Have you ever had an idea for a project running through your head and then it hits you. “I have the perfect idea for a great domain name!” You think “OK,” now all I have to do is find out if it’s taken or not. You go to your favorite whois to do a search. Oh, it’s taken. Well, let’s see if the other extensions are available. Stop!

When you choose a domain name just remember, dot com is king. I recommend going with a dot com for almost every site you build, but I always recommend going with a dot com for a commercial venture. Never stray from this school of thought. Oh wait, you say. Chris, you have a dot net extension on your domain. I’ll explain.

The reasons I chose to go with the dot net extension for this project are:

  • This project is not a commercial venture.
  • The dot com is not in use. - If you are running a commercial venture you still need to acquire the dot com.

The dot com has three things that the other domain extensions don’t:

  1. It’s Respected By All Web Users - Anyone that uses the web knows the dot com.
  2. The Trust Factor -This is huge, especially if you are going to be taking payments of any kind on your site. You don’t need roadblocks when it comes to being trusted by users.
  3. Recognition Around The World -Another great thing about the dot com is that it’s international.

I’m not saying that a dot net venture can’t be a great one because several very successful sites have started and stayed as dot nets. Even though this is the case, always go with a dot com for your commercial venture. For Business Blogger, if I make enough money to pay the hosting fees then I’ll be happy, but if I don’t, not a big deal. This all ties in with branding your domain and how choosing the wrong domain name can be disastrous. If you are going to pour your heart and soul into a project, just remember to make it a little easier on yourself by making it a dot com.