.com vs .in | Know the Difference Between .com and .in Domain Extensions

In this write-up, we will help you understand the difference between .com vs .in domain extensions.

Starting from the meaning of domains, features, and importance to the difference and different types of domains, here is everything you should know.

While browsing on the internet, you might have come across .com and .in domain names.

Have you ever wondered what they are for? Why are they different? How are they different?

What is a domain name?

Let’s start with what the domain name of a website is. In its roots, a domain name is what goes in between the protocol sign (HTTPS://) and the first slash in a URL or web address.

For example – For the URL: https://www.xyz.com/blog/, the domain name would be: xyz.com.

One thing that you might not realize is that the domain is a stand-in that represents the computer, and IP address of the website.

Every single that uses the internet has an IP address.

The IP address is an individual identifier ascribed to the device that cannot be used by a different device simultaneously.

To form a rudimentary virtual address book, the Internet Protocol Address System was created by computer scientists.

They assigned the websites as well as the computers a unique 32-bit or 128-bit string of digits.

These are known as IP addresses that could distinguish them from other websites and computers.

This initial system did work but remained complicated for computer scientists to effectively communicate – leaving it even more difficult for a less computer-savvy person.

Further, computer scientists created the domain name system to enable website owners to register a unique name that acted as a stand-in or synonym for an IP address.

3 Important Characteristics of Domain Name Extensions

Domain names help you in accomplishing these three things:-

Create a strong first impression

Serving as the very first thing that a prospective customer will see of your site, it is an initial interaction with your brand.

Therefore, having a unique and memorable domain name will speak to what your audience wants and stick in their heads.

On the other hand, an unfitting domain can turn away your prospective customers.

Define your brand

A domain name can be used to instantly speak to your brand, letting the customers know who you are and what you are selling.

A relevant domain name can help key your customers in on your product, or a unique domain name can create a link that associates your name with your product.

Optimize SEO

Search engine optimization uses keywords to help your website’s SEO rankings.

You don’t need to have exact match domains, but it is always helpful to use a domain name with a close resemblance to your brand.

6 different types of domain name extensions

Within the domain name registry, a hierarchy differentiates one domain from another.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) 1985 released six top-level domain names.

These top-level domains (TLD) came to be known as domain name extensions.

They represent the highest level in the Domain Name System hierarchy. Here are the different types of domain names as follows:

.com

Commercial or .com is the first top-level domain that was initially created for use by commercial organizations but had no stringent restrictions.

It became the most popular and commonly used type of top-level domain for businesses, websites, and email by the mid-1990s.

.net

Network or .net was specifically created for institutes that partook in network technologies such as internet service providers or infrastructure companies.

Like with .com, the restrictions meant to limit .net to networking purposes were never upheld.

Therefore, it became one of the more popular top-level domains, with many seeing it as a close second to using the .com top-level domain.

.edu

Education or .edu, made for education institutions was intended for universities everywhere, but the top-level domain .edu became associated with only educational centers in America.

Schools or institutes from other countries use .edu in conjunction with their country-level domain

.org

Organization or .org was created for non-profits and had no restrictions enforced on this.

Nowadays, .org is used as a top-level domain by nonprofits, for-profit businesses, schools, and communities.

.mil

Military or .mil was specifically created for U.S. military branches. Unlike other top-level domains, this restriction still exists.

However, now it is common for .mil to use second and third-level domains in conjunction with the .mil top-level domain.

.gov

Government or .gov was initially restricted to American federal governmental agencies and personnel use only. 

Now, this domain is used by governmental agencies, programs, cities, states, towns, counties, and Native American tribes.

.com vs .in domain name extensions

Universal appeal

Almost every website that you’ll find on the internet comes with a .com extension. So, this indicates that it has a universal appeal when compared to .in.

Also, when you talk about popularity, .com is way more popular than the .in extension as almost every second website has a .com extension.

Moreover, you might also notice that there’s a keyword shortcut of .com in your mobile keypad. You also get plenty of .com auto-insert options as well.

Many browsers also offer a keyboard shortcut for adding a .com extension when you type in the address bar.

On the contrary, .in extension is popular in India. Several local brands and businesses use the .in extension for their websites.

If the business is based in India, then .in extension is the most feasible option.

Credibility

You can find over a thousand active domain extensions today but the majority of people are not aware of the new versions.

The difference between .in and .com here is that .com offers better credibility.

When you browse the web or if you need to find relevant information about a product or a service, you visit a website.

And when the website has a . COM extension provides you with a sense of credibility.

Though .in also offers similar credibility .com has a higher and more legitimate approach.

Have you noticed that in top websites and brands, you’ll never find a .in extension but a .com extension?

This is because a .in website comes across as a site mostly associated with Indian brands and businesses whereas; .com comes across as a website with a global appeal and brand credibility.

Privacy options

In the .IN extension, you will not find the support of the WHOIS privacy option. WHOIS means that any person in the world can see the person who is the registered owner of a .IN domain.

You will also be able to access the details of the email address as well as the phone number of the registered user the .IN extension.

This can result in a serious breach of data privacy. With plenty of hacking attacks happening in the webspace, this might lead to some extent of vulnerability.

Moreover, if you furnish fake details for .IN extension, there are chances of you losing your domain name or site due to the involvement of the privacy policy.

In contrast to this, the .COM extension allows full privacy protection.

When a user registers a .COM extension, he or she gets a full-blown privacy protection feature. It means that there will be no breach of private data.

Country code

Any person in the world can register both the code extensions – .com and .in.

This means that if any person wants to register with .com, s/he can do it from any part of the world. This indicates no restriction on the registration part.

However, the major difference between the two is the country code.

The .IN extension uses ccTLD country code that stands for country code top-level domain. .in extension is best for websites that will target Indian users and audiences.

Whereas .com uses a gTLD – which stands for the generic top-level domain. It means that it can be used for any website with a global reach.

Search engine optimization

Not only the most used but also the most valued domain, the .com extension has Google a bit biased toward it.

It is seen that a website with a .com extension gains more presence as compared to websites with a .in domain.

Also, one thing differentiating .com and .in from the SEO aspect is that if you want a website to fulfill your SEO criteria, then you need to have a .com extension.

A website with a .COM domain is more popular and powerful than any other domain name extension.

SEO is also a reason why most .COM websites are available at a premium price.

With a .in extension, you can hinder your chances of having a good SEO campaign.

A website with .IN extension also has a good reach, but you need to put in more effort as far as the SEO marketing campaign is concerned.

Establishment

.com is a more established extension when compared to the .in extension. .com still stands as a leading choice for big brands and startups.

.com can make a big impression along with premium hosting if you start a new business with your potential customers visiting the website.

With .com, you can also get many added features that are not available with the .in extension or website.

The longevity of a .COM website is noteworthy so it makes a sound impression. Establishment wise .IN is mostly preferred by smaller local brands.

Which domain name extension is better .com or .in?

Some people believe that the .com extension has become old or outdated. However, this depends on personal preferences.

For the majority of companies around the world, the .com extension still stands as the most preferred one.

Although you might find extensions with newer and different features the credibility offered by .com is still unmatched.

That is the reason that even today a start-up company is most likely to prefer a .com extension over a .in extension.

Whether it is the universal appeal or the credibility, the .com extension stands as a better option.

Moreover, .com comes with better privacy options and it is good for search engine optimization purposes.

So, if you are aiming for a global reach, .com still stands as the best choice for you.