As a small business owner, you get a lot of control over what your web address will be. It all depends on what you select and purchase as your domain name. As you can imagine, this ends up being an important choice because it affects the beginning of the customer’s journey to find your website online.
There are a few different components to domain names worth considering. There is the highly customizable domain name itself, which will likely be some iteration of your business name or the products and services you offer. You could argue this is the most influential part of any web address. However, it’s important not to discount the importance of those few letters at the end — also known as the top-level domain (TLD). The most well-known TLD in the business world is, of course, “.com.”
Here’s more on why your top-level domain choice really matters.
Reason #1: TLDs Convey Trustworthiness
There are hundreds of TLDs in existence, but not all are created equal in terms of the impression they give to website visitors. Some — like .com — conjure up positive connotations for customers, like trustworthiness and website security. Others appear illegitimate to people, giving the impression your website is somehow illegitimate, like it may be a knockoff site or spam operation.
Say you’re having a tough time either getting or affording “.com” versions of the domain names you want. Should you simply make the jump to a less-popular alternative like “.biz” or “.fashion,” etc.? Research says no. As Semrush cites, a survey of people found that more than seven out of 10 respondents trust domains with either “.com” or a country code like “.co.uk” than alternative TLDs.
This suggests it’s well worth the extra effort and expense to secure a domain with a mainstream, trustworthy TLD. The last thing you would want to do is inadvertently drive customers into the waiting arms of your competitors by allowing your website to appear less legitimate in the eyes of visitors.
However, some experts note that in certain industries it may make sense to choose an alternate TLD if it makes your web address stand out in a positive way without damaging client trust. Whether or not this may be a good idea depends a lot on the demographics and expectations of your target audience. It also depends on the availability of any top level domain you are considering. Some entrepreneurs find using TLDs based on their country/location or industry keywords to be a savvy branding move.
Reason #2: TLDs Can Affect Search Engine Rankings
As business owners do everything they can to optimize their websites, it’s counterproductive to do anything capable of damaging your search engine rankings — even small missteps.
The first thing to know is that Google does not factor in TLDs directly when ranking websites. So, your coffee shop will not be penalized for choosing “.coffee” or even “.net” rather than opting for a “.com” extension, nor will you gain an advantage for including a keyword in your TLD.
However, there is an indirect way in which your choice of TLD may end up affecting your search engine rankings — and it ties back to the idea of trustworthiness and site reputation we previously discussed. As one expert outlines for Search Engine Journal, users tend to recognize and trust “.com” TLDs, which may boost the click-through rate for your website. Anything you can do to provide a positive user experience helps your SEO efforts as well as your acquisition efforts.
Your top-level domain choice does matter, so consider whether “.com” is the worthwhile investment or whether you may benefit from a more outside-the-box TLD.
