If you are planning to register a domain name, chances are you are debating between everyone’s favourite .COM or your local domain depending on where you are based. If you are having a tough time deciding, here are the factors to consider before you hit that register button.
What Will Your Site Focus On?
What do you want your website to convey – are you a local business that focuses on the community or a global brand? A .COM positions your website as a global, geo agnostic brand. Using the local ccTLD shows that your content and services are built especially for users from that country.
We’d recommend a .COM if your website content, services are relevant to users from around the world. If you are a local business that focuses on website visitors from your city, country best to show your local pride with a ccTLD.
Pricing
A .COM domain costs USD $7.99/yr but the price of ccTLDs varies widely. Some of them cost less than a .COM like .CC while some are significantly more expensive. As a domain has to be renewed annually, it’s worth taking this into consideration before settling on the right one for you.
Registration Requirements
A .COM can be registered by anybody around the world without any restrictions. ccTLD domains often need the registrant (the person registering the domain) to have a local address or be a citizen of that country. This is a mandate set forward by local registries.
Availability of Your Desired Domain
There are 154 Million+ .COM domains registered and the largest ccTLD has just 24.7 Million domain names. There are significantly more .COM domains registered than .UK, which means there is a higher probability of you finding the exact domain you are looking for in .UK (or any ccTLD) vs a .COM.
To conclude, there is no clear winner as both of them are solid contenders – the right answer depends on your website’s needs and goals.
If you are an established business with a sizeable number of website visitors, it’s a good idea to register both .COM and the local ccTLD.