For new businesses, or perhaps for those in the process of re-branding their company image, one of the necessary steps to online visibility is creating a website with a customized domain name. The purpose of a custom domain is to tell users what your company is about and the services or products you might provide.
But did you know there’s more specific domain name endings than just “.com” “.org” and “.net”? Here is a quick run-through of why you might want to consider a more specific domain name ending.
It Won’t Impact Rankings
Yep, you read that correctly! According to a Webmaster Central blog, switching your domain name to better represent the type of company you are won’t affect how your site ranks on search engines. Just like old domain names such as “.com” newer domain name ending options such as “.cafe” will appear right along side other search results.
No New Site Required
You don’t need to start from the ground up and build an entirely new website just to get the new domain name ending you want. Instead, you can simply more your website to the new domain name with a 301 redirect in order to make sure Google is fully aware of your site. Google does stress that it could take some time for them to be fully aware of your new site in search results, but the new domain name will function just as well as the previous.
Now that the big concerns are out of the way regarding new domain name endings, here are some great benefits to making the switch:
- Brand Awareness. Having a domain name ending such as “.cafe” or “.photographer” will immediately tell users what type of industry your business is in. Sites with endings such as “.tools” have the potential to be more eye-catching to consumers who are searching for related keywords.
- Business Protection. Other companies in your industry might buy new domain name endings to reach broader audiences, such as “.international” or “.corporation,” and will redirect users to their original domain name. Purchasing a new domain name ending sooner rather than later will ensure that the name you want to use to represent your business will still be available.
- Promotional Purposes. Businesses will often purchase additional domain name endings to promote certain products or services to users. Endings such as “.social” or “.contest” are used for contests or seasonal sales. Use these types of domain names for promoting something that isn’t long-lasting.
For more questions or instructions on how to set up a new domain name ending, Google encourages webmasters and business owners to check out their Webmaster help forum.