A domain extension is a very important part when you create a website.
There are various extensions available to use like .com, .net, .in. .info etc. You can choose a domain name for your website first and check its availability online.
When you check domain name availability, you can see them with available domain extensions.
There are more than 500 domain extensions as of now. But everybody wants to use .com extension for their website.
Now, what if .com extension not available? Then they go for the next available option.
There is also a domain extension based on geographical location. Local websites mostly prefer country specific domain extensions to get more preference locally.
There are many domains corresponding to each location.
For example, .CN represents China and .DE for Germany.
Like this, there are many domain extensions you can choose according to your website location. They will help you to list under top search result because you are targeting a particular location by choosing these types of the domain extension.
This .us is also such a domain extension many people use. While using it there are many things you need to know. This is a guide that can help you to know all the important information’s related to the .us extension.
What is the .us domain?
.us domain is the country code for the United States. It was first introduced in 1985 and then on its websites from the US can use this. There are many conditions if you want to use that as your domain extension.
If you qualified that conditions, you can also use it for your website. Even though many websites are there in the US they are not using .us as their domain names because of these rules.
We can discuss the rules and conditions later. But mainly .us has been used by state and local government for their website.
There are many advantages of using .us as your domain extension. Some important advantages are
- Country: Specific domain extensions will help, you to target local users and this can improve your website traffic easily. It can help you to show your website to local internet users.
- .us domain names can help your website to rank well among all other competitors.
- When you create your website targeting a specific area it can increase the user confidence. If they see that the website is from their own location, they will click on it without thinking twice
- When you add domain extension with the name it should be something memorable. This can help the users to easily remember your site. Try various varieties and come with one final name
- When you can use .us as your domain extension, it is the symbol of patriotism. People who love their country will support your website.
- You can create your own business identity by using this domain extension on your website. No matter what the size of your business, the .us extension can help you to create a name for your business.
- Come under the US dictionary using a .us domain extension. This can help you to promote your business in a great way.
This is all about the top-level domain extension .us. Now you need to know about some rules you need to follow while using it as your domain name
.us domain Rules and Restrictions:
This domain extension is only allowed if the person who uses it is a US citizen or current resident, or holds any business within the country including Federal, local, the state government with a reputable position.
Check out the 3 conditions to use the .us domain. You need to qualify any of them
- A natural person who is a permanent resident of the United States of America or any of its territory or ownership with his primary place of residence in the US or in any of its territories
- An organization which is located within any of the 50 states including Columbia district or in any territories which should be organized under Law of the United States or It’s any possessions
- An entity which is federal, local or state government of the United States or a political division that has a bona fide presence in the Country
There is an organization that is formed to prevent unauthorized registration which is known as Neustar. They check registrant information thoroughly when someone needs to use it as their domain.
This can help to prevent unauthorized registration and if you want to use that domain extension it may take some time and you have to face legal consequences if you try to get the domain name in the wrong way.
While you choose this as your domain extension, you need to choose the web hosting service initially itself. When we consider other domains, they register it using proxy sites.
Here in 2005 National Telecommunication and Information Administration declared that registrants of the .us domain may not use proxy sites while registering private domains.
They need to submit full contact information while registering. When it comes to local registration they check the postal code of the business address and make sure that it situates in their own locality.
.us Domain Registration:
So, if you qualify with the above condition you can easily register .us domain extensions. The main rules for registration are given above.
Are you ready to register your .us domain?
You can do it if you are a US citizen or your business located in the US. This is monitoring, and you must be in a big problem if you try to fake your identity.
There are many sites through which you can register the .us domain. GoDaddy, Namecheap, Name.com, etc are some of them. All of them will allow you to purchase this domain and let you register it.
One important thing to be noted while using it as your domain extension is that you cannot use proxy sites for registering this.
There is an authority to look at your site background and they will verify everything while using it as your domain extension. Get a good authority using website domain extension .us and improve your SEO.
Renewal policy:
When you use .us extension it has to be renewed after expiry. You can choose the renewal type at the time of purchase.
