Domain Name Insights: How Familiarity Means Trust with Alternative Extensions

Intro

In 2018, a New York University study found that how much we trust strangers correlates strongly with how much they resemble people we already know. We’re all a little biased towards the familiar, from friends to comfort foods, and the names and domains we see online are no different.

Powered by an AI boom, alternative extensions are becoming increasingly prevalent among brands seeking affordable alternatives to .com. But given that trust and credibility are most strongly associated with the .com top-level domain, brands need to be careful about when they opt for a lesser-known extension.

A domain name is one of the key ways brands can build instant trust online. Just like our tendency to trust a familiar face, if customers aren’t familiar with elements of your domain name, trust is hampered. The challenge for brands is carving a unique and affordable identity while retaining a coherent connection with customer trust points.

Trust and Familiarity: A Digital Duo

With over 1500 domain extensions available, it’s no surprise that a hierarchy has emerged: we would never expect .beer to hold as much credibility as restricted domains such as .gov or .edu. Usage is just one factor when it comes to trust and credibility, though. Just like NYU’s exploration of trust in people, research has revealed the powerful impact of familiarity when it comes to trust in domain extension.

Domain name research has revealed a disparity in trust across domain extensions. Firstly, 70% of consumers place implicit trust in .com and .org domains, meaning that a .com extension attached to your domain name comes with an instant boost to trust. Regardless of whether you’re an e-commerce brand selling sneakers or a cutting-edge SaaS tool, consumers connect .com with credibility. Compare this to the 38% that trust .co domains implicitly, and note that only 20% of consumers implicitly trust .ai domains: these extensions could still be worth exploring for the right brands, but you’ll _always _have to work harder to persuade potential customers that you’re the real deal.

Looking closer, trust is strongly correlated with familiarity:

• 81% of consumers are familiar with .org, and 73% trust it
• 51% familiar with .co, and 38% trust it
• 40% familiar with .ai, and 21% trust it

The relationship is clear: if your customers don’t recognize your domain extension, you’ll be working overtime to demonstrate your credibility and build the trust that lets them part with a payment.

Trust Across Demographics

Thanks to the key relationship with familiarity, trust in domain extensions isn’t uniform across demographics. Business founders should know who they’re marketing to, what that audience recognizes, and how they respond before choosing a domain extension.

Research into how trust differs across alternative domains found that:

• Of alternative domains, .co is most likely to be trusted by all demographics
• .xyz is the least trusted by all demographics
• Founders and executives are almost twice as likely to trust .biz as the general public.
• Founders are less likely to trust .co, .ai, and more likely to trust .io
• Tech-employed respondents are twice as likely to be familiar with .io and .ai domains as the general public.

Business founders might think .biz or .io make for a great domain extension, but they must ask whether their customers agree. Similarly, tech-savvy founders may gravitate to .ai, but unless this domain truly enhances your brand identity, it may be less trusted by your customers. Indeed, names like “brandAI.com” built more trust than “brand.ai”.

Choosing Domain With Trust in Mind

Your domain name is one of your first opportunities for a digital impression, so make it count. Here’s how to choose a domain name that builds trust, sticks in the mind of your customers, and works to grow your brand, through every virtual interaction.

• Avoid numbers and hyphens: Stick to the ABCS in your domain name and avoid using numbers, hyphens, or alternative characters. Any domain name with a hyphen plays second fiddle to the same name without a hyphen: own your digital real estate by using A-Z only.

• Keep it short and simple: The most trusted domains are concise, clear, and easy to recall. Long or complex names create friction for users and increase the risk of typos or misremembering. A short, one- or two-word domain not only looks more professional but also conveys confidence and credibility.

• Use alternative extensions for industry relevance: While .com domains are the gold standard for trust and recognition, some alternative extensions are becoming strongly associated with certain industries. This means they can have an immediate impact in communicating your brand identity, so tech and software brands can use .io while AI companies can leverage the .ai domain. If opting for an alternative extension, you should pair it with a single English word name for maximum impact.

• Avoid unpopular extensions: Many alternative domains, such as .shop, .biz, or .tech may appear industry relevant at first glance. However, these extensions are unproven, unfamiliar to customers, and lead to mistrust. Only a short list of alternative extensions, including .io, .ai and .co, is worth consideration by ambitious brands.

• Always opt for an exact match: Whatever extension you use for your brand, the goal should be an exact match of your business name before that extension. 77% of consumers consider it important for a brand's domain to match their business name exactly: when your business name and domain name are identical, with the inclusion of a credible extension, you’ll create a consistent brand experience that enhances memorability and builds trust.

Looking To The Future

Psychology tells us that familiarity is essential for a trusted first impression, and brands should consider this when choosing both their brand name and domain. A single English word like Slack or Amazon is immediately familiar and thus trusted; similarly, a .com domain commands instant credibility.

.com domains aren’t always affordable for new brands, though, so alternative extensions can be a great choice, opening up access to short, memorable brand names and instant industry-relevant brand identity. Consider audience familiarity when you brainstorm for domain names. Let the research guide your choice of domain extension, and you’ll land on a powerful platform for your brand.