I'm in the process of launching a website. For the benefit of this thread lets pretend the name I wanted to use was "UniversityGuide". The domain "www. universityguide .com" is already taken. It's not being used but the owner is asking for far too much money for it. I have registered 2 other domains: "www. universityguide .net" and "www. theuniversityguide .com" Which of these 2 would be the better domain for me to use and why? NOTE: JUST TO BE CLEAR THE NAME "UNIVERSITY GUIDE" POSTED ABOVE IS MADE UP AS I DONT WANT TO SHARE MY ACTUAL NAME
You probably shouldn't use either of them, Netflix is a registered trademark: https://trademarks.justia.com/853/89/netflix-85389635.html It's really not worth the headache.
Thats just a name I made up. I literally used "Netflix" as it was on the TV in front of me. I don't want to give away my actual site name while I'm still working on it, hence for the benefit of this thread I was using a made-up name.
I don't think that using 'netflix' trademark in the domain name is a good idea. Each BIG company has unlimited legal resources to close any website (with penalties) which has their logo/trademark in the name. But you may register something like allnfguides.com netflix = NF, and formally no copyright infringements
Again, my business name has nothing to do with Netflix, it was just an example to show the situation I'm in. I've edited my OP. Basically my choice is between using a .com with the word "the" before my business name or .net with just my business name. An example would be if the fictional business "UniversityGuide" wanted to set up a website and they had to choose between one of these 2 domains: www. theuniversityguide .com www. universityguide .net Which would be the better domain to use?
Between your two choices I would personally go with the .com. Going with the .net will cause you to leak traffic to the .com version of the domain that you buy. Most people will type .com by default so it would be the better choice in most cases. If you are certain that you would not get any or much type in traffic and are only going to get traffic from link only then you could just get the best possible domain and worry less about the extension. Have you ever seen a .net key on a keyboard for any devices? Look at most mobile keyboards as an example...
The .com domain is parked. It's not being used but the owner is asking for far too much money for it. But as it's not being used I wouldn't be leaking traffic to a competitor if I used the .net domain.
You would be leaking traffic. people who type in the .com would wind up on the parked domain instead of yours. They might even think that the site you put build on the domain is no longer there and they may never try to visit it again. Plus, what if the domain gets sold and the new owner puts a site on the domain? What if the current owner decides to build a site on it? It's a risk but if you are not concerned with that then use the one that you like the best and that you think will be your best option from what is available for your needs. As I said above, if most of your traffic is coming from links that people click in search results or from other locations then it will not matter as much as if you were expecting mostly type in traffic.
It is around for a long time and net surfers are more likely to type .com in front of your domain name, if they do not remember your extension. So you might end up with free traffic on your site just because of the domain extension ".com"
Ok, so would the general consensus be that I'm better to use www. the<businessname> .com rather than www. <businessname> .net ?
If you business is about networks and the internet then it could be good choice, otherwise - .com is better as for me, even with "the" on the beginning. But also I would recommend you to check some new domains like .online, .agency, .estate, .expert, .tech, .tools and so on
You should use the "theuniversityguide.com " domain. Because ".com" domain extension is very familiar and remember able among general people . If you need other domain idea , you can inbox me. I'll help you to provide you SEO friendly domain names for your websites .
Many newer websites have "the" in their domain name, because the domain without it was not available for registration, or it is a "premium domain name" which must be bought from a reseller. The .NET does not have huge disadvantages SEO wise as it posses same strength as the .COM with search engines. However, from the perspective of the human element, .COM is better as it is the default domain extension for many internet users. Additionally, you mentioned that the .COM domain which you desire is parked, and because of it, the domain name with "the" is a better choice as it will differentiate your website from the parked one. Getting the<business name>.COM is a better option.
Yes. [.com] domain extension is mostly familiar and remember able to general people .And also Search Engine like it.