What does a .biz domain say about your business?

[benjihubbs]

Came across this debate a while back on another forum and thought I'd get it going on here. What do you think a .biz domain name says about a business?

Does it add anything to the business? Or does it have a negative impact on the image of the business?

Personally, whenever I see a business with a .biz domain name it does strike me as odd, but that's probably because we're used to .co.uks or .coms. I think it adds a certain quirkiness to the business, I suppose that little bit of being different. What's your view?

Ben

 

[10032012]

I wouldn't consider anyone who isn't a .com, .co.uk (.org.uk if charity - or other relevant local domains) or .net .

I wouldn't consider anyone with a .biz, .info (always the cheapest, they can never sell them), .tk or .eu - In fact, I am completely confused why there is even a need for a .biz - the number of domain name extensions available these days is crazy... but .com still popular as ever. for now anyway.

 

[Talay]

Couldn't think up a .com address which wasn't already taken.

Not as bad as .turd but I'd hunt down both .com and .co.uk for any new business.

 

[AdamStevens]

.biz is fine - the people who are bothered about the end of your website address will be a constant pain in the a$$ to work with anyway.... You'll have dodged a bullet so don't worry about it

 

[nods]

I think it is worth staying away from .biz if you are creating a real long-term business. Whether we like it or not, most people, at least for now trust.com and .co.uk more than any other type of extension.
I’m not sure if Google and other search engines give less relevancy in their algorithms to a .biz extension, but it might hurt your exposure, so why risk it.
Do any other web companies that control large traffic flow taught their userbase that .biz = spam? Again, not sure, but risky again.
If you are starting your business on a .biz it doesn't matter if you have the best information in the world...the bias of .biz might hurt your exposure, which would lead to your business being less efficient and increasing your business costs, whilst lengthening the time to success.

 

[Fred_the_frog]

I wouldn't consider anyone who isn't a .com, .co.uk (.org.uk if charity - or other relevant local domains) or .net .

I wouldn't consider anyone with a .biz, .info (always the cheapest, they can never sell them), .tk or .eu - In fact, I am completely confused why there is even a need for a .biz - the number of domain name extensions available these days is crazy... but .com still popular as ever. for now anyway.

Never trust a .tk domain. It's a free one, you just go to a website, stick your current domain in (xxx.wordpress.com etc) and it gives you one like this xxx.tk, all for free!

 

[AdamStevens]

I stand firmly by my post.

 

[10032012]

I stand firmly by my post.

Most people do... but they don't keep posting messages to highlight an earlier post without bringing more to the table!

I hate the fact that most domain names are taken and not used, as much as the next person but a .biz is at the end of the day, is an oh-that-will-do alternative to the main domain name extensions. Its either a spammy website or a poor brand because its not a defacto .com or local country extension (.co.uk, .com.au, .de, .fr etc)

A .biz has very little value - registering one because .biz means business is just pathetic. Its neither here or there. people will always try a .com first even for a UK business. The reason you have a .biz is because you don't have the .com and likely not the .co.uk either... you will be losing traffic. People use google, people use links on websites, in adverts and social networking.. but they also type in the address.. be it from an advert or just attempting to find a website.

In regards to SEO... apparently the extension wont make any difference (exception .gov and .edu which are trusted) but its hard to make a .biz rank well. If verbally advising your website you can't say like google.com (people know its a web address) ... yourbrand.biz (most people wont get it at first...) you would have to say www.yourbrand.biz (with the www. making it recognisable as a web address)

 

[AdamStevens]

A .biz has very little value - registering one because .biz means business is just pathetic. Its neither here or there. people will always try a .com first even for a UK business. The reason you have a .biz is because you don't have the .com and likely not the .co.uk either... you will be losing traffic. People use google, people use links on websites, in adverts and social networking.. but they also type in the address.. be it from an advert or just attempting to find a website.

In regards to SEO... apparently the extension wont make any difference (exception .gov and .edu which are trusted) but its hard to make a .biz rank well. If verbally advising your website you can't say like google.com (people know its a web address) ... yourbrand.biz (most people wont get it at first...) you would have to say www.yourbrand.biz (with the www. making it recognisable as a web address)

Saying .biz has little value is silly, it's all about the actual business not the tld.. in terms of it not ranking, that's absurd and without any evidence. I can think of tons of .biz sites that rank very very well, including another UK biz forum Saying .edu and .gov are trusted also isn't true, this is a myth - they tend to be more reliable but there's no direct effect at all, it's just a correlation.

