.co vs .com
Which domain extension should you choose? Here's how the two compare — and when each one is the better pick.
Side by side
| .co | .com | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Colombia's ccTLD | Legacy generic TLD, since 1985 |
| Runs the registry | Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC) | VeriSign, Inc. |
| In the root zone since | Early ccTLD (date not recorded) | January 1, 1985 |
| Popular meaning | company, or a short alternative to .com | the default for businesses |
| Search geotargeting | ccTLD that Google treats as generic | Generic — not tied to a country |
| DNSSEC-signed | Yes | Yes |
| Name servers (IPv6) | 4 (4) | 13 (13) |
Choose .co if…
- Startups and small businesses wanting a short brand
- Companies that read ".co" as "company"
- Colombian businesses, obviously
Watch out for
- Visitors and email senders often autocorrect to .com
- If someone else owns your name on .com, you'll leak traffic and email to them
A good second choice when the .com is gone, especially for short names. Own the .com too if you can, because people will type it.
Choose .com if…
- Any business that wants the "default" address customers will guess
- Brands that expect word-of-mouth and radio or podcast mentions
- Email addresses people won't misspell
Watch out for
- Short, dictionary-word .com names are almost all taken or sold as premiums
- Typosquatters target popular .com names — register common misspellings if you're big
- Don't pay a broker before checking whether a newer TLD tells your story better
If the exact name you want is available on .com at a sane price, take it. Everything else is a trade-off against the ending people assume.
.co vs .com FAQ
Is .co better than .com?
Neither is better across the board. A good second choice when the .com is gone, especially for short names. Own the .com too if you can, because people will type it. If the exact name you want is available on .com at a sane price, take it. Everything else is a trade-off against the ending people assume.
Does .co or .com rank better on Google?
Google doesn't give either ending a ranking bonus. What differs is geotargeting: .co is cctld that google treats as generic, and .com is generic — not tied to a country. Content and links matter far more than the TLD.
Can I use both .co and .com?
Yes, and many brands do: register both, pick one as the main site, and redirect the other to it so links and email never go astray.