We get this question a lot with our clients when searching for the best domain name. Often times their company name is already taken as a domain name, therefore, they must search for alternative domains. An easy solution would be to purchase the same .com domain that is currently taken but use .co instead of .com. However, you must consider these items before purchasing a .co domain.
The most recognizable domain extension, .com stands for commercial. Some may say it stands for computer or for commerce, but it was created with the intent or representing commercial websites. It is also the most popular with over 100 million registered domains.
The .co domain extension is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Colombia. However, there are no restrictions on who can register second level .co domains, and it has become widely accepted as an international domain representing “company” or “corporation”.
Pros and Cons with both domain extensions
The .com extension is the most popular and the extension most internet users default to. You don’t have to be quite as creative with advertising your website if it’s a .com. Most people will assume you’re using this extension and will try to find you by typing in your company name and the .com extension.
However, if you’re using the .co extension, you may have to place more emphasis on this. For example, O.co has done a great job of branding the .co extension and it just makes sense their company. O.com doesn’t have the same ring to it as O.co.
The biggest difference is the way the domain name will rank. There has been quite a bit of debate about how the .co ranks in search engines compared to the .com. Google doesn’t place any priority on the .co domain extension and still prefers the .com. However, it’s still possible to rank high with a .co extension, with good SEO. Just don’t expect to outrank the same domain, with the same SEO and a .com extension.
When looking at country domain extensions, the .co is often used, such as with .co.uk and .co.in. These extensions are used to tell the internet user that the website belongs to a company in that specific country.
This also causes some confusion. The fact that over 20 countries use the .co extension and the Canada extension, .ca, is very close to it, many people confuse .co as a different country. This can be a disadvantage when using the .co.
We’re here to help
If you are still searching for the best domain feel free to contact us for advice. We’re happy to help you search for the best domain, you can even do a search right now on our hosting page.