Knowing the Right Choice of Domain
And in this digital era, your domain name would be greater than your URL; it defines your brand identity. From where you stand in the search rankings to customer trust-building, a relevant domain extension will serve as a springboard from which a technology-driven company makes a big leap forward in visibility and reach. We’ll discuss a case study for an Indian tech startup that moved their local .in domain to a global domain of .net. The change meant the future outreach for them was obviously increased while their brand’s trust factor within their industry skyrocketed. They definitely saw great traffic lift, better conversion rates. And cemented their brand’s image in the eyes of the world as a serious contender in the tech space.
Background: About the Startup
The company is one of the fast growing Indian startups and especially deals with cloud solutions and IT infrastructure management. Established in 2019, the company quickly spurred popularity in the market of India by providing cost-effective and scalable services to small and medium-sized businesses. The initial approach of their business strategy was India-centric, and thus they used a .in domain to make out the fact that its origin is local.
However, by 2022, this startup began to attract international clients mainly from the US and Europe who sought robust cloud services that would not cost an arm and a leg. The startup soon realized that their .in domain posed an obstacle to their global growth since they were constrained in that aspect.
The Challenge: Overcoming the .in Limitation
This was exactly why the company had already seen the advantage of the .in domain, as they were in India and were establishing credibility there. It, however, posed a few challenges as they expanded:
Not So International Friendly
The .in domain suited the local SEO and branding but didn’t capture the attention of international clients. Many of their customers from outside India looked at the company in question to wonder if it could deliver when they supposedly provide the same as local, India-only providers.
Perceived Small-Scale Operations
The perception was that the customers in the developed world viewed the .in domain as denoting a small or regionally limited operation. Trust was not built among international customers, who preferred to work with bigger and more global players in the technology space.
Global SEO Performance
Though the services provided were of prime quality, it was difficult for the company to achieve rankings in global search engine results. Since they are using the .in domain, all their visibility is channeled towards the Indian search engine results. This was one of the significant disadvantages when they started targeting the international customers.
Solution Transition to a .net Domain
After much thought and consultation with other digital marketers, the startup came to a conclusion that it was time to move to a .net domain. The trusted hosting company, Hostao, reasoned out the migration while giving them much-needed advice on optimizing their global SEO strategy.
Why .net?
Industry-Specific Appeal:
As far back as the memorable days of extending .net, it was linked with technology companies, internet services, and network solutions. For such a business in the industry of cloud computing and IT infrastructure, using .net made sense. The extension would signal relevance and authority to their audience.
International Recognition:
While .com is still the first choice for most, the second most common extension is .net, and it is particularly popular for any kind of business that sells its products or services by virtue of an enabling technology. It carries with it a seal of familiarity and credibility with both business and the individual consumer, making it an excellent choice for a company to build up its global brand presence.
SEO and Brand Expansion
The .net domain offered an opportunity for a clean slate in terms of global SEO [Wikipedia] optimization. With the right keyword techniques and using a relevant domain, this startup could get their search results noticed and ranked not only locally but globally as well.
Hostao’s Role: Transition into the .net Smoother
Hostao took full support over the process of the domain changeover. So, the shuffling was carried out totally without causing any kind of disruption in the existing customer base of the company. Some of the key steps by which the entire process followed include:
Domain Transfer and Setup:
Hostao made the leap from .in to .net without losing any SEO value on the website. The team implemented 301 redirects from the old .in domain into the new .net, retaining user experience quite smoothly and preserving existing rankings.
SEO Optimization:
Hostao worked with the marketing team of the startup to replace everything on-page SEO-related elements – starting from title tags and meta description to keyword optimization. This allowed the new .net domain to enter search results worldwide in a rather fast way.
Rebranding and Communication
The entire online presence of the company was rebranded to reflect new global ambitions. Hostao suggested the strategy for making the already customer base aware of the change of the domain so that it appears as a forward step towards achieving credibility and delivering a global service.
Outcome: Growth in Expansion, Trust, and Traffic
After half a year of switching to a dot net domain, this startup saw fabulous growth in the following areas:
1. 50% Increase in Global Traffic
Thanks to the .net domain and, therefore global SEO boost, the company discovered an increase in organic traffic in international markets by 50%. The website started ranking for competitive global keywords, such as “affordable cloud solutions” and “IT infrastructure services,” causing more calls and inquiries from the US, UK, and Europe.
2. Trust with Customer
The availability of the .net domain increased the credence of professionalism for the company worldwide. Questionnaires that had been sent to the international customers represented their trust in the company with a .net domain. This was an opportunity that made the startup seem to take a considerable position in the global IT and cloud services space. Clients in the Western markets showed increased trust while engaging with a company that utilizes a .net domain, which clients portrayed with high-tech solutions.
3. 35% Client Inqueries Rise
While moving to a .net domain, indeed, client inquiries rose by 35% from overseas and outside India, too. Businesses from e-commerce, health care, and finance sectors, needing quite robust IT and cloud services, came in contact with the startup for their scalable solutions. These led to partnerships that benefited the startup in revenue and market share, thus taking it to the next level.
4. Stronger Brand Identity in the Tech Space
With a .net extension, the startup was able to get a better hold of its brand related to the line of business it is in. It made the entity clear about belonging to the company that tends towards its orientation of services that are more related towards technology. Due to this, the startup emerged as a more visible figure in the techno forums and industry-specific publications. Thus becoming a thought leader in the marketplace.
Through this, it came to the point where we consider that choosing the right domain matters.
This case study forcefully explains how domain choice is very crucial, especially for the companies looking to enlarge their markets. From a change from a .in to a .net, the start up increased its global traffic, customer inquiry and trust. And credibility with the international clients.
Some of the essential takeaways from this case are:
- Pick an Industry-Specific Domain: For companies in the network services or tech business, net is usually a better choice than .com or country-code domains such as .in. It not only shows relevance and authority within that industry but makes it easier to build credibility in the world of tech.
- Domains can also affect searches and visibility in search results globally. For example, using a localized domain such as .in would be great for local SEO but would limit global search visibility. Moving to a .net or .com could open more options for international ranking.
- Building Trust in International Expansion: It is only a fact that international clients are likely going to trust a company more if it uses a domain extension they have encountered and positively associated with quality. The switch of a globally recognized domain can be very beneficial in establishing trust among new markets.
Conclusion
As this case study has shown, Hostao played a key role in guiding the startup through the domain transition. Businesses are enjoying affordable, reliable domain registration services by an expert who is available 24/7 to support you as you seamlessly switch domains and scale your business for global growth with Hostao.
To expand your business all around the globe, build more organic traffic through search engines, or establish a brand, Hostao will help you to choose an appropriate domain name extension for your business.
As a master's graduate in Computer Science, I blend my technical expertise with a passion for crafting content that simplifies complex topics. My focus is on creating clear, engaging material that resonates with a diverse audience. By staying current with trends in SEO, social media, and content strategy, I aim to produce content that not only educates but also connects, bridging the gap between technology and its users.
