A business –specific domain is treated as prime real estate in the online world. .com and .net are two very popular domain name in the list of domain extensions 2019. When you are building a website (unless you are a non-profit organization), you will be faced with the dilemma of whether to choose .com or .net domain extension. So if you also asking yourself “How Do I Choose Between .com VS .net”, it is important that you know what are the differences between com and net domain and what each of the extensions bring to the table.
What do .net and .com represent?
.net represents network and it was originally only used by Internet services providers. However, today .net extension is used for different types of .net domain websites. On the other hand, .com represents commercial and it is the most commonly used domain extension. Most businesses prefer .com websites. Few of .com websites examples are Facebook, Instagram and so on. The meaning of these two domain name .com and .net derived from the term commercial and network respectively.
.com – the most common domain extension
As per HubSpot, 52% of all websites make use of the .com extension. Are you wondering why? The answer is nothing too complicated. It is simply that over the years .com has acquired a position as the industry standard when it comes to domain extensions. For a lot of people, whenever someone says ‘www…’, .com seems like the natural way for the website address to end. Since the popularity of .com took off in 1985 and the web space became flooded with .com websites, this domain extension managed to create a stellar reputation of itself.
Digital marketing companies usually recommend a .com website for businesses who wish to advertise and market their products and services online. With a website ending with .com, businesses are able to make the most possible sales because the site appeals to prospective customers/clients as legitimate. Also dot com has a slight advantage over dot net when it comes to domain name search.
However, since most businesses prefer this domain extension, there is strife competition and you might face a little difficulty in coming up with a good, attractive domain name. Chances are that you will have to work closely with copywriters or SEO content writers to come up with a domain name that not just explains what you are offering, but also sounds unique.
The stiff competitive for the .com website often drive businesses to lean on choosing the .net domain extension. But, you must remember that the selection of the right domain extension goes a long way in helping you establish a dominant brand presence in the web space. So, if petfoodsupplies.com is already taken by another e-commerce pet business, it is not necessary that petfoodsupplies.net will be the best alternative. Since this will not allow you to differentiate your business from your competitors, it will be a complete waste. So, you might want to try adding one or two syllables and make the domain more custom fit to your brand.
.net – perfect for websites not trying to earn a profit
The .net domain extension is derived from network and if you are not looking to make any profits, but only wish to share your website with a small group of people, the .net extension will be perfect. If you are trying to promote your personal website or blog, .net will actually work quite well.
The SEO benefit – .com or .net?
In this contest of dot com versus dot net SEO is a very important point of concern for website owners. Experienced digital marketing companies are of the opinion that there is not much difference in choosing either .com or .net domain extension when SEO is concerned. However, .com extension has a slight edge over the .net because this domain extension is treated as a standard. Most online businesses use this extension and since people know .com and relate to it, it helps in search engine optimization efforts.
Even if SEO is not really affected with your domain extension selection, the extension you choose can help you earn lucrative revenue and get amazing return on your investment. If you need in-depth information regarding which extension works best for you, it will be best to speak to an SEO expert.
