Thinking of a domain name for an e-commerce website is not just about using a unique name to distinguish your product from those falling in the same category. It is also about choosing a domain name extension that can help your business website attract your target market.
What is a Domain Name Extension?
A domain name extension is that set of letters that follows right after the dot; appearing thereater as part of a website address or Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Often referred to as Domain Extensions, they are also known as the Top Level Domains (TLDs). The .com extension, which is short for “commerce is the most common TLD in use. In fact, it ranks as Number 1 in terms of popularity, based on the total number of website domain names registered with ICANN-accredited registries. ICANN, by the way, stands for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that manages domain names and Internet Protocol addresses.
A Domain Extension Can Affect the Performance of Your Business Website
A .com suffix is unrestricted, which means any type of website can register using this domain extension. It also denotes that if there are millions of e-commerce websites for a specific product, registered with a .com name, millions also compete for recognition as a top result of a browser search page.
To explain by way of example, let us say your e-commerce business is involved in selling electric scooters. Currently, this particular vehicle continues to gain immense popularity worldwide, for its fuel-efficient and advanced features. However, if your electric scooter online store has a dotcom TLD, your website will likely be competing with a multitude of websites from all over the globe. Stiff competition may even include those offering electric scooters for rent, which may be docked electric scooter rentals or dockless-sharing units. It would be best to use a domain name that clearly indicates what your business website is offering, e.g it-directory-electric-scooter.
Consider your geographical location and that of the market you are targeting. If your online store caters only to consumers located in your country, consider using a “country code top level domain” (ccTLD) that directly represents the country in which your target market exists. In which case, you may use it-directory.ie electric scooter instead to indicate the Irish market is your website’s main target.
Although priced higher than the generic but popular dotcom TLD, it will give your business website, better chances in competing with similar websites.
However, some ccTLDs are not easy to register, which means there are certain requirements that must be met in order to use a country code as domain extension.
Example of a ccTLD Requirement
Requirements of a “Country Code Top Level Domain” vary by territory or region. A Japan ccTLD may be a dot.jp (.jp) or a dotcomdotjp (.com.jp) domain extension. If your online business operates and is registered in Japan, then using those ccTLDs do not have special requirements. Yet if your ecommerce is registered in another country but you want to create a website that specifically targets the Japanese market, you will be required to submit proof that you have a physical presence in Japan. Your ccTLD application must include a valid Japan address.