For anyone looking to acquire some internet real estate, buying a domain is usual top of the list. However, when the decision to buy a domain name has been made, the next big question becomes “What domain extension should I buy?”
Also Read: .Org vs .Net Comparison
Not only should a website embody a company, business or brand’s goals, and ideology but it should also be easily identifiable. This is when the .co vs .com or dot anything else debate begins.
Statistically, most prospective website owners tend to prefer the .com domain extension for their internet goals. And while this extension was originally designed for commercial organizations, it has become so popular that just about anyone looking to acquire real estate in the internet space is choosing the .com extension.
The problem, however, is that the extension is getting somewhat overcrowded, with so many domain names purchased and left unused. This means that while the domain extension’s popularity is unmatched, the availability of domain names is sadly getting lower each day. Hence, prospective website owners are “forced” to opt for other alternatives.
In this article, we would compare two of the most popular domain name extensions – the .co vs .com domain extension. The purpose of this .co vs .com comparison is to help our esteemed readers make a well-thought-out decision on what domain name extension is the best fit for their brand, business or goals!
Let’s start with the .com domain extension
With some 126 million registered users, the .com domain extension has been in existence since March 15, 1985, and is probably the most popular TLDs (top-level domains) and the most preferred domain extension for internet users.
The .com domain was created originally for commercial organizations. While the original goal for the .com extension was to cater to commercial entities, there was never a law, rule or limitation barring people whose businesses did not fall in the commercial sphere from registering the .com domain. Because of this, just about anyone who wants to register their brand or business with a .com extension can do so.
Now let’s talk about the .co domain extension
One of the world’s largest web hosting company and internet domain registrar, GoDaddy in 2010, created the .co domain extension in a bid to cater to the scarcity of domain names on the .com extension. While GoDaddy continues to push to make this domain name a mainstream extension, the end consumer is now able to have their preferred domain name with the .co extension in place of the .com extension
Now let’s compare the .co vs .com domain across factors like popularity, pricing and availability etc. We have also included our subjective opinions of what platform is best for different purposes in our “Conclusion” section.
Also Read: .Org vs .Com Comparison
The .Co vs .Com comparison
There really isn’t much of a difference between the .co and .com domain extensions, especially when it comes to the variables that matter. There are slight differences in pricing, popularity, and whatnot but none of these have a direct effect on your website.
Let’s take a look at both domain extensions and figure out what option is better suited for your business and brand goals.
.Co vs .Com: Popularity and Availability
As a general rule of thumb, the more popular a domain extension, the less available domain names would be for prospective website owners. While the .com domain has over 100 million people registered on it, the .co domain has some 2 million people using the extension. With the .com domain being more popular, chances are that a prospective website owner preferred domain name may have been taken on the .com extension.
The upside to using the .com domain extension is that when building a website, the .com domain is a better choice. However, chances are that someone already has your domain name on the extension. If you are bent on getting your preferred domain name, then chances are that it is available on the .co platform.
Popularity: .com wins, Availability: .co wins.
.Co vs .Com: Pricing
The .co domain costs a little more than the .com domain extension. The reason the .co domain extension cost more is to stop domain name buyers who purchase domains with the .co domain extension in bulk and then not use them. This ill practice caused the domain name to lose its availability and the higher price means more .co domain names would be available.
.Co vs .Com: SEO
Because Google still prefers the .com domain extension, it does not place any priority on the .co domain and this would affect the page ranking of a .co website. However, it is still possible to get on the first page with good SEO practices on a .co extension. But a domain name with good SEO on a .com extension would outrank a .co extension.
Extra points for .Co domain
The .co extension is also used for country domain extensions, with examples such .co.in. and co.uk.
A .co extension like these, tells an internet user that a website belongs to a company located in that specific country.
Here are some FAQs about .Co Domain Extension:
What does .co mean?
Beyond being one of the most popular domain name extensions, .co could mean company or corporation in many instances. The .co extension is used in country-code domain extensions and over 20 countries. In other situations, .co has geographic meanings such as Colombia as well as the State of Colorado, USA.
What country is .Co and is .Co domain for a specific country?
Certainly!
According to ISO 3166 .co is the ccTLD for the country Colombia. The .co domain extension is used by Google in Colombia as well as some of the biggest websites targeting users in Colombia.
Conclusion
Choosing the perfect domain name and extension is a quinte.co vs .comssential decision in your brand’s or company’s life on the internet. This decision can affect your visibility and global reach. We would choose the .com domain extension based on its popularity and affordability. The .co domain, however, is preferable for global organizations and country-specific websites.
Note: If you want to buy domain names at discounted price, please visit our Domain Names page.