Do it manually every year or set automatic renewal. Both are fine. But one thing to be noted is that don’t let it expire when you want to use it again.
Otherwise, you won’t get it back when you want. So, you can choose auto-renewal to be on the safe side.
.us Domain Spam:
There are so many spammy sites that use it as a website domain. But as the rule about .us domain registration is strong, it is difficult to use it illegally. Neustar is there to monitor all activities related to .us domains.
If they found any phishing. Pharming, malware or any other issues they will discredit the site immediately. If anything like that happens then the domain registrar can suspend your account also.
You can search for a term and see how many .us domains are there in your search result. Most of them are just spams and cannot provide anything for users.
As a result of these spammy sites, many website owners are afraid to pick .us as their domain. People won’t click on these websites because many think that all .us extensions are spams.
Actually, this is not true. If you want to get a good authority among users .us is very useful. They can help, you to rank your website top and this can increase your site traffic.
Impact of .com vs .us on SEO ranking
Google confirmed that there is no connection between domain extension and SEO ranking. So, when you choose any domain extension it won’t affect your SEO ranking.
When it comes to .com extension most people prefer it as their website domain extension because of its popularity. This is a very safe side to follow because there are other names which are new and is considered as spammy extensions.
So, nobody wants to take the risk by choosing a less popular domain extension for their site.
When it comes to the .us domain, it gives a good status for your site. The main reason behind it is that the .us is only allowed to use for websites from the US. The owners should be a US citizen to purchase this as their domain name.
Also, one more reason for their popularity is that most government organizations from the United States use it as their domain extension. This help to create trust among users. Even though spams are there it hasn’t reduced its authority as of now.
When you consider search engine optimization, the domain name has nothing to do. The main factor is your content and on-page, off page optimizations.
The domain name also plays a small role in ranking but not domain extensions. When it comes to the .us domain, it is a country-specific domain.
The main aim of creating them is to target people of that particular country. According to Google, these country-specific domain names are very good if you want to target users of a specific area and that can help with your SEO efforts.
In short, there is no significant difference between choosing .com and .us. We can say that if you want to target the United States to improve your business, you can use .us as your domain extension.
Your business should be also located in the US or any of its connected territories.
.com extension usually helps to target audience all around the world.
If you are looking to improve the reach of your business, globally .com domain will be suitable.
So, you need to find out your business aim first and choose a domain name accordingly.
Top successful sites with .us domain:
Mainly people use .us domain name as a symbol of their patriotism and many sites are there who successfully created their website with this domain name. Here are some popular sites with the .us extension
1. Imageshack.us:
This is an image hosting site popular all over the country. They chose this to create a memorable website name and not only for branding purpose.
When you use a domain name with this extension, make sure to choose keyword rich domain name
2. Whos.among.us:
This is a popular analytical site created for blogs. The site does the same function as Google analytics.
The name is a memorable one and it is ‘Who’s among us’.
3. Stopwatching.us:
Another successful site with a .us extension. This is created to spread awareness of National security surveillance program.
4. Yapp.us:
This is a popular site that helps you to download free business apps and invitations.
This site is one of the best examples of creating rhyming website name with .us as their domain extension instead of using .com, .net, etc.
Tips for choosing .us as your domain extension:
- If your business is located in the United States and wants to target people, there you can use .us as your domain extension
- Make sure to use a keyword rich domain name with .us extension to get ranked better
- Make strong content on your website
- Be genuine and don’t use it for spammy sites
- .us domain has the power to attract more patriotic users. Make use of its power to increase your site traffic
- When you submit your contact, the form includes all your information correctly and use your website to promote informative contents.
Final words:
There is no problem in using .us as your domain extension if you are following all the rules.
It has got a special power to help with your site ranking. Country-specific targeting will help to attract more users to your business.
Make use of this chance and create your website with a .us extension. While using it for spammy sites to be ready to face the consequences.
There is an authority to monitor all your website activity with the .us domain. Keep that in your mind and be wise when you create your site with the extension.