Blog
To DotCom or CoDotUK – Which is Better?
To DotCom or CoDotUK – Which is Better?
A key factor of consideration for running a small business should be your online presence. When choosing your website URL one thing to add to the mix is whether you choose .Com or .Co.Uk. Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of both.
.Com
Many people automatically assume that .com is American-orientated but this extension is actually short for Commercial. It is the most popular website domain extension as it encompasses many website purposes and ideas.
If your business customer is international then this is a good choice. It was also thought that If websites end in .Com then these sites carried more authority over .Co.Uk sites, although this isn’t necessarily the case anymore.
.Co.Uk
This is for UK specific domains and servers. This narrows the search down on the internet allowing you to target customers or visitors to your country-specific page.
The advantage of .Co.Uk is for businesses wishing to establish a local presence, is that .Co.Uk clearly indicates that the website is a UK business. If your business sells items then it will indicate lower postage costs and delivery times over one ending in .Com. It is great for businesses which want to tap into the “buy local” movement as many customers wish to support UK made products over cheaper items made overseas.
However the downside of .Co.Uk is also the same as what may be an attraction – international customers or visitors may be discouraged as postage to non-UK countries will be higher than those within the UK. It can also indicate lack of presence on a global market, and therefore some businesses can be overlooked for services over ones with a .Com extension.
Red Desk verdict
It really depends on the type of business you have. In an ideal world, if both URLs are available (.Com and .Co.Uk) then buy both. You can redirect one of the URLs to point to the one which you wish to use to grow your online presence. Of course, cost can be a big factor to consider and on the whole, .Co.Uk URLs are cheaper over .Com.
Choose .Com if you are a UK business with an international customer base, or selling or renting overseas properties.
.Co.UK should be consider by local tradespeople, UK estate agents and those wishing to establish a local presence.
Other alternatives to consider
These days there are many other extensions to consider such as:
.Co – originally used to designate Columbia’s domain, this is now widely used by start ups
.Net – originally used for internet service providers or networks this is now open to anyone
.Org.Uk – designed for not-for-profit organisations, this again is now open to anyone
.Gov.Uk – for government agencies
.Ac.Uk – for educational institutions
You can read a wider list on Host Reviews.
Further Reading
You may also be interested in other Red Desk articles:
Building a Website – Do’s and Don’ts
Rebranding: When to change your business name
Rebranding your Small Business – what to consider
Get In Touch
Business Cards – Are They Still Used in Networking?
Business Cards – Are They Still Used in Networking?
A sign that things are going back to normal is that in-person networking events are resuming. It’s been over two years since we’ve been in a room with relative strangers, chatting about our businesses. One thing we did notice a change in, and that is a lack of business cards being passed around. So how do you connect with people if business cards are out of favour?
If you have the LinkedIn app on your phone then you can easily connect with other members by using your own unique QR code. So, before you head out to the next networking event, make sure you download the most current version of the LinkedIn mobile app.
To find your QR code:
- Open the app
- Tap the QR code in the search bar which is located at the top of the screen
- Locate the My Code tab and find your QR code
- You can either share the code via message, email etc or save it to photos
If you want to connect with someone else, you will need to either receive their QR code as detailed above, or:
- Open the LinkedIn app
- Tap the QR code in the search bar
- Tap the scan tab
- Hold your phone over the QR code of the LinkedIn member you’d like to connect with
Another way to connect is to follow your new connections on Instagram. Although many of us use Instagram for personal use, you may want to set up a business account for your business connections. Make sure your account is up-to-date and that you can access it via your phone! You can then follow up with your new connections in your own time. The Undercover Recruiter has some other ideas of how to use Instagram as a networking tool.
Facebook Groups
The networking event that we attended was organised by a Facebook group that we are part of. Providing you remember the names of the people you spoke to, it should be a lot easier to search either in the comments of any networking posts or in the search bar at the top of the group page. You can probably also connect with the organiser to see if they can help too.
According to Hi Hello, digital business cards will be used at networking events in 2022. HiHello is a digital business card app which can be used to create free online business cards and allow you to swap details with others. Once you’ve created the cards, you can share them via QR code, link, email or text message.
There are many digital business card apps out there, here are 9 more!
Design Your Own Business Cards
If you still like to stay traditional and hand out business cards, then why not take matters into your own hands and design your own. We’ve been using Canva for our graphic design for a while and they have a dedicated section on designing your own business card.
So there you have it, 5 ways to swap details at networking events! Get out there and let us know how you get on. Twitter: @RedDeskVirtual Instagram: @reddeskvirtual Facebook: @RedDeskVirtual
Get In Touch
Why You Need Strong visual Content on Social Media
Strong visual content on social media encourages people to follow, like, comment, and engage with your brand online. The brain processes visuals much faster than text, in fact research shows that 65% of people are visual learners and are therefore far more likely to...
How to Set Up Your Own Amazon or Ebay Shop
Sometimes a client will ask us to research something on their behalf, in this instance how to set up an Amazon or Ebay shop. We thought this information might help others looking at options to sell online. Amazon If you are wanting to sell items online then...
How to Ensure Your Blog Images Aren’t in Breach of Copyright
A contact of ours recently received a notification to say that an image on their blog was used without license or permission. It’s therefore time for a refresher on what you can and can’t do in terms of images on your blog. Google Images Google have changed...
Meet Lucy’s Web Designs
We were asked to write an article for Lucy's Web Designs, a talented web designer that we bring in on digital marketing projects. Here’s our story We were introduced to Lucy in 2015 when we were working on updating a primary school’s website and needed the expertise...
Micro Influencers
We often hear about Influencers but have you heard of a Micro-Influencer? A micro-influencer has a markedly smaller number of followers than an influencer, somewhere between 1,000 to 100,000. You may at first think that having a smaller number of followers would be a...
MMS Studio Guest Blog – Branding & Marketing Planning
Welcome to this blog written by guest blogger Martina Spence of MMS Studio. Branding We all understand the power of branding. When we decide to buy a branded product, we know what to expect. A brand comes with the promise of quality, customer service and excellent...
TikTok for Small Businesses
You may think of TikTok as a video-sharing App just for young people, but it has grown into a huge social media platform which, since its worldwide launch in 2018, boasts 689 million users worldwide. This large subscriber pool means that it’s now prudent for small...
Mental Health and Stress Awareness in Small Business
Did you know that May 10 – 16th is Mental Health Awareness week? April was also Stress Awareness Month. We therefore felt it was a good time to share our tips to keep your mental health in check and your stress at bay whilst running a small business. I think we can...
The Importance of Review Sites
A recent report* revealed that 96% of people use online reviews in some way with 74% of respondents finding star ratings useful in deciding whether to make a purchase or engage with a business. These statistics mean that it is more important than ever for businesses...
How to Keep Your Mental Health in Check Whilst Working in Social Media
If you love social media then working for a social media company must be the dream job, right? However much we love tweeting all day long there are some downsides to this very public role – your mental health. So how do you keep your mental health in check whilst...