Choosing between .COM and .LIGHTING depends on your brand strategy, target audience, and long-term goals. Below is a clear, decision-focused breakdown to help you pick the right extension—especially if you’re building or investing in a lighting-related brand.
1. What Each Domain Extension Signals
🔹 .COM
- The global standard for credibility and trust
- Instantly recognizable across all industries
- Best for brands with broad scope or future expansion plans
Example:BrightTech.com → feels like a scalable company (products, software, services, global reach)
💡 .LIGHTING
- A highly descriptive, industry-specific domain
- Immediately communicates what you do
- Ideal for niche authority and keyword relevance
Example:BrightTech.lighting → clearly focused on lighting solutions
2. Branding & Perception
| Factor | .COM | .LIGHTING |
|---|---|---|
| Trust & Familiarity | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Industry Clarity | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Brand Flexibility | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ |
| Memorability (General Public) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| B2B / Professional Appeal | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Key insight:
- .COM builds brand power
- .LIGHTING builds instant relevance
3. SEO & Marketing Impact (Reality Check)
✅ Google treats both equally from a technical SEO standpoint
❌ Keywords in the TLD alone do not guarantee rankings
However:
- .LIGHTING can improve click-through rate for lighting-specific searches
- .COM benefits from higher trust, more backlinks, and fewer user errors
Practical takeaway:
- SEO = content + backlinks + brand
- Domain extension helps indirectly, not magically
4. Best Use Cases
Choose .COM if you:
- Want a long-term, expandable brand
- Plan to sell products beyond lighting (smart home, energy, IoT, design)
- Care about maximum resale value
- Want to avoid losing traffic to “.com reflex”
Perfect for:
- Manufacturers
- Global brands
- Venture-backed startups
- Domain investors (highest liquidity)
Choose .LIGHTING if you:
- Are 100% focused on lighting
- Serve a clear niche (architectural, LED, commercial, stage, smart lighting)
- Want instant clarity for visitors
- Use it as a marketing or authority site
Perfect for:
- Lighting studios & designers
- Local / regional lighting companies
- Product-specific or showcase sites
- Campaign or microsites
5. Resale & Investment Perspective (Important for Domain Holders)
- .COM
- Highest demand
- Highest prices
- Easiest to sell
- .LIGHTING
- Smaller buyer pool
- Works best as exact-match industry names
- Often complements a .COM rather than replacing it
💡 Best strategy:
If possible, own both:
- Use
.COMas your main brand - Redirect or market with
.LIGHTING
6. Decision Shortcut ✅
Ask yourself one question:
Do I want to build a broad brand—or clearly signal “this is a lighting business”?
- Broad brand, future-proof, investment → .COM
- Pure lighting focus, clarity, niche authority → .LIGHTING
Final Recommendation
- For most businesses and investors: 👉 .COM wins
- For specialized lighting brands: 👉 .LIGHTING is powerful
- For best results: 👉 Use both together