When developing your web presence, one of the first issues you will probably have to address is your domain name’s suffix.
Having identified your domain name, which accurately represents or verbatim copies your company name or your product offering, you may have to decide whether to register a co. uk, a .com, or both suffixes.
Is the Co. Uk the clear winner?
One thing is very clear: Google UK dominates the United Kingdom search engine market, with google.co.uk boasting a market share ranging from 60% to 90%, depending on sources. Go for a co.uk domain every time and capitalise on the preference Google.co.uk gives to UK-specific sites.
What about .com?
However, market detractors may likely navigate away from the co—UK if your website aims at a global market suffix. For example, a United States-based internet user visits your website selling clothing (which can be posted internationally) but may be less likely to purchase or even follow a link as they may not immediately see your company’s global reach and its products. This would argue heavily towards having a .com suffix that taps into the worldwide market and does not alienate users outside the UK.
Striking the balance between co. uk and .com
The argument is now less clear. If you take the .com route, you could capitalise on more excellent global coverage but equally lose out on the Google.co.uk UK bias. The third option is to register both domain suffixes, with the .com site mirroring the content of the co. uk site and adding a more excellent international feel to the .com website, such as using the currency with greater international acceptance, such as the dollar.
