Are there any pitfalls of using .net as the extension for your primary site?

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+1 Q:

Are there any pitfalls of using .net as the extension for your primary site?

Just wondering if there are any pitfalls using .net as the extension for a primary website. If you have some idea for a domain and the .com extension is already taken. I know it may take some traffic away possibly if people try to use the standard .com extension. In regards to SEO or any other basic effects this may have, are they any that anyone is aware of?

Thanks

Domain names don't matter any more. Google has replaced the address bar - as long as people remember your product/company name, they'll get to your site. All other traffic comes from links in email, etc.

Rex M 2009-09-10 16:02:56

@anonymous - Why DV?

Rex M 2009-09-10 16:06:27

Because of the statement that they "don't matter any more". It might be true to say that they matter less than they used to, but it's not true to say that they don't matter at all.

MusiGenesis 2009-09-10 16:08:09

Well I know the product or service is more important than the name, but I still feel if it offers a little appeal to the user the closer it matches the product or service.

Matt 2009-09-10 16:09:15

Agreed with MusiGenesis. That's too strong of an assertion to make. They might not matter *to you*, but you can't say that is true for everyone. Even that article shows that they matter to Atwood.

JoshJordan 2009-09-10 16:11:04

@MusiGenesis it's a rhetorical device. If we took everything people said 100% literally, most things would be wrong. Pedantry isn't helping anyone.

Rex M 2009-09-10 16:11:16

Ah, that was your own article. Just conjecture, then.

JoshJordan 2009-09-10 16:12:21

+1 Url shorteners have also made "having the perfect domain name" significantly less important

Chris Ballance 2009-09-10 16:12:55

@JoshJordan if someone else wrote that, it wouldn't be conjecture?

Rex M 2009-09-10 16:13:25

Logical implication does not work in both directions :)

JoshJordan 2009-09-10 16:18:11

How is it pedantic if you're making advice based on that very large generalization?

Matt 2009-09-10 16:18:25

I am really surprised everyone is getting so caught up on the 4 words. The blog post quotes fairly authoritative sources and makes the case. If you disagree with the blog post, explain why! It's not helping anyone to talk about the words I used to link to the article. That's pedantic.

Rex M 2009-09-10 16:25:38

You talk about what "people will almost never do" without citing any source. You conclude with "I think..." regarding domain name choices. The "authoritative sources" do the same - simply stating that people are making a "big mistake." There is little evidence shown in the article that this is true. The nature of Stackoverflow is that if people find your answer to not be of a helpful nature, it gets voted down. I find it not to be helpful because I think domain names do hold some weight. Others may find your answer not to be helpful because you chose very strong language and tone without merit

JoshJordan 2009-09-10 16:32:58

@Josh thanks for taking the time to read the links in the answer and voting based on that. THAT's how SO is supposed to work.

Rex M 2009-09-10 16:37:27

My pleasure. Thanks for being respectful. I *am* glad to have found your blog through this question. Looking forward to reading more of it.

JoshJordan 2009-09-10 16:39:08

@Rex M: down-voting is a rhetorical device, too, so we're even. :)

MusiGenesis 2009-09-10 19:07:07

@Rex M: I read your whole blog post, and I wish I could give you another downvote - for the fauxhawk. You could call this an *ad hominem* attack, except I don't think a haircut counts as part of a man's "character". Plus you could theoretically blame the wind. :)

MusiGenesis 2009-09-10 19:13:42

@MusiGenesis thanks for taking the time to explain the dv

Rex M 2009-09-10 20:06:21

+1 A:

Its all about familiarity. People know .com. Pressing Control-Enter automatically adds www. and .com to anything you put in the address bar in IE and Firefox.

Get good enough advertising, and people will know your site is .net.

ck 2009-09-10 16:03:48

+2 A:

If you can't get the exact .com you want you could try a variation of the name

"And don't sweat it if you can't get the exact domain name you want. You can always be creative and get close with a couple of extra letters (e.g. backpackit.com or campfirenow.com)." - Getting Real by 37Signals

I've seen plenty of users that don't even know how to use the browser's address bar, they just type www.sitename.com into Google. With modern browser's combined search/address bar a site's extension becomes less important with good branding and searchable site.

Also consider your target audience. Net savvy users are more likely to notice/remember it's .net and not .com.

David G 2009-09-10 16:21:20

Are we sure "37Signals" was a good domain name? I can never remember what the hell it is they actually do, other than hiphop-style self-aggrandizement.

MusiGenesis 2009-09-10 19:09:59

You'll annoy a few old geeks who remember that .net was supposed to be for connectivity providers. Of course, if the purpose of your primary site is to supply internet connectivity then it's OK.

There's also a disadvantage that most browsers will try a .com before a .net, so users will have to remember more of the address.

Pete Kirkham 2009-09-10 16:49:00

Just remember that less Internet-savvy people tend to add www. and .com to everything, regardless of what is actually printed on your correspondence/advertising/invoices.

Our corporate Intranet address was intranet.company.com until HR put out some training material that pointed people to www.intranet.company.com and I've actually seen people type www.website.net.com when told to go to website.net.

What seems obvious to you and me is gobbledegook to many people using the Internet. If you feel your visitors are in the gobbledegook group, try to find a .com domain you can use.

Grant Wagner 2009-09-10 18:40:37

ansaurus

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Are there any pitfalls of using .net as the extension for your primary site?

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