actually quite acceptable domain names. The “.org” extension actually describes the non-profit nature of an organization. So, for example, the famous Apache web server can be found at “apache.org”.

Some clients will only settle for a “.com” extension with a valid reason.  They refer to the browser algorithms used to locate a website when a user simply types a name like “acme” into the browser.   The browser searches for a domain name “acme.com” before attempting “acme.net”.   This will cause a viewer to be directed to your competitor’s site if you do not also own the “.com” extension. In addition, even if people do not rely on their browser to complete their URL typing, many simply assume a “.com” extension when they type a domain name.   For example, if your business is “Acme”, they’ll just assume your domain name is “acme.com” rather than “acme.net” or other extension.

My advice for those businesses that choose a domain name with an extension other than “.com”, make sure you promote your business or website with the full domain name. For example, if your domain name is “webadvances.net”, make sure that when you advertise your site or business, call it “webadvances.net” not simply “Web Advances”. Otherwise people will assume a “.com” extension and travel to the wrong place.