Should I use a .biz or .info domain? is a common question when trying to decide on a new domain name. Most people agree that .com’s are the daddy’s of domain names. If your target market is within one country, then you might go for a country specific domain name like .co.uk (UK), .de (Germany), .co.nz (New Zealand) or .com.au (Australia). If you really want an international domain and the .com is not available, you might try a .net or even a .org. But what if none of those are available, but .biz or .info is? Are they too obscure for your new web venture?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question and it often comes down to a matter of personal preference.
Lets break it down into pros and cons:
Why you should not use .biz or .info
Easy to forget
Most people are used to .com, .net or country specific domains like .co.uk. You might have a great name, but potential customers may forget that it is a .biz or .info and type in .com instead. Internet users are not very patient, and if they cannot find your site on the first attempt, they are likely to give up.
The wrong meaning
If you use a .biz domain name, you are telling the world that your site is a business website. That may be fine if you are a business, but often web visitors mistrust businesses.
You are also indicating that you are a small business. How many big businesses do you know with a .biz domain name?
A .info domain means that the website is an information site. If you website is not an information site, then it might appear misleading.
Sounds cheap and cheesy
This is down to personal preference. But ask your friends what they think. It is a sure bet that at least some will say that a .biz or .info domain is cheap and cheesy.
Why you should use .biz or .info
You have a great name
You may have thought up a brilliant name for your website. But then you find that the .com is not available. Using a .biz or .info may enable you to have your brilliant name. If you change the name so that you can secure a .com, it just may not sound as good!
Keyword focused name
If you care about getting traffic from search engines, then you have to care about SEO. Using a keyword focused domain name can be part of an SEO strategy. More on keyword focused domain names…
You like to be different
You might not want to be a sheep and follow the .com trend. Why not be a little different and go for the .biz or .info?
I hope I have got you thinking about .info or .biz domains. I would really like to hear your views on this issue and if you like or dislike .biz or .info domain names.
