Why do websites end with .com?
Introduction
You have noticed that most websites end in .com but why does that happen? It happens because it is one of the oldest and for sure the most recognizable domain extension in the whole world. .com stands for “commercial” and it was the first choice for those that started a business website in the early days of the internet. When you buy a domain name to start a website you choose a certain string of characters + a tld (top-level domain or domain extension) like .com, .net, .org.
What does .com mean ?
.com was introduced as one of the first top-level domains (TLDs) when the Domain Name System (DNS) was first implemented for use on the internet in January 1985. Originally created to represent the “commercial” intent of a website, .com has since been at the epicenter of the digital revolution that has reshaped the way people work, live, play and connect with family and friends.
History of .com
The first .com was claimed on March 15, 1985, by a computer manufacturer called Symbolics, Inc. Prior to this, the internet was largely a project driven by universities and computer scientists who used the network for research and communication. As more people and institutions began to use the network, electronic communications became increasingly challenging.
Figuring out how to manually route messages through gateways was something of an art form and as mail loads became heavier, sometimes people would be asked to stop using their connections. The need for some sort of organizing principles became more and more apparent as more entities connected into the fledgling internet.
I don’t recall anybody ever thinking we were creating an organizational structure to encompass hundreds of millions of entities covering the entire planet in support of all human activities. And it certainly wasn’t supposed to last for 30+ years, even as an experiment. It just happened to turn out that way. — Jack Haverty, Internet Pioneer
Are .com websites credible ?
The domain extension is not connected with the credibility of one site. Since everyone can register a .com domain you can’t be sure that a site is credible only by the domain extension. You can check credibility by things like who is the owner, if there are contact details available online and if there are articles or other sources about this website.
What does .org mean ?
The domain name org is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) of the Domain Name System (DNS) used on the Internet. The name is truncated from organization. It was one of the original domains established in 1985, and has been operated by the Public Interest Registry since 2003. It is commonly used by non-profit organizations, open-source projects, and communities, but it is an open domain that can be used by anyone. The number of registered domains in org has increased from fewer than one million in the 1990s, to ten million in 2012.
What does .net mean ?
The domain name net is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) used in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from the word network, indicating it was originally intended for organizations involved in networking technologies, such as Internet service providers and other infrastructure companies. The first created .net domain name is nordu.net. It was created on 1 January 1985 according to the public records, and NORDUnet has used this domain name since 1985.Net extension is the most preferred gTLD just after com.
Which Domain Extension is Best (.com or net or org or something else) ?
It really depends on your goals and which is your audience but in short, .com is considered the best option in most cases. For most people, it is the logical domain ending for a website and they trust it more. One common exception is when you target mainly your country’s audience. For example, if your site uses Hindi language then it is better to use a country code top-level domain like .in.