With new domain extensions popping up left and right, one you may have come across is “. site” which was introduced back in 2015.
On the surface, the site extension seems to make sense. But is .site a good domain?
No it is NOT. Site is not a good domain extension and you should avoid it.
In this post, I’ll go over the main reasons why you should avoid it. But I’ll also cover some of the pros in case you are dead set on getting one.
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Pros Vs Cons Of .Site Domains
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Cheap registration fee | Expensive renewal costs |
| Good availability of names | Used by a lot of spammers |
| Can be used for any type of site | Harder to sell and affects multiples |
| Easy to remember | Harder to establish distinctive brand |
| Perceived by some as less professional | |
| People don’t trust it |
⚡Also Read: Why are inc domains so expensive?
Cons Of Using A .Site Domain
Here are the main reasons why you should NOT buy a .site domain for your site:
High Renewal And Transfer Costs
While .site domains are cheaper to register, the renewal costs are quite high.
The same goes for transfers.
Only Hostgator offers renewals at $15, and it costs around $20 – $70 on ALL other registrars, which is super high compared to $10 .com and other common TLD renewals.
You’d be saving $ in the long run if you get a com, net or org right away.
Abused By Spammers
The biggest issue with .site domains is that a ton of spammers started using this extension because it’s super cheap.
They set up all sorts of malware, virus and shit sites that are scams and fraud, and this has greatly and negatively impacted the public perception.
People even search if .site domains are safe!
And I am pretty sure no one would even reply or believe an email address that ends with .site.
To be honest – I won’t.
Harder To Brand And Flip The Website
It can be more difficult to build strong brand recognition around a cheap generic .site domain compared to the main TLDs.
Plus, it’s going to be harder to sell the site (if it’s a content website) and turn away a lot of buyers. If someone was interested, they would offer a lower multiple too.
⚡Also Read: Multiple Landing Pages On One Domain
Perception Of Being “Cheap”
A lot of people still view .com domains as the gold standard for serious websites, especially in professional contexts.
Choosing a non-traditional TLD like .site may be perceived by some as less prestigious or professional and may even make you look cheap.
Why should people trust your business if you can’t even invest $10 for a domain?
Vague Meaning
While it’s clear .site refers to websites, the meaning is still rather generic.
This TLD does not convey the specific topic or purpose of an individual site. A .blog or .store domain, for example, is more precise.
Less Familiar To People
While extensions like .com have been around for decades, .site is still relatively new on the scene. Many internet users are simply less familiar with this TLD.
Some may not immediately recognize that a .site name will take them to a website!
Pros Of Using A .Site Domain
While there are certainly a lot of cons, there are some advantages .site domains offer:
Good Availability of Names
Given that .site is a relatively new domain extension that was just launched in 2015, many good .site domain names are still available for registration.
If you are exploring available domains, you’ll find the .site namespace less crowded and competitive compared to the .com or .net spaces where most high-value short names are long gone.
Super Cheap
.site domains are one of the cheapest extensions out there.
You can register one for just $0.62!
They typically range from $0.62 – $3 depending on the registrar. They usually run a lot of sales and discounts for .site domains throughout the year too.
You can find a list of prices for each registrar here.
This lower cost makes .site appealing for new sites or those with a limited budget.
Works for Any Type of Site
The .site extension is not restricted to one particular industry or niche.
These domain names can work for blogs, portfolios, business websites, online stores or pretty much anything.
However, according to Radix in 2019, about 70% of the .site names were used by Ecommerce and IT related businesses.
So it offers more flexibility compared to TLDs designed for specific purposes.
Easy To Remember
The .site extension is nice and short.
This makes it fairly easy for people to recall and type. It’s certainly easier to remember than some longer domain extensions out there.
The simple and recognizable nature of .site domains is definitely a plus.
Is .Site Domain Good For SEO?
The domain extension does not matter for SEO (apart from country domains), and all extensions get treated equally by Google and other search engines.
So, a .site domain is GOOD for SEO.
⚡Also Read:: Best SEO niches
However, there are issues with CTR (click through rates) that can affect your SEO efforts.
Like I said, people don’t trust .site domain which makes them not click on these sites in the SERPs which will push down the site if there’s a big difference between the CTRs of the sites ranking below the .site website.
So, you can rank a .site domain, but keeping it ranked might be harder compared to other domain extensions.
Is .Site Safe?
It depends on the exact website because the domain extension has nothing to do with safety.
If the site is something that lets you download or give you anything for free, it’s very likely that it is unsafe and has malware. It’s the same if you saw it on social media or an email.
But if you come across the site when doing an informational query on Google, it will be safe most of the time.
What Is .Site Domain Used For?
People use it for pretty much all types of sites. You can use them for personal websites, business and ecom sites, portfolios, landing pages and even as test and development sites. However, they were mostly used for business sites.
