What is .COM domain name?
On your daily internet journey searching for the closest and tastiest burrito, or attempting to identify that song that’s been stuck in your head, you will certainly have come across many website addresses with ‘.com’ at the end.
In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about the mighty .com, such as ‘What does .com stand for?’ and ‘What is a domain name anyway?’. Soon you’ll know so much that you’ll be bursting to buy a .com, so let’s get started.
What Does .COM Mean in the URL Address?
Once upon a time in the 1980s, there were six original top-level domains (TLDs). Each had one true purpose, a category. The top-level domain .edu stood for education, .org stood for organizations, and so on.
But what does the extension mean? What is the .definition of .com? Well, the meaning of .com was ‘commercial’ and was intended for use by commercial organizations.
Nowadays, the rules aren’t so strict and domains can mostly be used by anyone, for any purpose. There are new TLDs that are more focused. For example, if you create a range of health supplements and want to sell them online, you might choose .health, or if you run a recruitment agency you might pick a .work
Examples of the new TLDs: .delivery, .dentist, .desi, .direct, .doctor, .earth, .fans, .fit, .tube.
Whatever industry you work in, don’t forget that if you’re looking for a cheap domain, we offer a huge range of exciting TLDs right here at Namecheap.
Who Owns .COM?
The domain .com is operated by the registry Verisign. As well as being the registry that owns the .com domain, Verisign also provides the .tv and .net TLD, .cc domains, and other popular options for registrars like Namecheap to offer customers like you.
A Quick History Lesson
Let’s head back to 1985 when .com was introduced to help in the organization of the World Wide Web.
Interestingly, MIT Internet pioneer Jack Haverty, believes that .com originally ‘…derived from “company” rather than “commercial”. He went onto explain that at the start they were for companies doing government contract work.
Despite these beginnings, the meaning behind .com and any website that uses it has changed. Today .com is the most well-established domain and a trusted choice for businesses and individuals across the globe.
When Was the First Domain Registered?
The first domain name was a .com! Symbolics.com was registered on March 15, 1985, to computer manufacturer Symbolics, Inc. A whopping 25 years later, it was sold in 2009 to XF.com Investments.
What Does .COM Stand for on the Web?
We’ve already found out that .com top-level domain stands for ‘commercial’. It’s one of the world’s most popular domains, and is used by organizations around the world.
According to Verisign, (at the time of writing this blog in June 2020), there are 148,500,484 registered .com domains. It’s a universally recognized domain and invokes trust, so if you’re looking for a new domain, it would be wise to pick a .com.
How Much Does a .COM Domain Cost?
Now that you’ve found out more about this popular domain, (and are likely excited to register it), you’re probably wondering ‘How much is a .com TLD?’
Like any domain, the price of .COM will vary, depending on what domain you’re buying, and how you’re buying it.
If it’s a popular domain that uses common keywords and phrases, it’s likely to have a high price tag, due to demand.
You might buy your .com domain through a registrar, or you might buy it through an auction if the domain is owned by someone. If a domain is listed at auction, it may have a premium tag, which means that it’s available at a higher price than usual.
Learn more by checking out our articles on subjects like website domain cost and the average cost to transfer a domain name.
Is .COM a Reliable Choice?
Well, .com sites are as reliable as any other site. Imagine you’re looking for a tech company to help you create a new e-commerce store. Whether the store has used a .io extension or a .ai URL extension, you will base your decision on how easily you found them, whether you find their website trustworthy, online reviews, and if they offer everything you’re looking for.
Is the .COM TLD the Best Domain for a Business?
You may be asking yourself, but is .com still the best? There are so many out there, it’s hard to say, but we can agree that King .com continues to be one of the most popular domains on the planet.
Is .COM the Best for SEO?
As .com is a popular and well-known domain, it’s the ideal choice for ranking well internationally.
If a user wants to rank exclusively in a specific geographical location, it may be wise to choose the ccTLD or GeoTLD for that area.
However, understanding and establishing user intent is important. If a pizza recipe blog is written in English, and the intent is that it’s to be used internationally then .com is a good choice.
However, if you own a pizzeria in NY, it may be better to use a ccTLD to reflect where the pizza can be ordered, such as .nyc or .us, (or even the gTLD, .pizza!).
How to Get a .COM
If you like what you’ve read and want to get your hands on a .com domain, then good news — you can get one from us!
One thing to note is that as you know by now, .com is one of the oldest extensions, and therefore a lot of domains have already been snapped up.
Don’t worry, there are still lots of ways to get your hands on your dream domain.
- Search for a .com domain. Take a look to see if your dream domain is available, and if it is, lock it down!
- Check our Marketplace. Connect with sellers to discover domains that have already been registered but are up for sale
- Try our bulk domain checker. Search up to 5,000 keywords fast, then purchase them, all in one place.
- Use our Whois Lookup tool. Find out who owns a domain and make them an offer they can’t refuse!
If you would like to know more about domain registration, read our handy blog post, How to Register a Domain Name.
5 Fun Facts About .COM
We hope that you feel well-informed! Before you go straight to our bulk domain name generator to uncover and register exciting .com domain names, we thought we’d tell you a few interesting facts about .com.
- The most expensive (publicly announced) domain is voice.com. It sold for $30 million.
- According to Moz, at the time of writing, the top eight websites on the internet all use .com.
- When you buy Stellar Plus or Stellar Business Hosting Plan with Namecheap, you can get 38% off a .com domain.
- As of June 2020, 50.9% of global websites used a .com top-level domain.
- You can’t purchase an ‘A’ .com address. Every domain name from a.com to aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.com are already registered.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section below and we’d be happy to answer them.
