Choosing your domain is a big decision for any organisation, including a non-profit one. It defines how your audience will perceive you, how you appear on search engine results, and how trustworthy you’ll seem.
Every part of your domain name is important, even your domain extension – those three or four letters at the end of your domain. You’ll probably be choosing between three main possibilities, “.co.uk”, “.com” and “.org”.
You might have heard that “.org” is a better choice for a nonprofit website domain. In fact, that’s completely true. Read on as we explore why.
Your domain extension options
Let’s quickly review some domain extensions, that you might have seen.
- “.com” is short for “company,” but it has become a default domain extension for many sites on the web, especially ones based in the USA or in multiple countries.
- “.co.uk” is the most common domain extension in the UK. Like “.com,” it’s appropriate for companies.
- “.org” is the typical non-profit website domain extension, although there is no rule preventing other entities from using it.
- “.org.uk” is possible but uncommon.
Benefits of using “.org”
As you can see, the “.org” top-level domain immediately signals that your site represents a non-profit organisation. Therefore, with just three letters, your organisation can clearly convey its non-profit identity to website visitors. This can help build trust and credibility with your audience.
Another benefit of .org is that it’s not as common as the super-popular “.com”. Therefore, you might have a higher chance of getting the domain name that you want in combination with “.org”, whereas the “.com” variation might already be taken by someone else. The end result might be that your entire domain is shorter and easier to understand.
Get your non-profit website domain with VS Group
If you’re a non-profit organisation ready to start creating your web presence, VS Group’s web hosting services are here for you. We’re specialists in working with charities, and we can help you choose the best non-profit website domain for you. To learn more, give us a call on 0330 094 0170 or email us at customerservice@vsgcomms.com.
