Is.Com Better Than Co.uk?
Is the website launching your upcoming project? If yes, hunting down domain names might be one of your daily tasks. The two most common LTDs .com domain and .co.uk domain often confuses people. Understanding the difference between the two is necessary to make the right domain.
This post is all about making you understand the difference to make the right decision.
However, we cannot declare one of them to be better in every case. The answer can be different for different websites, depending upon the target audience and primary customer base.
The Definition of DNS (Domain Name System)
Let’s briefly review what web hosting is before going into the nitty-gritty. In the early days of the internet, we had to use IP addresses to reach out to a website host to a given network. An IP address is a numerical code string with several digits. But, of course, they are not easy to memorize.
However, there were not as many computers to communicate with back then. As a result, this was not a problem. But with time, it became necessary to replace it with something better.
That something better is DNS. It allows IP addresses to pair themselves with or associate themselves with particular domain names. So rather than learning and inputting a complex series of digits, you have to go to Google.com.
You Might Also Like : Comparison between domain hosting UK, web, and email hosting
However, there were certain restrictions in the naming system as well. Memorizing exact domains with correct spellings is also difficult sometimes. Those creating new websites would also need to come up with new and distinct domain names. Let us explain it through an example. You may need an ‘onlinefashion’ domain. The high chances are that you will have to adjust with ‘onlinefashion123’.
To solve this, programmers came up with top-level domains, TLDs. They serve as categorizers. Basically, these LTDs sort domains into groups to facilitate locating. They appear as the last bit of a web address. Everyone works for a different goal. Here are some examples:
.com
.net
.org
.co.uk
.co.int
.net
It is actually short for the network and is nearly as common as .com extensions. Computer scientists built it for networking organizations. Some good examples are Internet service providers and cybersecurity companies. These days they are almost like a general-purpose TLD.
.gov
Obviously, this is a short form for the government. However, only the American government uses the plain .gov extension. If any other country wants to use the .gov domain, they will be needing a regional domain extension. For example, the UK government will use the .uk.gov extension.
.org
.org is the short form of organization. These days nonprofit organizations use it exclusively. You cannot find a .org website that is not nonprofit and uses the domain name extension to look legitimate. Most of them are assumed to be neutral, unbiased, and non-commercial.
.edu
Educational institutions use this LTD. However, the United States of America is the birthplace of the internet. So other countries’ educational institutes use country-level domains more often.
What is .com and Why Should One Go For It?
The .com TLD is a short form for commercial and signifies a commercial website that is broad. Such a website encompasses a large number of website ideas and purposes. However, you may have recognized it as the most commonly used extension.
In 1980 the purpose of .com was intact to some extent. However, the 1990s saw prominent expansion. Finally, .com became acceptable for anyone creating their own website.
.com is a general extension that does not imply any primary use of UK citizens. However, people are more likely to consider it a legitimate company and may trust it more than a website with a .co.uk domain. Also, such a domain attracts traffic from all over the world.
.com is best when you want to:
Target an international customer or visitor base
Increase the likeability and authority of your business
Achieve your SEO goals and rank your business higher on search engine result pages
Some examples are international companies, and websites having international fan bases.
The Country Code Domains
For further categorization, computers use country or regional level domains. Small letter codes that stand in for regional areas show the country code. For example, .co.uk is also one example of country code domains.
Both .com and .co.uk work perfectly fine for your UK based business. However, for both consumers and computers, they appear to represent different general and international.
.co.uk
This extension instructs searching websites to find web addresses specifically associated with a UK registered computer IP address. As a result, it attracts more regional traffic. It will also direct more UK Google traffic to your website at the expense of more international traffic.
When you are looking to build a local business website, it is no less than a blessing. When people see this extension, they assume that they are dealing with a local UK business.
Also, it comes with the advantages of lower shipping costs and shipping time. In addition, the customer service becomes more responsive.
You Might Also Like : Free UK Domain Names
.co.uk is best when you want to:
Target people of United Kingdom
imply domestic services, fees, and shipping times
Make things easy for UK customers
When you have a good domain name and want to use it, but someone has taken the .com version
Some examples are:
Local tradespeople, for instance, plumbers and carpenters
Business of real estate that only operates in the UK
International companies with UK-based target audience
The news websites that publish local events or politics in the United Kingdom
Are You Ready to Fill Your Cart With the Best Domains You Can Get?
Find your ideal domain names at TheEmailShop. We provide dozens of professional LTDs at affordable rates to help you build a strong brand image and reputation.
