.com vs .net – What is the difference between COM and NET?
By Arshath | October 9, 2024
Everything you search on the internet daily comes to have a common purpose but you failed to notice or not taken a look at all as it is not concerning or important for you. But not anymore. Wonder what it is? Search in google anything and see the name of the domain ending with three words COM and NET. Here we’ve covered the .com vs .net domain extensions in breif.
Because .com and .net both have evolved and transformed into different forms and are making the world turn upside down irrespective of other TLD grooming. Want to know more about that mighty TLD of .com and .net with a history background check and useful tips, and knowledge about it? Jump into this article and uncover all the details that struck inside your head.
“What does .com, .net stand for?”, “What is domain name mean?”, “Which is better for SEO .com or .net?” and “should I get a .com or .net domain?” and more of what this article will cover for you.
What is a .com in a domain mean?
Now you can see that HTTPS – security layer/protocol; www – subdomain (which you can add or not as per your wish).
The whole things which I have explained above form the so-called URL (Uniform Resource Locators)
ALSO READ: What does the .COM domain represent?
What is a domain name?
Well, did you know what is called to be a Domain Name? or did you hear some of them? I am gone say that you are using it every day but not just google it. Oh, wait! Did I reveal the answer to you? Did you get a little confused now? Just make it clear now, the Domain Name is what you are always using to connect with the one on the Internet you are trying to reach let’s have some examples if you go search on google what you need or when you are looking for, so here the google.com is also a Domain Name not only google.com there much you’re using day to day life (Amazon.com, Facebook.com, yahoo.com) which is the name given for the Internet Protocol to call what you want in the Internet. In simple terms, it is the name given to your sites to make a call to the Site much simpler than using the IP numbers.
So, you have got an idea what is the Domain Name? Yeah right, we are going to move the topic to Domain name extension and why you need it, and what are the different types of extensions most used. Let’s get started
What is domain extension?
A domain extension is commonly called a TLD (Top -Level Domain) as we know that google.com, amazon.com, and Facebook.com are the Domain Names of Google, Amazon, and Facebook so what does it mean .com here, yeah well that is said to be TLD’s. There are a lot of Domain extensions available for example .com, .org, .net, .co, .in, .co.uk, and so on …
ALSO READ: Best domain extension for SEO
Difference Between .com vs .net
Let’s have look at what is the difference between .com vs .net and what is the use of com and net domains commonly.
In Short, .com domain refers to “commercial” and .net domain refers to “network“. .com domain is used for business purposes, commercial websites, personal blogs, money sites, etc. .net domain is used for networking, and technology fields. .net domain is the best alternative domain to other domains.
As we know, the .com domains are more popular on the website. Most websites use this domain name because it is “eye-catching.” These areas make people trust and attract business. So that’s a huge advantage. Half of all professional websites use .com domains.
Sometimes users won’t be able to purchase .com domains. We’ve included tips below for buying powerful domains. The domain name must represent the business, the domain name must be easy to understand for users.
.net is also used for commercial purposes if you cannot have a .com domain. This domain is really for networking and most service businesses.
Even when the .com domain is the most preferred and sought TLD, if you use the .net TLD for the right purpose, then you can rank the website much better or equal to the .com domain because everything lies on how you build the content and doing the proper math works on SEO.
.COM vs .NET | .com | .net |
Used for | Commercial or any type of business entity. | Web and Technology based business mostly network community formation |
Example sites | E-commerce sites, blogs, personal, Money sites, and general categories | Internet, Web hosting, building network-based community, collaboration tools, start-ups, global and local co. |
Cost per Year | INR 754 | INR 1199 |
Availability | Much more difficult than most of the TLD due to its searing popularity and search term | Difficult but not much difficult as compared to .com TLD. |
Register Domain | .COM Domain | .NET Domain |
(Cost can differ once price update: Last updated on Dec 2022)
Pros of using between .com vs .net domains
As I said earlier .com domains are a commercial extension which is most commonly used for Business sites to promote or sell a product or service well registered with the people. Thus, will have a high value over the internet, is trustworthy, and easy to use for SEO than any other TLD.
Well! coming to the .net domain is not familiar as that of .com, but it will increase the chance of getting your desired domain name with the .net extension. Also, .net domains are usually connected with the community thus it boosts the positive image.
Cons of using between .com vs .net Domain
.com domains are most commonly used and thus it causes the availability of your desired domain name also the domain costs high for registering the domain with your desired name and if you like to own an existing domain it costs more than that and also it takes time to find the .com domains which suits for your purpose.
For .net domains, it’s less available for use you need to put your effort to battle with its twin .com domains which make peoples confused between the .com vs .net domains.
