A fundamental part of any web page is the domain and extension . Keep in mind that there are different types of extensions and there are factors that we must bear in mind to correctly choose which one is best suited to the type of page we are going to create. But in addition to that, we must have a suitable name for that website. We must not leave these details to improvisation, as they will be key for the future.
What types of extensions are there
When registering a web page we must bear in mind that there are different types of extensions. Not all are the same if we take into account SEO, the country we are going to be in, the audience we want to reach, etc. Therefore, we must choose correctly which one is best suited to what we need and not make mistakes.
Generic domains
They are the most used internationally. That will also cause us to have problems when registering a specific name, since it is possible that it is taken. Generic domains are those like .com, .org, or .net . They are very present in all kinds of sectors on the network.
This type is also known as generic top-level domains or gTLDs . They usually have three letters, although we can also find four letters. Some are restricted to specific sectors, such as .gob or .edu.
Country codes
Country code domains are also widely used in those specific territories. For example we speak of .es, .fr or .pt, which would be extensions corresponding to Spain, France and Portugal, respectively. There are them for all the countries of the world.
In this case, these domains are regulated by each nation. This causes that sometimes there are limitations to register an extension, that the time of possession varies, differences in prices, etc. It is an alternative to the previous option.
New generic domains
A third type of extensions are new generic domains . They emerged especially from 2003. Many of them mention a specific sector, a sport, a type of activity, and so on. They are available to users around the world. We can mention as examples .travel, .football or .news. There are even some that refer to a specific city.
These domains are less used. Generally, important pages, companies and users who want to have a website of a certain level, avoid using this type of domains that can give a worse image to the site. However, it is another option to consider.
What should be the extension of a domain
After having seen the options we have to register a domain extension, now we are going to give some guidelines to know how to choose which one best suits what we need. Some points that we can take into account.
Analyze the type of page or business
One of the factors to take into account is to analyze what type of page or in which sector we are. Generally we can say that .net pages have more to do with networks, the Internet and technology businesses. The .org websites are more organization-oriented.
We can also take into account the different options that exist regarding the new generic domains. If, for example, our page is related to sports, we can choose a .sport extension. Therefore, the sector and the type of website must be taken into account.
See what audience it is aimed at
Another important question is to analyze for which audience that page is directed. Is it going to be national in scope? If so, we can choose a .es domain. If, on the other hand, that site is going to be directed to an international audience, we must avoid country code domains.
Take the language into account
Something similar happens with language . If the page is going to be in English, even if we are in Spain, it would not be a good idea for the extension to be .es. We must once again bear in mind the public to whom this site is going to be directed and analyze the language.
Search for simplicity
If we want something simple , something that is stable to possible changes and fashions, that remains unaltered, we must look for an extension of the type .com or .net. If we do not want complications, if we are looking for simplicity, we must avoid new extensions, difficult to find by users.
What name to put a web domain
Beyond the extension that we are going to use, we must also indicate the importance of the name that we are going to choose for our domain. This is going to be key, logically. It will be something that will accompany us at all times, since there is no option to change it without having to create a new site.
Take into account the sector of the company or type of website
When we are going to create a name for the page we can take into account the sector of that website or the type of company. It can help us gain related ideas and settle faster on the Internet. This is an important point and we must take time to think about it.
Easy to remember and intuitive
The name we choose should not be complicated . We must not extend the domain for more than the account, or put strange words that may hinder the access of users. It should be something simple, basic, that has the name of our company or something that is related. You have to flee from words or phrases that are meaningless and difficult to remember.
Avoid hyphens and other symbols
Another important point to facilitate user access is to avoid hyphens and other symbols . This could also damage the image of our website. It could seem like a copy of another and suppose a loss of prestige that penalizes us both in SEO and at the user level.
Here we must also mention letters such as Ñ. We can create .es domains that have this letter, but it is not the most advisable in order to look for foreign followers and position ourselves correctly.
Avoid numbers as much as possible
Numbers are sometimes necessary, as it can be part of our company name or similar. However, as far as possible we should avoid having to put them. Better to search for a domain name that only has letters.
Try not to be a long name
Length also influences whether a web domain is better or worse for users. We should not abuse creating a very long one. Ideally, it should have a word or two, except in exceptional cases. We should not create a phrase, for example. The longer it is, the worse it is to remember and also for search engine optimization.
In short, these are some fundamental aspects that we must take into account when creating any web domain. You have to know the different types of extensions, when it is more advisable to use them and, also, what name to choose to create a page.