Over 1000 prefixes, the words that are placed at the end of a web address, are available these days. For this blog, however, we will focus on the most well-known two – .com and .co.uk. If your customers are located globally or locally (depending on the type of business you run) – can contribute towards what you choose.
What is the difference?
The main difference really does depend on locations. For example, businesses in the UK that deal with customers worldwide are most likely to have .com. Companies that trade locally in the UK are more likely to have .co.uk.
The internet has tried to spread it out a little, introducing .uk and .us. In the USA, the .us hasn’t got established, whereas the .uk has produced over 10 million registrations.
Which one should I choose?
There’s a lot to think about when weighing up the choice between a .com or a .co.uk. Picking the wrong domain could seriously harm your company or website’s chances of success, especially if you’re a small business or a start-up.
If you’re based in the UK and only target customers and traffic from this side of the Atlantic, a web address ending in .uk can help you build trust with your target audience. Don’t just take our word for it. Research from Nominet has found that a whopping 93% of British internet users prefer to frequent websites with a .uk suffix. See that here – https://registrars.nominet.uk/news-announcements/welcome-to-the-uk.
The internet’s big companies are well aware of this. Why do you think US-based Amazon and Microsoft have snapped up .uk domains, in addition to their .com sites?
As well as the strong customer preference for .uk in this United Kingdom, choosing one over a .com can save you money. This is because a .com web address is nearly always more expensive than its .co.uk equivalent.
Sure, the cost-saving and trust-building benefits of .uk domain names are well documented, but there are circumstances where .com is essential. If your business is targeting international customers, keep in mind that people in other countries might be put off by a .co.uk domain, automatically assuming your firm only does business in Britain.
As we’ve already touched on, having to spend a bit extra for a .com instead of a UK-based address, could be very beneficial for companies aiming to reach customers around the globe, so this could be seen as helpful.
Should I purchase both?
For some businesses, this makes sense. Maybe your business plan is to begin trading in the UK, but you may venture out internationally in the future. You could use your UK-based domain while you’re establishing yourself and have the .com lined up for the possibility of overseas trading, assuming the cost of getting both isn’t an issue.
Moreover, some people choose to claim both domain variations for brand protection purposes. You wouldn’t want to put in the hard work establishing an online presence, only for some pesky copycat to come along and piggyback on your success in another territory.
What is the difference in cost?
We’ve already discussed how .coms are usually more expensive than UK domain names, but how much are you looking at? A .co.uk can cost anywhere between £10 to £15 per year, and a .com is between £15 to £20 as an indicator.
Our plans all include a free domain name.
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