Are you a startup or new business in Singapore that is trying to move the business online? Have you thought of what domain name to register for your website? If yes, have you check your domain name at Domain Registrars? Did you notice other than .com, there is still a number of domain extensions suggested to you? Here is something that you must know about the domain name’s TLD (top-level domain), also known as a domain extension.
What is TLD and how does it affect my domain?
TLD stands for Top-level domain, which is referring to the last segment of the domain name. For example, on www.wikipedia.com, the “.com” is the TLD. They are categorized into two major groups, which are Generic TLDs and Country TLDs.
Some examples of popular TLDs being used are .com, .co, .net, .biz, .gov, .edu. There are still many of them, every combination of the domain name with the TLDs is considered as a unique domain name. For example, www.abc.com and www.abc.net each lead to two different websites.
Advantages of Using .com.sg & .sg Domains for Your Singapore Business
Most of the time, after you have chosen a domain name, you will go for the general TLDs, .com extension. What if there is a better option than .com? Should you use Country TLDs such as .com.sg or .sg? Actually, there are many benefits for local businesses to use country TLDs to registering a domain name. If you are still in the dilemma of choosing which, here’s why.
In terms of cost, there is a quite significant difference between the yearly domain registration fees of .com and .sg or .com.sg. A Country TLDs domain will cost higher than the general one. In Singapore, a .sg/.com.sg TLD is generally between SG$40-50 per year at Exabytes, while a general extension only costs around SG$7-15 per year.
- Ranking Advantage
If your business and potential clients are mostly located in Singapore, a .sg domain is more likely to rank better in Google SERP of Singapore users. This is because country code TLDs indicate clearly to search engines where the site is from. As compared to generic TLDs or other country TLDs such as .uk or .th, your .sg domain has a competitive advantage over them. According to the research from Singapore No.1 Web Hosting Company – Exabytes, .sg appears to be more relevant to Singapore users. They are using Exabytes.sg too for their digital services in Singapore. See, there is a reason behind it.
- Localized Business/Website
Another reason why you might want to use .com.sg or .sg is that it allows you to highlight your presence in Singapore. If your business is going to cover users internationally, .com shall serve as the main domain while you should use .com.sg for your Singapore branch. This would let you localize the business with relevant content/products in Singapore. A .sg domain can also enhance the customer trust and credibility of your website. This is because only Singaporeans or businesses that are legally registered in Singapore would be eligible to register.
- Good for Branding
By just using ccTLD, customers would be clear about the fact that your business is based and focused in Singapore. A local extension tends to retain a long-lasting relationship between your business and your customers.
For example, if I am looking for a design service for my property in Singapore, I will naturally tend to click on .sg or .com.sg websites. I would know that these websites with a local extensions would be definitely relevant to my searches, that I am more likely to get the right information. While other generic extensions will be my 2nd option after .sg as they might have irrelevant information on overseas services.
Tips When Registering a Domain Name:
We recommend you to check out at Exabytes.sg – Top Domain Registrar in Singapore. When you are doing a domain name check at Exabytes.sg, they will let you know if the domain name that you are looking at is available to register or not. When the ideal domain name + TLDs that you want is taken by others, the domain registrar will recommend to you other TLDs that are still available with your domain name.
If the domain name that you are looking for is still available, then you would be able to pay and register for the domain name. At the same time, the domain registrar would still list out other possible combinations of your domain name with other TLDs. Generally, this is a common practice for big brands to buy together with other extensions to protect their brand. By buying other extensions, it is future protection, where businesses can avoid phishing problems when one is fake as their website. It also gives you more options later if you are planning to develop other sites under the same brand.