Do Domain Extensions Matter?

With the arrival of the new gTLDs, many are wondering about the impact of domain extensions on their digital business.

 

Fortunately, Interbrand is shedding light on the subject, revealing (unsurprisingly) that consumers are much more likely to remember the .COM extension over other extensions. In fact, data from a recent Interbrand U.S. study shows that when it comes to remembering the domain extension of a Web address, 94 percent of consumers correctly recalled .COM while only 7 percent correctly recalled a new domain extension. 

 

In addition to memorability, Interbrand's study sheds light on clickability. In fact, the data shows that 61 percent of consumers who were shown a search results page displaying similar Web addresses with different extensions still clicked on the .COM extension - even when new domain extensions were displayed first. Moreover, 62 percent of respondents who were previously recommended and shown a new domain extension Web address still clicked on the .COM version.

 

In all, the study found that consumers are generally twice as likely to recognize a .COM Web address over a new domain extension. In fact, even after seeing a recommended website with a new domain extension address, 81 percent of consumers later assumed that it was a .COM address. These insights are especially important for small businesses, who could lose a significant amount of Web traffic by using an extension for their brand that is difficult to remember, thus driving traffic to competitors. Learn more about the study by checking out the infographic below: