Before the Genuine Tea Co. launched, the owners of the Toronto-based online business spent a lot of time researching the appropriate product selection. They also made another key decision to ensure they established a trusted connection with their target audience and stood out against a saturated international market: select a .CA domain for their website.
“The tea industry is dominated by large multinationals and publicly-traded companies,” says David O’Connor, co-owner of Genuine Tea. “So with a .CA, we’re saying we’re proudly local, you’re supporting a mom-and-pop business, and we’re able to give back to our community through your support of us.”
How does a business tell everyone they’re Canadian without expressly telling them they’re Canadian? By using a .CA domain. Those two letters after the dot are unmistakably Canadian, meaning customers on these sites can bank on a purely Canadian experience.
“When you see .CA in your browser, you can expect a connection to Canada, Canadian prices and shipping rates,” says Adam Eisner, vice-president of .CA and Registry Services at CIRA, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority.
CIRA is the national not-for-profit that manages the .CA domain on behalf of all Canadians. Mr. Eisner notes that the right website can be essential for any business looking to build their presence online, and the branding starts with the choice of domain name.
While .com is often the go-to, the .CA domain offers big advantages to Canadian small business owners, entrepreneurs, creators and influencers, by declaring itself a proudly Canadian operation even before the first click.
“Businesses should go beyond relying on social media platforms to get visibility. Building a website with .CA gives you credibility that’s attractive to customers, and the Canadian branding will help you reach new clients and audiences,” says Mr. Eisner.
Katrin Emery, owner of Studio Peachy.Supplied
Customers notice, says Katrin Emery of Ottawa, owner of the Studio Peachy jewelry and home décor business. She says her first attempts to sell products on Etsy didn’t give the same local vibe as her .CA domain.
“When you order something from a .CA domain, you can have some confidence that it’s locally-made. I love it because customers do comment positively on my choice to use .CA,” says Ms. Emery.
Canadians want to support local businesses and actively seek them out when shopping online. CIRA’s research found that 83 per cent of them prefer a .CA over a .com when booking a local service.
Having a .CA also helps SEO performance, as search engines prioritize local results. That can lead to increased website traffic and, ideally, leads and sales.
“Companies like Genuine Tea and Studio Peachy know that having a dedicated .CA website that you own also offers you more control over your brand and will make it easier for your Canadian customers to find you online,” says Mr. Eisner.
The domain doesn’t just appeal to smaller and homegrown operations. Even multinationals like Expedia, Home Depot and Amazon have their Canadian sites registered with a .CA so they can appeal to their local customers.
Because users of .CA must have a Canadian presence to own the domain, that also brings built-in assurances of security. Recent analysis from cyber threat researcher NetBeacon Institute shows that .CA is among the country-code top-level domains with the lowest observed rates of DNS (Domain Name System) abuse.
Mr. Eisner notes that .CA domains are less likely to run into cyber threats and spam than other top-level domains. Globally, Canada is in the top five for trusted country-code top-level domains, which is a critical place to be at a time when cyberthreats are a significant issue for today’s businesses.
“When it comes to trust it’s hard to beat Canada’s international reputation,” says Mr. Eisner.
For Canadian businesses of any type or size, the right website domain can also be part of their competitive edge. “A .CA domain is a no-brainer for any domestic business looking to level up.”
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio with Canadian Internet Registration Authority. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.