.com OR .co.uk ?

spark240

I read that .com is by far more desirable ...does it matter to you ?

I can't say I really take much notice when using websites.

stickyfiddle

If you ever want users from outside the uk, then .com will always be a better option

notanon

Domains are cheap buy both and have one forward to the other.

spark240

notanon said:

Domains are cheap buy both and have one forward to the other.

Both are available...but for .com I need to hyphen the words....a bit of research says this is still the better option?

What Im asking is...does it bother you when going to a website ....appreciate .com is quicker to type, but how many folks type full web addresses nowadays?

TonyR

Doesn’t bother me that much but I tend to prefer .co.uk - wrongly I know, but I generally associate .com with US sites.

notanon

spark240 said:

notanon said:

Domains are cheap buy both and have one forward to the other.

Both are available...but for .com I need to hyphen the words....a bit of research says this is still the better option?

What Im asking is...does it bother you when going to a website ....appreciate .com is quicker to type, but how many folks type full web addresses nowadays?

Personally I don't care for hyphens in names. However to answer the second question very few people will type domain names they will Google instead for what they are looking for. This should mean no hassle with hyphens.

Search ranking is a huge subject but deepening on what you are doing you may want to consider the topic and or location in the domain. For example CardiffGuitars.co.uk

Paul_C

don't forget you can get .uk too

DiscoStu

I have a .com and a.co.uk for the same domain name. Not that I've ever set them up! I had an idea for a name years ago and wanted to secure it so I got both.
How do you even make a website anyway? Stoopid!

spark240

DiscoStu said:

I have a .com and a.co.uk for the same domain name. Not that I've ever set them up! I had an idea for a name years ago and wanted to secure it so I got both.
How do you even make a website anyway? Stoopid!

making the website is easy !....getting the right name and Domain is more tricky...

Now...Do I need Domain name protection ;-)

goldtop

If your site will be uniquely and always UK-oriented (local trade or service), then a .co.uk is fine. If you have any intention of being international, then it MUST be .com.

For visitors/customers - even those in the UK - and the issue of being able to remember your site, a .com helps, because that's the default. They only have to recall the domain (your brand). Whereas some mental effort always has to be used to remember the .co.uk in addition to the brand/domain.

Hyphens ... avoid like the plague. Name a famous website or brand with a hyphen? And when you spell it out to people for email addresses, etc, do you say 'dash' or 'hyphen' and even then it takes time to explain, recall and type. All of which is Bad.

IMHO, YMMV, etc.

PolarityMan

.life

Grangousier

FWIW, recently I've noticed if I'm searching for parts or whatever online, I tend to go to sites that are .co.uk, because I know the postage will be cheaper. On the other hand if it's a band or something like that, then the .com seems to make the site definitive. 

spark240

goldtop said:

If your site will be uniquely and always UK-oriented (local trade or service), then a .co.uk is fine. If you have any intention of being international, then it MUST be .com.

For visitors/customers - even those in the UK - and the issue of being able to remember your site, a .com helps, because that's the default. They only have to recall the domain (your brand). Whereas some mental effort always has to be used to remember the .co.uk in addition to the brand/domain.

Hyphens ... avoid like the plague. Name a famous website or brand with a hyphen? And when you spell it out to people for email addresses, etc, do you say 'dash' or 'hyphen' and even then it takes time to explain, recall and type. All of which is Bad.

IMHO, YMMV, etc.

Agree,,,,,but the problem is the name isn't available as .com without hyphen...

Modulus_Amps

wis to Goldtop

@grangousier you could be missing out on free shipping deals with that approach

spark240

Paul_C said:

don't forget you can get .uk too

Doesn't this just make it more confusing really ?.....its not one or the other is it...

axisus

When buying stuff I always look for .co.uk sites. I ignore .com

DiscoStu

spark240 said:

DiscoStu said:

I have a .com and a.co.uk for the same domain name. Not that I've ever set them up! I had an idea for a name years ago and wanted to secure it so I got both.
How do you even make a website anyway? Stoopid!

making the website is easy !....getting the right name and Domain is more tricky...

Now...Do I need Domain name protection ;-)

So how do you do it then? I've never even tried. Does it need software and coding or is there an easy online way of doing it, say with templates? I know my niece used Wix when she was younger but pretty sure that ties you to a Wix address.

So basically what happened was that I had an idea for a name, either a band name or a brand, and I wanted to get the .com and the .co.uk in case I ever came up with a way of using said name.
I still haven't, nearly 10 years on.

spark240

@DiscoStu  Depends exactly what your are using the site for...I have a Wix site and a Wordpress site in sort of dormant development...tonight Ive registered my Tee shirt domain as Studiowear.co.uk...but its not linked to a site yet.

Im no expert on any of this...but most web builders will be ok I guess...I think 123Reg and GoDaddy offer web builders also.

goldtop

spark240 said:

goldtop said:

If your site will be uniquely and always UK-oriented (local trade or service), then a .co.uk is fine. If you have any intention of being international, then it MUST be .com.

For visitors/customers - even those in the UK - and the issue of being able to remember your site, a .com helps, because that's the default. They only have to recall the domain (your brand). Whereas some mental effort always has to be used to remember the .co.uk in addition to the brand/domain.

Hyphens ... avoid like the plague. Name a famous website or brand with a hyphen? And when you spell it out to people for email addresses, etc, do you say 'dash' or 'hyphen' and even then it takes time to explain, recall and type. All of which is Bad.

IMHO, YMMV, etc.

Agree,,,,,but the problem is the name isn't available as .com without hyphen...

Then - if you are expecting any international interest in your site - choose another name. Using a hyphen to get the brand/domain you want is like choosing a .net - you kid yourself that it'll be OK once people get used to it, but it really isn't. (We've all been there.)

In addition, if the existing .com owner has established a presence with the unhyphenated wording, you risk getting a cease-and-desist letter if you launch afterwards with a hyphenated domain.

I understand you are keeping your cards close to your chest (we all do!) so you probably can't spell out the name and type of business/interest you are considering. But just look at existing sites in that area and try to find a popular one that has a hyphen. My guess is that you won't.

DiscoStu

spark240 said:

@DiscoStu  Depends exactly what your are using the site for...I have a Wix site and a Wordpress site in sort of dormant development...tonight Ive registered my Tee shirt domain as Studiowear.co.uk...but its not linked to a site yet.

Im no expert on any of this...but most web builders will be ok I guess...I think 123Reg and GoDaddy offer web builders also.

My domains came from GoDaddy. I should maybe take a look! And then come up with an actual purpose...

sixstringsupplies

agree with the above. Don't use a hyphen. Nothing wrong with .co.uk at all.....sixstringsupplies.co.uk actually ranks quite high for my search words globally. Not just the UK. In some cases it will rank higher in EU and US than in the UK.

.co.uk just lets your main market know that you are UK based. It is what I personally (and I assume others) look for when shopping online. I