Choosing the Right Domain Name Matters More Than You Think.

Driving the other week, I noticed a commercial van with the tagline “Service for the Future.” To the right of their tagline, they added .net.

My first thought was: “That’s interesting. Their company name is pretty simple couldn’t they have just registered their business name instead of their tagline?”
Then I saw the .net at the end and thought: “Someone really owns their tagline in .com? They must not have been able to get the .com.”

Sure enough, I checked and Serviceforthefuture.com is available but sitting unused and for sale.

It reminded me of when I went to register Upstream Marketing. Someone already owned the .com. Since they weren’t in competition with me, I registered the .net and moved forward.

(Side note: I usually black out license plates when I share photos, but this one in North Carolina caught my attention. The plate said “HEY.” It felt like it was talking to me.)

Here are a few lessons I share with clients about domain names:

Most people only remember .com, .net, and .org. Even though there are now 1,500+ domain extensions, the classic three still carry the most trust.

.com dominates. Out of 368 million+ domain names, over 157 million are .com.

New extensions like .ai are growing fast, especially in tech and startup circles, but they’re still niche compared to .com.

Most importantly: Own your domain name yourself. Don’t let your web design company register it for you. You should always control your online identity.

Your domain is your digital storefront. Own it. Protect it. And don’t forget to renew it. My recommendation: register it for 10 years so you don’t risk losing it.

If you are located near or around Houston, please contact BHG Printing for any of your vehicle graphic needs. They do excellent vehicle graphics for all sizes of businesses.

If you’re starting a new business and have questions about registering a domain name, Let’s Talk. I’m always glad to help.