ALSO READ: What is Second Level Domain? – SLD and ccSLD
A strong contender for SEO between .com and .net
In terms of SEO power, which do you think will fare better and overpower one other?
It’s not a matter of TLD whether .com vs .net is best for SEO which you should have found already when you search the internet all over with different article read. Because SEO power for a domain won’t come from TLD but maybe only with the popularity of the domain name and the TLD you choose. But that is just a tiny part of it and does not cover the whole SEO. There is so much work needed for a website to outsmart your competitors when you know they will be thinking the same so it will not be as simple as you think.
Technically the domain names won’t directly have any impact on your rankings. Instead, this can impact website traffic, and influence the audiences and site’s visibility on the top of a search page.
In the conclusion, build the website content and SEO works stronger and outrank your competitor or give tough competition to them. You will have both .com and .net domain support for it.
READ: How To Register for a Domain Name?
A brief history of .com
Everything started in 1985. A name derived from the word “commercial” intended to use for commercial organizations and later turn out to become open for all purposes.
As like some of the TLDs are managed by a separate entity, .com is administrated or operated by Verisign and the registrations will be processed via registrars approved by ICANN.
When it became open to the public, it attracted many bidders and inserted the com into their company name which was later labelled or called “dot-com companies”.
Do you know Who had the first .com address? It’s “Symbolics, Inc.” a computer system company.
To make it more refreshed and modernized, many more second-level domains with similar purposes were established under the respected country code such as Australia (com.au), India (co.in), Mexico (com.mx), and the United Kingdom (co.uk).
A brief history of .net
.net is the same as .com which is started in 1985 and operated by Verisign and the registrations will be processed in the same way until they meet the ICANN criteria.
Do you know What was the first-ever registered domain? It’s not a .com domain but a .net domain named “Nordu.net”. But .net is the most popular and preferred gTLD after .com, .tk, .cn, and .de. to register their domain.
As for second-level domains, it applies the same as the .com domains and you can purchase any country code domain as long it is with the registrar system to register for you.
Don’t forget .net stands for “Network” which is designed for internet, network, and other email service providers.
Who can buy .com domain name?
Consider the below things if you were to purchase a .com extension right for the business.
- If you are building websites with any content or organization, business, .com will support and suit all. Ex: money online, portfolios, business web platforms, eCommerce stores, personal websites, blogs, and various other general categories.
- As it is the most memorable and popular among all the TLDs, it will boost the SEO ranking for your website and help to have a better reach among the searching.
- To buy a domain at a cheaper price, you can choose .com TLD.
- To have a mobile-friendly domain with dedicated key support.
Who can buy .net domain name
Consider the below things if you were to purchase the .net extension right for the business.
- If you buy a domain name with .com, then it is also better to buy a domain name with .net because it will prevent competitors from using your domain name to their advantage with a different extension.
- If you can’t get the desired domain through .com, you can opt for a .net extension.
- To promote the popularity of your website name with a global presence among visitors on web search which also help you in SEO benefits.
- To have more reliable trust among visitors than choosing other TLD which is not popular as this one.
- A global company, local businesses, start-ups, etc. can choose this extension.
- If you are building a website or offering services like networking, internet, database, email hosting, or any speed checking website, etc.
- Building one website authority by redirecting the .net domain to it as it is popular and has a good reach for SEO score which will increase the overall benefits of the domain.
Alternatives to .com and .net
Everyone searches for an alternative to both the .com and .net TLD because of what to do if they can’t find both. Here are the best 5 alternative TLDs an option that you can go for at the time of purchase.
Extension | Purpose | Example |
.org | Non-profit and trust/charity | W3.org |
.io | Technology, gaming, and start-up want to stand out from others | Opensea.io |
.co | Colombia country based, shortest and most versatile URL | SeekaHost.co |
.blog | Blogging, personal | WordPress .blog |
.co.uk, .ca, .ru, .us | Location-based sites. | SeekaHost.co.uk |
If you’ve registered any of the .com or .net domains and looking to host them, then check out the Website Hosting Charges – Best and Cheapest Price
Conclusion
The main part of the understanding you would get from this article “.com vs .net” is both are viable domain name extensions for business websites which are the most popular and long-term TLDs. Also, they have more credibility and trust among the TLD which helps SEO ranking benefits higher than most of the other TLDs. Even if the price is a little different but not much between both, each has its buyer and only the difference that could make is .net is mostly preferred for network-based businesses, and few common platform businesses which can relate to the TLD and .com can be preferred by most as top TLD.
But in both ways, you could make money online and increase the popularity of your website among visitors with TLD-wide fame.
Hope this article covers all the bases and helps you to choose the best one for your business to start building the content right away. Choose the right TLD to deliver it to the right audience. You can check other domain names price as well.