Everything you need to know about .CA domains

For decades, you’ve probably heard domains sung in annoyingly catchy radio jingles, and seen them in TV commercials, or splashed across billboards and magazines. So, what is a domain name anyway?

It’s the address that helps users connect to the websites they are looking for, like www.cira.ca.

When it comes to setting up your business, choosing and registering a domain name should be your first step.

What’s in a domain name?

Domain names contain two key parts. There’s the “second-level domain,” or the part to the left of the dot that represents your business or organization—i.e., the “cira” in cira.ca.

Then, there’s the “top-level domain” (TLD) or the section after the dot.

Some top-level domains refer to specific countries or geographies—like Canada, with “.CA”. These are known as country-code top level domains (ccTLDs) and they’re one of the easiest ways to tell your customers (and search engines) where in the world your business is based.

For instance, if you choose to use the .CA ccTLD in your domain name, a search engine like Google will see it and go, “Brewtifulbeans.ca and its content are CLEARLY relevant to a Canadian audience! I shall serve this up to folks in Canada searching for a local reputable coffee retailer.” At least, that’s what we think Google sounds like.

What’s more—Canadian customers, being a patriotic bunch, are far more likely to click through to your site when presented with a .CA search result.

But not just anyone can use a .CA ccTLD for their website. Nope—to successfully register a .CA, you need to meet a set of Canadian Presence Requirements that prove you are actually a Canadian citizen and business. This helps ensure that .CA domains are kept Canadian and are only used for all things good, rather than spam and malware.  

Not only is the TLD important, but so is the second-level domain! Most people tend not to give them much thought…that is, until they need to come up with one for their business website.

There’s a real art to registering a good domain name. Here’s why it’s worth that little bit of extra sweat:

Your domain name serves as the “digital address” for your online presence. It’s a critical part of your brand that will be seen on everything and anything from business cards to product packaging. 

Most important of all, your domain name needs to be memorable and tell potential customers what your business is all about. It should also reassure folks that your website is safe and trustworthy to the point where people can buy from you with confidence.

How can you put your .CA domain name to good use?

The possibilities are nearly endless! But for the sake of time and space, we’ll outline four:

• Create your own .CA email address: your .CA domain name can be used for a personalized email address—such as yourname@mybusiness.ca.
• Host a website or build an online store: your very own website or online store is one of the most powerful (and popular) ways to use your domain name.
• Link your .CA to your social media presence: you can set up your .CA to forward to any of your social media profiles—be it Facebook, LinkedIn or an Etsy store.
• Register a .CA to protect your future brand: .CA domain names generally aren’t super-expensive to register. Even if you don’t have any immediate plans to use a .CA domain name, think of it like cheap insurance to keep your unique brand under wraps!

Curious if your business domain name is available as a .CA? Use our free domain name search tool today!