Choosing your domain extension

When creating a website, you must choose a domain name (e.g. my-website.com), which will be the address of your website (www.my-website.com) and your email addresses (xxxx@my-website.com).

The first step is to choose the extension for your domain name (.com, .uk, etc.), also known as a "TLD" (Top Level Domain).

Choosing a generic and classic domain extension

These are the "historic" and most widely used domain name extensions:

Choose a domain extension ending in .com (as in commercial) if you are going to do business that is aimed at the whole world. .com domains are the most popular and are not linked to any particular country. However, it will probably be difficult to find a domain name that is available in .com.

Choose a domain extension ending in .net (as in network) if your site is related to networking or connecting people.

Choose a domain extension ending in .org (as in organization) if your site is a non-profit organization, such as an association.

• Advantages:
  Easily recognisable, not linked to a specific country, with an international focus.
  
  
• Disadvantages:
  It is often difficult to find available domains, which may prompt you to opt for another type of domain extension.

Choosing a country-specific domain extension

These are domain extensions consisting of only two letters (".uk" for United Kingdom, ".de" for Germany, etc.), known as "ccTLDs" (Country Code Top Level Domains).

This type of extension is preferable if you want to clearly indicate that your website is aimed at a particular country, or to highlight the country of origin of your business.

• Advantages:
  Clearly states the geographical target of your website, builds trust with the inhabitants of the country targeted, and makes it easier to find an available domain name.
  
  
• Disadvantages:
  May limit your website to the audience in the country concerned.
  For some countries, you must be a resident to have access to this type of extension, but this is less and less often the case.
  Not suitable for a website with international target, unless you take a domain name for each target country (my-website.fr, my-website.de, my-website.uk). The list can be very long, and this is not a wise choice in terms of search engine optimisation.

Choosing a generic domain extension

There is a large choice for domain extensions called gTLDs (Generic Top Level Domains), where you can easily find domain names that are still available.

These TLDs can indicate:

• A geographical origin (".miami" for Miami area, ".eu" for Europe, ".quebec" for the Quebec region, ".berlin" for the city of Berlin, ".dubai" for the city of Dubai, etc.).
  
  
• A type of activity: ".pro" for a professional, ".hospital" for an hospital, ".golf" for a golf website, ".doctor" for a doctor, etc.
  
  
• A type of community: ".church" for a church, ".latino" for Latin Americans, etc.
  
  
• A specific profession: ".pharmacy" for a pharmacy, ".restaurant" for a restaurant, ".taxi" for a taxi, etc.
  
  
• A type of leisure activity: ".guitars" for guitar lovers, ".football" for football fans, etc.

To summarise:

• Advantages:
  There is a wide range of choices, making it easier to find an available domain name.
  Clearly and more precisely indicates the identity of your website or its target audience.
  
  
• Disadvantages:
  Can sometimes significantly reduce the audience that feels relevant to your site.
  The price of some extensions can be significantly higher.

Final tips

It is recommended that you first check that the name you have chosen is not a registered trademark (in which case the trademark owner may ask you return the domain name or even compensate them).

To prevent potential profiteers, it may be a good idea to purchase the domain name with the "classic" extensions to prevent someone from taking advantage of your reputation with the same domain name but with a different extension.

In the same way, you can purchase similar versions of the main name (plural and singular, with and without hyphens, etc.).