Which domain zone to choose? The best domain zones for business and more
A domain is the first thing users see when interacting with a website. And if the owners of online resources come up with a domain name on their own, then when searching for a domain zone, you have to choose from existing options.
The usual .ua, .com, or .net pointers are actually much more important for online business than it might seem at first glance. Let’s try to figure out what domain zones are and whether there are rules to follow when choosing the right identifier.
What is a domain zone
A domain zone is a component of a domain that is located to the right of its name.
Historically, domain zones were used to designate geographic areas and the purpose of a web resource. In 2010, ICANN, a company that coordinates domains and IP addresses, allowed the creation of generic top-level domains, as well as domain zones for brands and companies.
Why do we need domain zones? First, a well-chosen domain zone helps to attract more users. Thanks to this information, the visitor will understand the theme of the website, its geographical focus, etc. For example: Webpromo has two separate websites for users from Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Thus, the Ukrainian version has the “.ua” domain zone, while the Kazakh version has the “.kz” domain zone.
In addition, short and to-the-point domain zones make it easier to remember IP addresses. Instead of using a series of numbers for each computer, the domain name system was created to organize addresses in a more user-friendly way. To choose a domain zone for your web resource, you should first familiarize yourself with its types.
Domain zone classification
Domain zones are conditionally divided into 2 large subcategories:
- territorial;
- general purpose.
As a rule, domain registration is a free procedure. No one controls it, and no one requests documents. Therefore, site owners are free to choose any domain zone. But it is advisable to follow the unspoken rule and register the domain correctly.
Territorial domain zones
Such domain zones indicate the region in which the site operates. There are many options (their number is equal to the number of countries in the world):
ua – Ukraine
es – Spain
uk – UK etc.
For commercial platforms (online stores, corporate portals), it is very important to indicate the region in which they operate. This way, users will understand where they are and whether they can order goods with delivery to their city.
General domain zones
These domain zones include:
com, net, info, org.
Initially, it was planned that each option would denote a certain type of organization: com – commercial companies; net – companies responsible for the operation of the Internet (providers), info – information sites (blogs), org – other organizations. However, with the emergence of a huge number of websites, this requirement was no longer strictly adhered to, and the general domain zones became “blurred”. For example, if the .info domain zone is busy when registering a blog, its owner chooses another option – .com, .net or .org. Today, this is not so important. It can be said that generic domain zones are chosen by websites that are targeted at users from several countries at once. For example, blogs are created for all Spanish-speaking people from Latin America. Or if a company provides services without a regional binding (online courses), it can also take a .com or .org domain, rather than .es.
Recommendations for choosing a domain zone
Among the rules for choosing a domain zone, we have identified the following important tips:
- For businesses that are far from conservative, new untrodden zones are suitable (for example, .io is an option for information projects, including startups, .club is a type of pointer for club sites).
- It doesn’t always make sense to spend a lot of money on renting an expensive .com index, especially if the business does not claim to be international and is limited to the territorial boundaries of a region or country.
- You should not buy a domain in a national zone if your business has a narrow regional focus, as you risk looking ridiculous in pursuit of the prestige of the name.
- If you have big plans for expanding and promoting your site, and you want to prevent fraudulent fraud in the future, consider buying several domains with identical website names and different zones (for example, .net, .ua and .com) at once.
- When your favorite domain name is taken, but you do not intend to change the name, try checking in a less popular domain zone – there is a high probability that the link will be free otherwise.
- International zones can be a good solution if you do not exclude the possibility of expanding your business in the future (for example, when the site of a city cafe may become an online representation of an international restaurant chain in the future, think about a domain that is not tied to a region).
A domain zone is a way to present the company’s activities concisely and succinctly. Not so long ago, the .name identifier gained popularity, which is relevant for personal web resources. More and more business card sites are relying on this kind of pointer.
Is there a connection between SEO website promotion and the choice of a domain zone?
Google algorithms have many ranking factors, and the domain name is just one of them. Thus, the choice of a domain zone has almost no effect on SEO promotion of a website, but having well-designed domains will definitely help in solving many issues.
A domain name is one of the factors that new visitors take into account when building brand trust. SEO experts recommend using the “.com” top-level domain because most users are familiar with it. This domain zone is used by most of the world’s famous brands: Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft.
Alternative domain zones, in turn, will make your domain name thematically focused. For example, if a user is looking for a reliable source of information related to technology or IT, they are more likely to choose a resource with a “.tech” domain zone than a “.com” one.
It is important to note that choosing the right domain zone does not guarantee you a high ranking if your site does not meet the needs of users and search engine optimization requirements. A website with a generic top-level domain can have a higher ranking if the page contains high-quality content. Therefore, a landing page that is not properly optimized will lead to a loss of traffic and conversions, even despite a well-chosen domain zone.
As already mentioned, the domain zone affects the formation of user confidence in a web resource. An unsuccessfully chosen option will lead to the fact that your target visitors may consider your site illegitimate, spammy, or simply harmful.
Conclusion
Now you know what a domain zone is and what it affects. As you can see, there are many options, but you need to choose wisely. Which domain zone is better? The one that is ideal for your website. We advise companies to choose regional options. And for owners of information sites, blogs, and other platforms, any domain zone will do. Including one of the new ones, if you need an interesting URL.
