With .com domain names being difficult to obtain, .biz has become a popular domain extension. This Top-Level Domain (TLD) was introduced to relieve the demand for .com names. The letters used in .biz are representative of the word “business.” This makes it relevant to business websites. Nevertheless, you may wonder whether a .biz domain will help or hurt your online exposure.
Are .biz domains any good? .biz domain extension is not as popular as .com, .net or .org. But from an SEO standpoint, .biz sites fare as well as the .com counterparts when they have relevant and optimized content. This extension allows you to keep your website URL short and user-friendly. You can have a keyword-focused domain name, even if the same .com name is unavailable. However, the .biz extension is usually associated with businesses. So, it may not be the best choice for a personal or informational website. Also, if the .com business with the same name offers similar services, you risk losing your potential visitors to them.
Let us dive deeper into each of these aspects and find out if you should or should not use .biz domains.
What Are .biz Domains Used For?
.biz domains can be used only for business or commercial purposes.
Domain extension plays a very important role in establishing your online presence. The .biz is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) recognized by Google and other search engines. It was introduced in 2001 by ICANN along with .info and .museum domain extensions. There are over 2 million websites registered with the .biz extension now.
Generic TLDs like .info and .co can be used for any type of website. However, the legal qualification to register a .biz domain name is that it should be used for business or commercial use only.
Domain extensions communicate the location and, more importantly, the purpose of a website. Online users tend to infer what a website contains based on the extension. So, online users assume that a .info extension means that it is an information website. Meanwhile, a .org suggests a non-commercial site. That is why the .biz domain seems like the obvious choice for a business website.
Recommended Further Reading:
- How To Register A Domain Name (and Why You Shouldn’t Get It For Free)
- How To Host A WordPress Site The Correct Way!
Should You Use The .biz Domain?
Whether you should use .biz domain or not is mostly a matter of personal preference as the decision will vary for each person.
The obvious benefit to the .biz domain is that you can have a website name you want even if the .com and .net are already taken. It is usually easier to get a name with a .biz extension than the traditional .com.
Another benefit of choosing the .biz domain is that it will allow your traffic to quickly assess the nature of the website. Although .biz is a generic top-level domain that can be used for any purpose, it is more useful for a business than other TLDs.
The .biz domain is a good choice when you want something different and unique. You may be able to create a catchy, innovative name that rhymes or connects with the extension. This can even help with branding.
Finally, the .biz domain is usually more affordable than .com extensions. Experts suggest that you be can find .biz domains for about $20 whereas the same .com can cost $1000 or more. So, it is a good choice if you are on a tight budget.
Factors To Consider When Using The .biz Domain
Have you noticed that large businesses generally prefer the .com extension over .biz?
This bias is because when .biz was new, it was used by a lot of spammers.
Although this is no longer the case, many online users still associate this extension with scammers and fraudulent sites. So, they are wary of clicking on links with this extension.
Another factor is that people automatically assume that you are selling something when you have a .biz extension. Your business is equated to a door-to-door salesman. So, they may prefer to click away from the site instead of visiting it. It may be fine if you are a popular business, but it may backfire otherwise.
If you will rely on search engines for traffic, having a .biz extension can be a turn-off for at least some visitors. If you have relevant and high-quality content on your website, you will rank well in search engine results. However, potential visitors may notice the .biz extension and decide to give it a pass.
Nonetheless, the .biz extension has value for projects which are not dependent on the website for making sales. If you do not use your website to generate an income, you should be fine using this extension.
This extension will also be suitable if the only purpose of your website is to represent your company on the internet. If your website doesn’t affect your income-earning potential, the .biz extension should not be a concern.
You can also consider .biz if most of your visitors don’t directly input the URL in their browsers to reach a website or use search directories to reach your website.
Interesting Further Reading:
- Is .info A Good Domain? (Here’s Everything You Should Know)
- Is .co A Good Domain? (Yes and No – Here’s Why)
- Are .io Domains Safe? (Truth About Its Safety And Reliability)
What Should You Know About .biz SEO?
Although there are many domain extensions available, most users default to the .com extension when in doubt. It is easily the most memorable and hence the best domain extension for SEO purposes.
Nonetheless, search engines like Google will not penalize your SEO rankings when you have a different extension from the .com. Google recognizes top-level domains like the .biz and .info on the same level as .com.
This means that you will be subjected to the same ranking criteria as a .com, .net, or .org counterpart when you have a .biz domain. You will not be penalized for the domain extension you choose. Search engines will only look to the quality, originality, and relevance of your content for ranking purposes.
So, if you have good SEO strategies, you can even rank better than websites with .com extensions. However, your website URL will be visible in search engine results. Tech-savvy visitors who notice it may opt to stay away. So, this is a crucial factor to consider when choosing this domain, especially if you rely on organic traffic.
Conclusion…
Not all of us are fortunate enough to get a .com we like. It may either be unavailable or expensive. So, when we look at alternatives, should we consider the .biz domain extension?
There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a .biz domain.
The short and crisp .biz extension is derived from the word “business.” Hence, it is relevant for business and commercial websites. Not only is it easy to obtain, but it is generally cheaper than .com domains.
Since .biz is recognized as a top-level domain by search engines like google, you can rank well by choosing good SEO strategies. With good SEO, you can even outperform your .com counterpart in search engine results.
Despite these advantages, .biz isn’t extremely popular as users associate it with spam and sales websites. This factor can hurt your online exposure and business scope.
Even if you feature at the top of SEO results, tech-savvy visitors may shun your website because they associate the extension with spam or sales.
So, if you get the .com, .net, or .org extensions, these are the safer choices. However, if your website doesn’t affect your income-earning potential, a .biz website should work fine.
Choosing the right domain name can be challenging. However, think of your goals and intentions and go with the .biz only if it won’t affect you in the long-term.
