Why .COM is the Best of All Generic Top Level Domains (gTLD)

 By John W. Furst

There is a huge debate about which domain extension to use. Internet marketers usually have a different opinion than registrars who want to sell the most exotic domain extensions like .BIZ .TV .ME .NAME and so forth for a nice profit. Here is my answer to to that discussion.

The short answer: .COM is recognizable as Internet domain by the largest group of people when compared to the wide-spread of other generic top level domain extensions (gTLD) like: .NET .ORG .EDU or .GOV

When you say, MyBrand.COM, almost everybody will know instantly that you are talking about your Internet domain and they will associate it with a website as well.

.COM is definitely the strongest brand indicating an Internet presence.

As the domain name space has filled up rather quickly new gTLD were invented for use by businesses worldwide: .BIZ .INFO

And as I have read today the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN.org, which is the governing body of the Internet, plans to introduce hundreds of new top level domains.

That said I still believe that .COM will remain the strongest domain brand. At least in the Western world.

With .COM you simply cannot go wrong

* Used by businesses, other organizations and individuals

* For profit and non-profit, commercial, noncommercial, personal, … basically any legal purpose.

* Allows registrants from all over the world.

* A very reasonable registration fee. As opposed to some country code top level domains, which cost more than 100 times the .COM fee.

* A newly setup .COM domain propagates very quickly on the Internet. Meaning you can use it worldwide in less than the usual 48 hour time period.

Some SEO (search engine optimization) specialists also claim, that .COM domains are treated favorably by search engines, especially by Google. Although Google likes .ORG domains these days as well.

Besides recommending the .COM extension, what makes up a good domain name?

A Great Domain Name – Some quick rules

* Is it unique and catchy?
* Is it descriptive?
* Does it convey the right image?
* Is it memorable?
* Can people type it without misspellings when they only hear it?
* The shorter the better!

These rules are targeted toward the human psychology. However there are more marketing and SEO related rules that you might want to keep in mind as well.

* People find websites on the Internet by typing in keywords in search engines. It is generally a good idea, if your domain name contains keywords people will actually use to find your website. Yes, that means do some keyword and market research.

Last but not least the legal part of it.

Follow the legal guidelines given by your registrar and the registry, which you will agree with during the process of your domain purchase. Just don’t infringe any one’s trademark and make sure your chosen domain name does not include a brand name or other trademark.