Should you choose a .com or a .lk Domain?

Choosing the right domain extension is tricky, especially when you don’t know the difference between them and the different ways they will influence your website. Here we will be looking at the two most popular domain extensions in Sri Lanka, and what factors to consider when choosing your own domain extension.

All about “.com” domain extension.

The .com stands for “commercial” and this type of domain extension are usually the most common domain extension in the world as it is able to be registered by any country and has the highest authoritativeness of any other domain extension available. There is no need for any documentation to register this type of domain extension, you just simply buy it and it is yours. Also, .com domains are usually cheaper than .lk domains as well.

All about “.lk” domain extension.

The .lk stands for an abbreviation of “Sri Lanka”. As the abbreviation suggests, .lk domain extension can only be registered by Sri Lankan businesses and no other business from any other country can register this type of domain extension. You will need to submit a business registration document along with the domain owner’s national id or if your business is not registered, you are able to register a .lk domain to only your national id. In both of these instances, you will have to provide a location for your business in Sri Lanka with proof via an electricity bill or a water supply bill. This is where it restricts other businesses from other countries from registering .lk domain extensions as they don’t have proof that their business exists in Sri Lanka. The only way they can overcome this this is via an address obtained by an agent in Sri Lanka or a law firm. As you have read above, .lk domains tend to be a little more expensive than .com domains and will increase your maintenance website cost by a small amount.

Now that you know all about both domain extensions, now let’s look at the factors that you have to consider when choosing one.

1. Your business location.

Your business locations play a major part here. If your business is located in Sri Lanka and offers your products or services to customers only in Sri Lanka, your business website will be a great fit with a .lk domain extension as it increases your business relevancy in Sri Lanka. There are also some instances with clients where they are planning to expand to international markets in the future, in such instances, it would be wise to go with a .com domain extension.

2. SEO (search engine optimization).

If you are planning on doing an SEO campaign (which we highly recommend you should), we would advise you to go with a .lk domain only if you are planning to conduct business operations in Sri Lanka. If you are conducting business operations in other countries, a .com domain will be the best option as .com domains tend to rank in any country, whereas .lk domains will only rank in Sri Lanka in terms of SEO.

3. Your preference.

The final factor that you should consider is your own preference. We get a lot of clients that even though their business only operates in Sri Lanka, they still get a .com domain for its authoritativeness, and there is nothing wrong with that, it’s completely fine.

Still not sure what domain extension to choose? Contact us and we will help you with your decision. As a leading web design company in Sri Lanka, we know the ins and outs of websites, domains, and hosting, and we will be more than happy to offer a free consultation for you.