.NET vs .COM: The Beginner’s Guide

Are you an Entrepreneur or a Content Blogger who wants to jumpstart your website?

You already have the title for your website, you already have the “big picture” of how you want your website to be. Everything seems so complete now from you creating your own “dream” website, then suddenly, you started to realize one thing.

Which domain will you be using?

For starters, a Web Domain or simply known as a Domain is another term for the name or title of your website. Whereas URL or Uniform Resource Locator is the complete and exact address of your website.

For this article, We will be focusing on the topic of Web Domain specifically on the classic debate of .NET vs .COM

What is .NET?

What is .COM?

How do you know which one of these two domains to use?

For what purpose and for which type of websites are they intended?

Image courtesy of Unsplash.com

.NET is one of the most popular domain types and at the same time, the most versatile as it is the only domain that can be accessed both thru the Web (Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc.) and the Windows-based applications.

.COM, on the other hand, is the most widely used and the most trusted domain type. The term “.COM” comes from its root word “commercial” though its use is not restricted to businesses. It is in fact, an all-encompassing term for websites that are not included in the restrictive domains such as .edu, .org, .mil, and so on.

Now that we know what is the meaning of these two domain types.

The next question is

What are the main differences between the two?

Well, .NET can be distinguished through its root word, “Network” meaning this domain is used for purposes such as E-mail hosting, database hosting, and computer networking.

Other examples of websites using the .NET domain are Behance.net and Slideshare.net both of which are content-sharing sites made for professionals in their fields.

Examples of websites using the .NET domain

Image courtesy of Behance.net

• Behance (Online Portfolio Sharing site)

• Slideshare (Presentation and Document Sharing site)

• Cpanel (Web hosting platform)

• PHP (Website Development Scripting language)

Whereas, dot com is again an all-encompassing, non-field restrictive type of domain. This is the reason why almost all of the websites we encounter, use the domain. Social media websites to E-commerce websites and even up until the personal blog sites use dot com as the domain.

Examples of websites using the .COM domain

Image courtesy of Unsplash.com

• Google (Search Engine)

• Facebook (Social media website)

• Youtube (Video streaming platform)

• Twitter (Social media platform)

• Fox (Media Content provider)

• PLDT (Telecommunications Company)

• Lazada (E-commerce Giant)

• Shopify (E-Commerce Software)

Now we know what is .NET and what is .COM, so now, the next question is which of the two most popular web domains is better?

Which is better? .NET or .COM?

Answering this question might sound easier than it seems.COM is the most widely-used, most popular, and most trusted web domain.

.NET, on the other hand, has its very own niche and these are either websites that are made for networking and data sharing purposes or could be websites that are meant to be a portal for other micro or smaller sites.

Which of the two is better for SEO?

Search Engine Optimization or simply known as SEO is the process of maximizing the searchability of your website on search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

As for the question, which web domain type is better to use for Search Engine Optimization.

Well, what matters most in SEO is not the type of domain your website has, instead it lies in how effective are the keywords used and as well as the overall content of your site.

THE VERDICT

For start-ups who are just beginning to build a business brand or a blogging site, .COM might just be your go-to domain as described earlier in this article, it is the most common and most credible among the web domains.

There is a certain amount of trustworthiness and familiarity whenever we hear the term, .COM as opposed to the other web domains including .NET

It is not to say that the latter has lesser credibility as in fact, it is being used by some of the biggest multinational IT Software companies worldwide.

But again for Startups like you and me, I’ll say that the better (and more popular) choice is .COM.

Author: Miguel Balinado | November 30, 2020 | Categories: .NET vs .COM | Tags: .NET vs .COM, What is .NET, What is .COM, Difference between .COM and .NET, Web Domain, Domain