The extension is the part after the dot: .ro, .com, .eu. It matters less to Google than you think and more to your customers: at a glance, it tells them where you work and who you serve.
What you'll achieve
- choose the right extension for your audience;
- know the registrant rules for each one;
- know how much they cost and when two extensions are worth it.
In short
| .ro | .com | .eu | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | companies and people working in Romania | an international audience, or no particular country | companies with customers in several EU countries |
| What it tells visitors | “this is a company from Romania” | neutral | “this is a European company” |
| Who can be the registrant | anyone | anyone | an EU citizen, or an individual or company resident or established in the EU/EEA |
| The registry | ROTLD | Verisign | EURid |
| NBT Host price, per year | €10 | €16 | €14 |
| Renewal, per year | €10 | €16 | €14 |
Prices are final (NBT X SOLUTIONS SRL is not registered for VAT). All extensions, with their prices, are on the Domains page.
How to choose
- Are your customers in Romania? Get .ro. People recognize it as local, and Google links it to Romania without any other settings.
- Do you also sell abroad, or is your company not tied to one country? Get .com.
- Do you work with customers in several EU countries and want it to show that you are in the Union? .eu is a good choice, if you meet the registrant requirements.
- Just starting out and not sure yet? Get your main audience's extension now and, if your budget allows, the other one too, so no one else takes it. Point it to your main website.
Extensions such as .shop, .online, .store or .tech are fine too, but they cost more and are less familiar; many people automatically type .ro or .com at the end. If you choose one of them, also get the .ro or .com version, if it is available.
What differs in practice
- Data verification. For .com, .net, .org and the other generic extensions, the registrant receives an email after registration with a link to verify their details, as required by ICANN rules. If it isn't clicked within 15 days, the domain is suspended until verification. This doesn't apply to .ro (see How to register a new domain through NBT Host).
- Transfers. For .com, a transfer uses an authorization code (EPP); for .ro, the key from ROTLD. A .com domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of registration or of its last transfer (see How to transfer your domain to NBT Host).
- Changing the registrant. For .ro, this is a registry procedure, the transfer of the right of use; through NBT Host it costs €10 and extends the domain by 12 months.
- Recovery after expiry. A .com left to expire can still be recovered for a while, but restoring it costs more than renewing it. We handle the yearly renewal automatically precisely so that you never get there (see Automatic renewal and declined payments).
The steps
- Choose the main extension based on your audience, using the table above.
- Check the name on the Domains page. If you need ideas for a name, see How to choose your domain name.
- Have the registrant details ready. For .eu, first check that you meet the citizenship or residence requirements.
- Order the domain (see How to register a new domain through NBT Host). If you are getting two extensions, order them together.
- Then add the second extension as an alias and point it to your main website (see Subdomains and additional domains in Enhance and Redirecting to HTTPS and www).
If something doesn't work
- Your domain is already with another registrar. You don't need to move it to use it with our hosting; you only change the nameservers (see How to point your domain to NBT Host).
- The extension you want has no price on the website. Some extensions (.de, .it, .fr and others) have their own rules and are ordered through the contact page. Write to us and we will confirm the price and the steps.
- You don't meet the .eu requirements. Get .com or the extension of the country where your business is based.