When starting a web project or establishing a business, one quickly encounters the question of the domain name and its extension. Should I favor .ca or .com? Or perhaps another extension?
The domain name is the web address (URL) of your website.
extensions #pizza ????
Today, there are domain extensions to suit every taste. Of course, .com remains the most popular and common extension. The .ca extension allows you to target the Canadian audience. In recent years, hundreds of new extensions have emerged. Here are some examples:
.global, .life, .media, .news, .shop, .site, .store, .dentist, .doctor, .casino, .cool, .dog, .ninja, .sex, .cafe, .cooking, .beer, .pizza
Now, I know what you’re going to say:
”Woah! Why would I choose .com when I can have .cool or .pizza?! ????????”
You’re free to choose the extension that appeals to you and best fits your website, but don’t forget that .com remains the most popular extension. Let’s consider the following scenario:
You are the new owner of the amazing pizzeria Chez Mario (Congratulations!). I walk by your restaurant and naively type your restaurant’s name into my search bar with the ‘ .com’ extension. Oh my! They don’t have a website!
I didn’t know that the right domain name ends with the .pizza extension. To prevent this kind of issue, it is imperative that you also purchase the .com extension. Afterwards, you can easily set up a redirect that will take visitors from chezmario.com to chezmario.pizza. This way, you maintain the uniqueness of your domain name while accommodating any stray sheep.
so, .com or .ca?
Everything is going well for you; Chez Mario pizzeria is a great success. You’ve decided to stick with the domain name chezmario.com, as the .com extension is the most popular and the safest choice!
A few weeks later, Chez Luigi pizzeria opens across the street! You discover that this competitor has purchased the chezmario.ca domain name and it redirects directly to their website: chezluigi.com. Oh mama mia! You’re losing a significant portion of your traffic going straight to your direct competitor. You’re in a tough spot.
To avoid this kind of situation, there’s no hesitation: buy both .com and .ca! It’s a small investment for the security it provides
which lead to the next question, how much does a domain name cost?????
Prices vary depending on the extension you choose. They are annual fees starting at $30 per year.
last piece of advice
I strongly advise you to be the administrator of your domain name. As a web developer, I’ve dealt with clients who didn’t know how to access their domain name or couldn’t even remember purchasing it. Being the administrator means being in control!
Write to us, and we’ll be happy to explain how it works!
