Generic domain name or local domain name? It's a question that appears every time you start a new site. Or when you invest in domain names. Or when you want to switch to your own domain when you're using some service like Blogger (thus having a name for your site like yourname.blogspot.com). Here, we list some advantages and disadvantages of both generic domain names (.com, .net, .org, .info) and local domain names (.co.uk, .ca, .de, .fr) also known as domains with ccTLD extensions because as always there is not a universal solution.
Pros of generic domain names
- If you're building a new website that is going to target users all over the world then you better buy a generic domain name. Extensions like .com, .org and .net are recognizable everywhere so you will not make your visitors to wonder if yours is some kind of a spammy site. If you target visitors in the United States then still your better option is to buy a .com domain name since .com domains are more popular in the USA than the "local" .us names.
- If you already have a site of type yourname.blogspot.com or yourname.wordpress.com and you want to switch to your own domain then if your visitors are coming from various countries and continents, you better get a generic domain name. .com or .info domains most probably would be a good choice in this case.
- If you're buying domain names for investment then probably you have better odds for a nice future sale if your purchase generic domain names with extensions like .com, .net, .info, .pro, etc. Since such names have proved to be more universal. The potential market for them is bigger than the one for local domains. Then on the other hand, if somebody targeting a local market is looking to buy a particular domain name and it happens you own exactly that one, chances are you may get a lot of money for it if you play your cards right.
Pros of local domain names
- Most naturally, if you target visitors from a specific country then country code top level domain (ccTLD) extension would be more appropriate for your website compared to a generic top level domain name. If you want people from Germany to find and use your site when they search for something in search engines then if it ends with .de they are more likely to visit it since the site would seem to be German judging by its extension.
- Apart from users' behavior, using a local domain name sends are signal to search engines that your site is related to a specific country so it may perform better in results listed for a particular search made by a user in that specific country.
- Various local online guides, references and directories will accept your site more easily for listing if it ends with a particular local domain name extension.
- You may also want to buy a local domain name ending with some interesting extension like .me or .co, for example. Domain names like love.me or find.us have some appeal due to nice phrases they form. And you might want to buy .co domain name as a typo of a particular .com domain name. E.g., cars.co may get some of the type-in traffic intended for cars.com when people make a mistake while typing.
If you want to buy generic domain names like .com, .net, .org, .info., etc. and you're not very experienced domain buyer, our advice would be to visit GoDaddy.com. It's probably the best place for a novice domain player. If you're looking for a local domain name (ccTLD) like .co.uk, .de, .fr, .co, .me, etc. you may visit EuroDNS. It's a nice destination for registration of various international domain names.
Look for other domain registration reviews in the Review Maze.
