Web Design Tips: Nickelodeon’s iCarly Says .net Domains Are For Losers

My six year old daughter loves the sitcom iCarly on Nickelodeon. It’s a show about three kids – Carly, Sam and Freddie – who run a web show called iCarly. So, the entire show is centered around their web show and publishing online content.

I have to admit that as far as kid shows are concerned, I am totally hooked. I even found myself (yes, I am admitting this) watching it the other day when I was home alone!

A couple days ago we were snuggled up watching iCarly before bed and I almost wet my pants! In the episode, Carly and Sam were filming the intro to their live web show and when they were driving people to the iCarly website, they said…

Carly: So visit iCarly.com
Sam: that’s .com
Carly: because .net is for losers

I was cracking up because earlier that day I was educating a new client about the importance of having a .com domain and why .net, .info, and .biz domains aren’t as good. I was totally validated by a kids television show on Nickelodeon! They understand the value of a .com domain name!

Here is the bottom line. The .com domain names are the most popular, most used, most recognized domains on the Internet. It is likely that your prospects will search for you first with the .com name, and only if they don’t find you, will they move on to the .net, .info, and .biz domain name.

But what if the .com domain name is a competitor of yours? What if your prospect doesn’t realize they are on the wrong site? What if your prospect is seduced by your competitor’s website and content and they decide not to continue to search for your website? Or, what if their website is better than yours?

Part of building your brand is making sure you can be found easily and quickly online by the people who need your products and services. If you can’t secure your business name as a .com domain name, think of using a keyword-rich domain name that applies to your services or products, or one that describes the problem you solve or the solution you deliver.

The writers at iCarly clearly understand the importance of a .com domain name and now you do too! Have fun domain hunting!