Choosing the right domain name .com or .co.uk?

You have quite a lot of choice when it comes to selecting the right 'extension' (e.g. '.com', '.co.uk') for your business. If you are wondering what difference this might make or why you should opt for one over the other, here are a few simple pointers:

Doing it the Dotcom Way

The domain name ending in .com is what is known as a generic top-level domain (as distinct from country-code top-level domains like .co.uk, which are discussed below). Opting for a generic top-level domain name has the following advantages:

  • If your business trades internationally, a generic top-level domain name like .com may be a better way of reflecting the geographical reach of your business and of attracting a large number of potential customers.
  • You can register numerous generic top-level domain names besides .com. If, for example, you find that www.mybusinss,com is registered by someone else, you can opt for alternatives like .net, .biz, .org, and so on.
  • The .com part of a domain name is instantly recognisable and could be said to be a 'brand' in itself. After all, think of the Internet, think www.website.com.

However, there are some things you should take into consideration when opting for a .com domain name:

  • Expense - Generic top-level domain names like .com cost a lot more to register than country code top-level domains.
  • Competition - You may find that the .com name you wanted is already registered as the domain name of another company.

National names

If a generic top-level domain name proves to be unavailable, too expensive, or unsuited to your needs, you can always consider a country code top-level domain. Country code top-level domains are used by specific nations and, unlike their generic cousins, only have two letters. For example, the country code domain for the United Kingdom is .uk. Other country code top-level domains include .au ( Australia ), .de ( Germany ), .fr ( France ), .it ( Italy ), and .us ( USA ).

When browsing the Internet, you may have noticed that country code domains are usually accompanied by other letters like .co.uk or .gov.uk. These extensions let the user know what kind of institution or organisation the domain name relates to, for instance:

  • co.uk. = company
  • gov.uk = governmental department
  • ac.uk = university or college

<a href="http://www.norid.no/domenenavnbaser/domreg.html"> Click here for a list of top level domains and country codes.</a>

Since we are talking business here, we will restrict our discussion to .co.uk domain names. Not only are .co.uk names less expensive than .com names, they also give potential customers an idea of where you are located. This could be particularly useful if you trade and distribute solely in the particular country where you are based. A name of the form www.mybusiness.co .uk, for example, instantly lets potential customers know that you are a company based in the United Kingdom . You may also find that while the .com version of the name you wanted is registered to another company, the .co.uk. domain name is still available.

By bearing some of the above points in mind, you should be one step closer to choosing the right domain name for your business.

Next we'll discuss some of the ways in which you can find out whether a domain name is available.

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