While new generic top level domains are causing a stir in the domain name world, there’s one that still reigns supreme.

Do you have a website? If you do then you most likely own a .com or a .co.uk domain name. .com has been a stalwart of website domain names for over 30 years – it celebrated its 30th birthday just last year – and is still the most popular web address ending on the internet today.

So what does .com actually mean?

.com is an abbreviation of .commerce, a term which of course describes the act of buying and selling. Over the past few years commerce has become increasingly prominent online – known as electronic commerce, or ecommerce for short – and so many of the sites live on the web today are online shops.

A .com domain name shows your website visitors what to expect from your website before they even hit the enter key. .com highlights your site as an online shop or a place to do business. While the domain name has definitely evolved to become the go-to domain name for both businesses and non-commercial websites, the fact that it is an abbreviation of commerce drops a pretty big hint to your site visitors that they can make a purchase through you.

So why do I need a .com?

As the most popular web address ending available for purchase, .com should be your first choice when registering a domain name. It’s instantly recognisable as a well-known and well-trusted web address ending, and is thus likely to increase visitor trust in your website. It’s also easily pronounced and not too long; web addresses which are harder to pronounce or to remember are typically less successful.

For those looking to secure a .com domain name it may be worth considering a completely “nonsense” brand name – much like Google and Twitter – that doesn’t exist in any dictionary. Chances are that if you opt for something less well-known, your chosen .com domain name should be easier to snap up, but check out if a simpler and more recognisable domain name would work for your business and is available before this.

What happens if my .com domain name is already registered?

Unfortunately .com web addresses are finite, and due to its popularity and the amount of time it has been available there’s a shortage of available domain names. However, for those sites that aren’t able to grab their own .com there’s a wealth of alternatives available to you, from .guru to .dating. There’s the well-respected .co.uk – definitely a must for any businesses operating out of the UK – and even .co and .uk are available to register as stand-alone domains. Remember: the shorter your web address is the easier it will be for your site visitors to recall, so try and keep things short and sweet.

Register your very own .com domain name today over on our domain name registration page.