Your credibility has just been shot! I sincerely hope you are not an SEO gooroo / anything to do with the industry.

 

[businessfunding]

If pushed I would say that .biz indicates a small person-to-person business ~(which is why I have one)

Having said that, if buying online I would consider many things before the suffix - in particular whether they had bothered putting compliant contact details on the site.

 

[10032012]

Saying .biz has little value is silly, it's all about the actual business not the tld.. in terms of it not ranking, that's absurd and without any evidence. I can think of tons of .biz sites that rank very very well, including another UK biz forum Saying .edu and .gov are trusted also isn't true, this is a myth - they tend to be more reliable but there's no direct effect at all, it's just a correlation.

Your credibility has just been shot! I sincerely hope you are not an SEO gooroo / anything to do with the industry.

Google clearly states that it considers .gov and .edu etc. domains more than all others.

A website even (not just the domain or the extension) doesn't specify nothing about profitability etc. of that business on a technical viewpoint, but if you had the money you would buy the .com simple. Therefore its fully relevant.

 

[10032012]

If pushed I would say that .biz indicates a small person-to-person business ~(which is why I have one)

Having said that, if buying online I would consider many things before the suffix - in particular whether they had bothered putting compliant contact details on the site.

you got a .biz instead of a .com? Was it on offer?!

 

[businessfunding]

you got a .biz instead of a .com? Was it on offer?!

No. it was a choice i made & which I am entirely happy with.

 

[10032012]

No. it was a choice i made & which I am entirely happy with.

Crazy! Mr dot Biz!!

 

[JamieM]

.biz is fine - the people who are bothered about the end of your website address will be a constant pain in the a$$ to work with anyway.... You'll have dodged a bullet so don't worry about it

I don't agree at all because there are massive differences in trust and awareness between extensions. For example Nominet report that in the UK 81% of people would choose a .co.uk search result over a .com.

There are no stats on .biz but I am confident .co.uk and .com would outperform .biz massively.

 

[benjihubbs]

This is what I can't understand, everyone says you can't trust a .biz etc, but I'm sure there are a lot more .coms or .co.uks which happen to be bogus or not to be trusted. To me .biz is just another extension, no different to .co.uk or .com, just another option.

 

[Nathanto]

people will always try a .com first even for a UK business.

Sorry I totally disagree with this. Most British people would try a .co.uk first, there was a report a few years ago confirming that something like 70% of UK surfers would always click a .uk domain before a .com, .net etc.

For many big brands the .com is the global or USA site (with prices in dollars) while the .co.uk is the local UK site (with prices in sterling.) It doesn't take new web users long to realise this and become accustomed to going to .uk web sites.

To the OP, if I searched for "buy widgets" and widgets.biz was #1 and widgets.co.uk was #2 of the serps then the .biz site wouldn't get a look in...

 

[fisicx]

.biz became tainted by all the afilliates and scam merchants who brought .biz domains.

So while there is nothing wrong with .biz as a TLD, it has got a dodgy reputation. Even my non-net-savvy GF won't visit a .biz site.

 

[Fresco_Creative]

Came across this debate a while back on another forum and thought I'd get it going on here. What do you think a .biz domain name says about a business?

Does it add anything to the business? Or does it have a negative impact on the image of the business?

Personally, whenever I see a business with a .biz domain name it does strike me as odd, but that's probably because we're used to .co.uks or .coms. I think it adds a certain quirkiness to the business, I suppose that little bit of being different. What's your view?

Ben

To be honest, I am not all too fussed of what the domain is, it means nothing

Do they have a good product or service? If yes, I'll part with my money. Simple as that

4networking is a .biz and they are a multi-million, national business, still growing and benefiting many many businesses across the UK

Sometimes a business cannot help this. They have a trading name and the .com or .co.uk has been taken so they have to come to a compromise on the domain name

 

[crelding]

Personally, I don't like .biz, it sounds tacky in my opinion. Having said that, I rarely see them about, and if the website looked up to scratch and professional I would't have an issue with it.