Over the years, a ton of new domain suffixes have cropped up. In some scenarios, that’s allowed for creative names like visual.ly.
But I think unless you’re going to do something deliberate, something that makes specific use of the suffix itself as a part of the name, the preference for .com domains remains for a reason.
I can appreciate this myself, having recently acquired the .com of my own domain after 8 years in business operating with a .net. When I started this business the .com was a “premium” domain that cost thousands of dollars, so I skipped it.
I was gambling on two things being true:
- The .net was common enough as an alternative that no one would really care, and…
- If I built enough of a presence with the brand, at least at a regional level, no one would be interested in the .com (aside from squatters) because it wouldn’t be useful to them.to them.
Years later, the domain became available and I snagged it.
A lot of people still ask if a .com variant is preferable when planning a new website. Even colleagues of mine have asked for input on that. My opinions have somewhat shifted over the years, so here is my take as of 2026.
The Case for .com as a Default
Because it’s been the de facto default from basically the beginning of the internet, it’s the natural suffix people attach to a brand in their mind. Dotcoms still account for about 50% of all domain registrations globally, followed by country-specific ones like .cn for China and .de for Germany.
You certainly can get around this by good networking and branding. E.g. if you had out a lot of business cards with a different domain suffix, people will know to go to the right place off the card. You probably also talk to people you network with frequently, so there are further opportunities to reinforce your variation.
And if you make a big enough splash in your general marketing, people will more likely remember what they keep seeing, sure.
But…
What I find more realistically happens for small businesses is more like this:
You market enough locally that people have heard of you. Ideally in various circles, hearing your business name spurs a, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of them.”
If they search and find a .net or .biz, though, some people pause. They wonder if they’ve found the right company. Or they type your name plus .com into their browser and get confused when nothing shows up, or worse, when something else does.
There’s also a more subtle layer to it.
Subconsciously, an alternative suffix can feel like a compromise was made. Not a strong signal, but one of those small first impressions that quietly shapes perception. Some research has even shown that unfamiliar extensions introduce hesitation, people questioning whether they’re on the right site or dealing with a less established company.
And in my world, getting a lot of those small details right tends to add up.
There’s also some data that backs this up. A study by GrowthBadger found that .com domains are not only the most trusted, but also over 33% more memorable than other extensions. Even more telling, when people couldn’t recall a domain exactly, they were nearly four times more likely to assume it ended in .com.
When someone isn’t quite sure where to go, they default to .com. And when a business uses something else, even if it’s perfectly valid, it introduces a small moment of hesitation.
How I’d Approach It Today
My priorities when starting a business would be:
If I really liked a name and didn’t want to compromise with dashes or awkward variations to get a .com, and the straightforward .com wasn’t available (but also wasn’t actively being used), I’d still consider an alternative. Much like I did originally, something that preserves the name and lets me get started.
But if there were other ways to express the brand that weren’t objectionable, and weren’t overly similar to an existing domain, I’d lean toward those in order to secure a .com.
In my case, were the benefits of a .com worth $2,600? No.
But when the price came back down to something reasonable over time?
Absolutely.
I also knew that switching from a .net to a .com would likely cost me some SEO equity in the short term. But given where I was at, I was comfortable with that tradeoff. That won’t be true for every business, and I completely understand not wanting to disrupt things when your marketing is already working.
But based on both experience and the data, .com domains still seem to carry an indirect sense of premium. And not having that premium does come at a cost, even if it’s not always obvious.
You don’t need a .com to succeed.
But if you have the option, there’s still a reason most people choose it.
Brian Watkins is an SEO consultant and writer with over 18 years of experience helping businesses grow through clear, strategic content. He specializes in translating complex ideas into practical, search-driven content that connects with real people.