Regardless of what website you build, be it an online store or a fitness blog, you would require a domain for your website. Every website has a unique combination of numbers as its identity, called an IP address. However, there should be another identity as part of it. This is where we see people discuss the difference between .com and .net. After drawing our respective conclusions between .net vs .com, we choose the best domain extension between them.
When you create a website, you should know that your website URL has two parts i.e. domain name and domain extension. Domain Name connects the website to the product, layout, or service that you are providing. On the other hand, the domain extension, also called a top-level domain (TLD), defines your website. In this article, we will draw a comparison between two domain extensions (.net and .com) and the strategies that allow us to pick the best domain extensions. We will also discuss the pros and cons and highlight which one of them has more scope in the market.
Overview of .COM
If we draw a comparison between .net vs .com, we can safely say that .com is the more popular domain and is part of more highly ranked Google websites. Many of the professional websites consider .com as a valuable identity of their platform. For those who don’t know that what is .com, it is a domain extension that was originally designed for commercial websites. Therefore the domain makers decided to create a short form of commercial websites using .com.
Image taken from Strikingly
Even if the website users want to create an alternative website or a sister website, they prefer .com over .net and .org. This domain extension has become so popular over the years that the phrase “dot com” was even used as part of business startups during the 90s. People assume .com to be part of a random website as most of the platforms have this domain integrated into them.
Apart from that, preferring .com over .net can also be beneficial for your memory. If you forget the website domain, you can type “.com” at the end of the URL on the Google Address Bar, and your preferred website will usually pop up. If you are using .net over .com, there can be a risk that your website can be routed to a different platform.
Strikingly is a reliable website builder that allows you to create professional websites. When creating a website on our platform, you will get a custom website name that gets connected with “mystrikingly.com” without any costs. Alternatively, you can create a customized website name and consider the best domain extension between .net and .com. It totally depends upon the suitability of your domain name.
Advantages of .COM
The biggest difference between .net vs .com is the popularity. There is no doubt that most of the websites are inclined to the .com domain extension. If your audience wants to search your website randomly on Google, it will assume that your website ends with this domain extension. It also benefits your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) and makes it easy for the audience to find you.
Image taken from Strikingly
The SEO of .com is a lot higher than .net. Even though .net is more reliable than other small extensions, .com is suitable for a more professional image. The .com extension also enables businesses to achieve better ranking with SEO. People that visit websites for purchasing or acquiring services will have higher chances of visiting the .com websites. This is the most fundamental difference between .com and .net.
Disadvantages of .COM
Usually, being the most popular domain extension also brings consequences alongside it. This is exactly the case with the .com extension. If you know what is .com, you would know that it is associated with a chunk of websites. There are over a billion custom domains registered across the world. Therefore, it will be quite difficult for you to look for your preferred website. If you differentiate between .net vs .com, people will find it more difficult to get to a .com website than a .net website.
If you are a network provider, you may tend to forget about your website URL and will experience difficulty in finding it. There are so many things to consider that your website’s SEO performance may have to be unique in the entire crowd. However, by going through an SEO course, you will learn how to rank websites highly.
Overview of .NET
Alongside .com, .net is another popular domain extension. This domain extension is used mainly as an alternative or part of a sister website of another platform. For those who don’t know what does .net means, it is a domain extension for business startups, such as networks. As you can see by the name, .net is a short form of “network”. In a comparison between .net vs .com, only 4% of the website users use this TLD.
In recent years, people running online business startups are getting more inclined to this domain extension. The businesses are usually related to networks or internet services, such as web hosting. If you are considering a freelance career or want to start an online business regarding an industry, you may opt for a .net or .org.
Advantages of .NET
The most fundamental difference between .com and .net is that .net isn’t as bloated as .com. As .net isn’t as popular, it is easier for the website owner to get his/her preferred domain name alongside this extension. If your domain name is too good to be ignored, you can switch it up and get it exactly the way that you desire.
Another talking point between .net vs .com is that the .net domain extension is more suitable for business networking platforms and service providers. It is better for business if you consider a .net domain extension to build your website. There is not much difference regarding SEO between both of these domain extensions. If you implement the right SEO techniques, your website will grow accordingly.
Disadvantages of .NET
As the .net domain extension is not popular, your audience may not type the correct website address if your website is not properly optimized. In the battle between .net vs .com, the .net websites are more difficult to find if you haven’t executed appropriate SEO techniques.
If you know what is .net, you would understand that you have to work harder on this domain extension to make it popular. You cannot be telling every member of your audience about your website address all the time. If not, you can also write attractive social media content on your social media platforms about the website to generate traffic from there.
Strategies to Choose The Best Domain Extension
Have you made a decision about the domain the extension that you want to choose? If not, then consider some of our tips below to ensure that.
1. Consider The Reasoning of Your Website
Regardless of the domain extension you choose between .net vs .com, you’ll want the best for your business. Ultimately, when you establish a website, your goal is to ensure that your business name (domain name) is attractive. Once you decide on the business name, you can look for a domain extension that aligns with it.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
If you create a website based on service providers or networking, you must know what is .net. For an initiative or a fundraiser, consider .org over .com.
2. Consider The Domain Costs
When you are registering a custom domain name, it wouldn’t cost you a lot of money. However, there may come a situation when you have to spend a huge amount of money on a domain name because you preferred one that appeared to be very popular.
Image taken from Strikingly
If you have limited resources, consider the costs of selecting a domain name. Regardless of your choice between .net vs .com, make sure that you look at the financial side. Moreover, you may have to make concessions in which you have to go for a cheaper version. It may not be what you want, but it is close to what you can get from the original version looking at your resources.
Another thing that you can do is head over to Strikingly and take advantage of the domain service provided by them. We allow you to create your websites for free on our platform. Moreover, you don’t need any coding experience for that. Now that you know the difference between .com and .net, you can save time by moving to Strikingly. You can choose from a large selection of the best website templates that you can fully customize according to your needs.
Conclusion
Image taken from Strikingly
No matter what conclusion you want to create between .net vs .com, one thing is certain that you must consider the best domain extensions for your website. Both of these domains are excellent for various reasons. No matter which domain you choose, you will experience numerous benefits from them. They will give your website a unique identity.
Looking at most of the websites across the globe, you may have understood what is .com and what it brings to the table. It is not an understatement that the majority of the highly-ranked websites have the domain of .com. Therefore, we consider the better domain extension out of the two. However, with the right conditions and operating systems, you can also yield better results with .net. Apart from that, the debate between .com and .net will carry on and have different purposes.
