When I started out on the web, I remember finally making the decision to buy a domain. It was a BIG deal to me because it was one of my very first investments in my new business. Sure it was only ten bucks, but money is money:) I remember that the company I bought my domain name from offered me a chance to buy the info, org, and net version too. I bought them all.
Now there can be a case made that you should buy all your extensions so that your competitors do not have the opportunity to snatch up your keyword rich domain name in another extension. This can lead to buyer confusion. Thinking that they are coming to your site and ending up on another.
There is also another search engine optimization case you can make that you can use these other extensions as doorways into your main .com site. Which is still kind of a good idea, but NOT doing this won’t make or break your business. So I don’t know if I would bother with a strategy where you are paying domain name fees year after year and it’s just “okay”.
So the question remains: “When I buy a domain should I buy the net version too?” My answer is – not anymore.
If you have the chance to snatch up a .com domain name for your business then you’re good. A com extension is the best and really only extension you need for your business. Why?
1. Most people recognize the .com extension.
2. When people hear a domain name, they subconsciously assume it is a .com name.
3. The search engines prefer .com extensions above the other versions although .net comes at a close second.
But the point here is that your site with a .com extension would probably outrank your competitor’s with a .net one. So worrying about your competition taking your domain names in other extensions is not as important as it once was. Com rules!
With that in mind, please recognize that the web is growing by leaps and bounds! Most businesses have created some sort of online presence. There was the explosion of social media over the past few years. People are starting their “side businesses” due to this tough economy. So it’s more important than EVER for you to grab your keyword rich COM domain names as soon as you think of them.
This includes your primary domain name, your sales page urls, any domains urls you use for testing or redirections. I learned this lesson the hard way, as one of my major competitors nabbed a lot of great keyword urls that I was hoping to secure for my business. So my advice to you is to not worry about .net extensions or any of the others, and grab the .com ones fast!
*If you absolutely cannot find the keyword domain name you want in an .com extension, then the next best thing is an .org or a .net one ( based on results in the search engines).
Lisa Angelettie
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I think you should buy the .com,.net,.org and possibly even .info extensions of your domain if you plan to monetize it at some point. $30 more a year won’t kill you.