Last updated on June 16th, 2023 at 07:45 am
You’ve probably heard the saying, “You get what you pay for.” That saying is especially true when it comes to domain names.
Many people and businesses want to buy .com domains, which are the most expensive. If you want a .com domain, you will have to pay more money upfront.
But is it really worth the extra cost?
Even if you want a premium domain name, you should only buy one that’s within your budget and will also help your business grow.
There are plenty of other considerations before you make the decision to buy a .com domain or a premium .co.uk domain.
This article will explore whether it makes sense to get a .com domain or a .co.uk domain.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is the name that people type in to access a website or send as an email address to connect with your business.
It is what you’ll see in web addresses like www.yourbusinessname.com.
Domains can be purchased either privately (where you contact the current owner and strike a deal) or through a registrar.
A domain name registered with a registrar is one that’s managed by that company.
Think of the registrar as a manager who coordinates your domain name account and making sure that the records (DNS) are in order.
Additionally, the registrar ensures that your domain points to your website at all times.
Talking of websites, domains can be used to host any kind of websites, such as a business website, a personal blog, or a website for your nonprofit organization.
About .com Domain
If you’ve been blogging for some time now, I can bet your first ever website was using a .com domain extension.
This is because it is one of the most popular domain extensions around the world.
In fact, if you want to attract more international customers, you might consider buying a .com domain name.
And besides that, there are other many reasons why you should get a .com domain, such as:
- If your blog is targeting a worldwide audience
- To make your business seem more legitimate
- If you want your blog to rank higher on general Google searches
About .co.uk
Right off the bat, ccTLD stands for country code top-level domain. It is a domain suffix that is associated with a particular country.
For example, in the United States, the most commonly used domain suffix is “.com”. In the United Kingdom, the most commonly used domain suffix is “.uk”.
When you want to set up a website that targets people in a specific country, then you will need to purchase a ccTLD domain name.
So, if you only intend to sell products in the UK, it might make more sense to go with a .co.uk domain name.
For example, a website that sells pens in the UK may want to use a .co.uk domain name than a .com.
There are several reasons why you might want to get a .co.uk domain name, such as:
- If your blog is targeting primarily UK-based customers and visitors
- To put UK customers more at ease and feel the business is local
- If you want a good domain name, but the .com version is already taken. For instance, if you wanted to register example.com and realized it’s already taken, you can go for example.co.uk instead as long as it’s not infringing on any existing copyrights or trademarks.
Is a .com Better than a .co.uk?
Here are some key considerations when deciding between a .com or a .co.uk.
If you want to rank fast locally, go with a .co.uk domain because of its geotagging.
What is geotagging on SEO?
Geo-tagging is the process of adding location information to your blog posts. When you geotag your blog posts, you’re connecting them to a specific location on a map.
This makes your blog more engaging and useful, and it also gives Google a better idea of what your blog is about.
Google indexes thousands of websites every day, but it doesn’t understand all of those websites equally well.
By geotagging your blog posts, you’re helping Google understand them better. In turn, that helps you rank better for relevant search terms.
In my experience, a .com domain takes longer to rank on Google than a ccTLD domain like .co.uk
Final Words
If you have an online business and want to increase sales in the UK, it might make sense to get a .co.uk domain name.
A .co.uk domain name is great for UK-based businesses because it’s easier for consumers to remember and spell.
However, a .com domain name might be a better choice if you want to expand your reach outside of the UK. With a .com domain name, your website will be easier to find and will be more accessible to customers around the world.