Is .com Best for SEO?

One of the most common questions on internet is - "is .com better for SEO?". Is any domain extension a godsend for search engines? Well, the definitive answer is it depends on the situation.

Let's clarify...

Is .com Best for SEO?

Even though.com is by far the most common Top level Domain (TLD), there is no evidence to suggest that it is given preferential treatment in search results. But, it is standard SEO practice to use a TLD containing the letter '.com'.

Generally speaking, the website with the.com domain extension will rank higher in most results if there are multiple websites with the same name but with different extensions and the same SEO approach. ( source)

Google has confirmed that CTR is used in conjunction with other engagement measures when testing the quality of search engines. Most internet users are more likely to click a.com results over a non-.com site.

"Are .com domains better than others?" The individual who posed the query is also interested in knowing whether it is appropriate to adopt a more modern extension, such as a domain ending in.space.

Mueller says about.

“Sure, go for it. The newer top-level domains (TLDs) are equivalent to other generic top-level domains like .com when it comes to SEO. Pick something you like, there are lots of options out there now.”

Google has said that its systems handle new gTLDs in the same manner as they handle legacy name endings. (Learn more about it- Google's handling of new top level domains)

The company has also stated that terms contained within a TLD do not provide an advantage or disadvantage in search results. This indicates that a brands who uses the domain name ending with .brand will not rank higher than a brand who uses the.COM domain name ending, and vice versa.

Prior to that, in 2012, Matt Cutts, who was working as Google's Head of Webspam at the time, downplayed the importance that domain extensions have on search engine optimization.

During that time, he made the following statement:

Sorry, but that's just not true, and as an engineer in the search quality team at Google, I feel the need to debunk this misconception. Google has a lot of experience in returning relevant web pages, regardless of the top-level domain (TLD). Google will attempt to rank new TLDs appropriately, but I don't expect a new TLD to get any kind of initial preference over .com, and I wouldn't bet on that happening in the long-term either. If you want to register an entirely new TLD for other reasons, that's your choice, but you shouldn't register a TLD in the mistaken belief that you'll get some sort of boost in search engine rankings. (Source)

Matt Cutts

So, is .com best? The search engines are not biased with .com domains. So, there is no clear benefit over domains like .net, .org, .space, .io, etc. However, SEO professionals prefer domain names with the (.)com extension, since most internet users associate the extension with the domain names of any website.

Why .com Domins are The Best for SEO?

There are hundreds of domain suffixes available to choose form. However SEO experts prefers .com.

Here are some regions d why .com is the best extension are the best for SEO success.

1. Customers' surfing habits are greatly influenced by the familiarity of the.com domain. The presence of the .com domain indicates that the website is legitimate and trusted. It demonstrates that your website has been around for a while and can be trusted.
2. There are no restrictions on using the.com domain, unlike with certain other TLDs. Always go with the a.com domain extension if your company is hoping to attract customers from all over the world. Besides, you may need to be physically present in the nation of registration, if you wish to register a location-specific domain. (read more at Working with multi-regional websites)
3. Possibility of getting a higher ranking. Google uses a number of factors to determine a site's ranking. User engagement with a search result link is one such metric as CTR. As the CTR on the .com domain is higher, it's possible to get higher results.
4. Simple and straightforward to keep in mind. People are more likely to remember your website. Address if it ends with.com, a more established and shorter TLD, rather than the .co, a newer TLD.
5. Cheaper. In general .com domains are cheaper than other TLDs.