Introducing eight generic top-level domains for websites, including what are still the most popular three today: .com, .net and .org.

These have helped organise and ease online navigation for users by implementing easy-to-remember names for different locations on the web. Before domain extensions existed, websites were identified by an IP address-a string of numbers attached to a URL. However, as remembering these long numbers was so difficult, domain extensions were created to provide something of a solution.

Nowadays, there are hundreds of different extensions available, from national extensions like .co.uk, organisational ones like .edu and .gov, and more whimsical options like .pizza. However,  .com remains the most common domain suffix by far. According to Verisign-the global provider of domain name registry services-there were a total of 144 million .com domain name registrations as of September 2019. But as well as being the biggest, there are several very good reasons that .com also serves as the best domain extension, particularly for businesses..

It's great for SEO

When a user enters a query into Google, they're looking for a website which can provide a relevant answer to their search. However, if something doesn't look right about the website, including its domain name, then that user might decide against visiting that site, which reduces the site's click-through rate (CTR), and as a result, its traffic.

As such, although your choice of domain extension doesn't directly affect your website's search rankings, it does impact your traffic and CTR, which do count as ranking factors. Studies have shown that the higher the CTR, the better the website ranks, because more users are clicking through to your site.

As branded domain specialists Novanym point out, the new breed of domain suffixes don't quite have the same cachet as the more traditional likes of a .com: "a brewery might want to use the .beer TLD...[but] you won't get any kind of advantage from using a new domain extension." So, choosing a reputable domain extension for your website is great for SEO, as they are afforded more public authority than any other extension. Users are more likely to click a link they're familiar with.

It lends credibility to your brand

Websites using a .com domain extension appear more credible, making customers more likely to click what they see as a genuine link. Users need to trust the websites they're visiting, especially if they're submitting important information like addresses or bank details. Consequently, spammy-looking domain extensions such as .loan, .work, or .buzz look suspicious, and will probably be avoided. It's no

wonder that the .com extension is the most popular, when 494 of 500 Fortune Companies use it, including Amazon, Ford and Verizon.

The .com domain extension is short for ‘commercial', and is primarily used for businesses, from e-commerce sites, portfolios, or any other profitable platforms. So even if users don't think about it, his particular extension actually does tell consumers about the nature of your website. As soon as customers see it, they can understand it to be a credible business, which might explain why an Icann survey showed that 70% of consumers rate .com websites as ‘very' or ‘somewhat' trustworthy.

The .com domain is most memorable for users

It's been reported by GrowthBadger that .com domains are 33% more memorable than other top-level domains, thanks to because of their 47% share of the market. This stands to reason, with many top businesses opting for the .com domain, leaving the general public accustomed to their favourite websites having a .com extension. The GrowthBadger study also pointed out that, if a user forgets a URL, they're 3.8 times more likely to assume it ends in .com than any other extension. Therefore, by choosing this kind of domain for your own business, you'll be more likely to be found by users who may not already know your web address.