If you are a business owner, then deciding your domain name is as important as deciding your brand name. Your domain name becomes your business\u2019s online identity. While some companies retains their company\u2019s name as their domain name, others create a thriving space for their companies on the internet with highly specific domain names.<\/p>\n
But how does a domain name help you thrive on the world wide web<\/a>? Having a right domain name is like owning a crucial plot of land on the internet; with the right plot, your website\u2019s URL can have big impact on your search engine optimization<\/a>.<\/p>\n People usually find selecting a domain name deterring, as once it is selected there\u2019s no going back. Earlier in the day when SEO was the new big thing, it was easier for the companies to buy a domain name and since it was good enough, it gave a presentable rank. But now things have changed tremendously.<\/p>\n While thinking about the perfect domain name, the business owner also needs to select a domain extension. A top level domain extension is the suffix used after the domain name i.e. the letters that come after the dot to the right side of the domain name.<\/p>\n Top level domains (TLDs) –<\/strong><\/span> These are the most commonly used domains with a global reach. They aren\u2019t limited to an industry or a geographical region. Anybody can get a top level domain.<\/p>\n .com (commercial)<\/em><\/p>\n .org (organization)<\/em><\/p>\n .net (network)<\/em><\/p>\n Generic <\/strong><\/span>top level domains (gTLDs) –<\/strong><\/span> They encompass areas greater than normal TLDs. Most of the gTLDs can be registered anywhere in the world by anyone. But some gTLDs like .gov do require specific eligibility to register. It depends on which gTLD you select and its SEO potential. Since 2014 to increase the markets\u2019 options, niche or industry focused gTLDs have been used.<\/p>\n .biz (Business)<\/em><\/p>\n .info (Information)<\/em><\/p>\n .gov (Government)<\/em><\/p>\n .edu (Education)<\/em><\/p>\n Country code <\/strong><\/span>top level domains (ccTLDs) –<\/strong> <\/span>Every country has their set of country code domain extensions. A ccTLDs helps helps search engines understand your site and its audience with its geographical location. It helps your audience to sort through the web, providing them with a more relevant and specific results.<\/p>\n .in (India)<\/em><\/p>\n .co.nz (New <\/em>zealand)<\/em><\/p>\n .com.au (Australia)<\/em><\/p>\n Quite a lot of businesses go with .com as it\u2019s one of the most common and trustworthy extension on the internet. However, it is possible that .com isn\u2019t available with your preferred domain name, then you can opt for .net or even country code specific domain name. But as i said selecting the right domain name is a dicey business, people coming to your website might be dismayed to find that your website with extension .info is actually an online store than an information site.<\/p>\n Companies are very well aware of the fact that stuffing keywords into the domain name in an attempt to manipulate search results and increase ranking basically does the opposite of it. So, it\u2019s better to choose a brand name that represents your brand in the best way possible for good online marketing<\/a>. To get an understanding of search engine optimization with domain name you need to understand how google\u2019s algorithm works.<\/p>\n Google got tired of companies using their domain names to get high rankings even if they had weak websites. So google being google, came up with exact match domain (EMD<\/a>) with over 200 ranking factors to rank a website. EMD focuses on finding problem solving content and helps in building high quality backlinks.<\/p>\nThere are several kinds of Top level domains:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
The most common <\/strong><\/span>top level domain extensions are:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
The most common generic <\/strong>top level domains are:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Examples of country code <\/strong>top level domains are:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to choose the right domain extension?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
How to choose the right domain name?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nCompanies like Wikipedia<\/a>, Trivago<\/a>, Zomato<\/a> aren\u2019t word specific for their niche audience but they still end up in the top results of google. Why? Because they\u2019re using search engine optimization for optimum and smart keyword strategy to get higher ranking in search results.<\/p>\nHow search works?<\/h4>\n
So does keyword rich domain still has an impact on SEO?<\/h4>\n