Why you should have a .ca domain

GeneralCategory
3 min read
Marc Saltzman

While I’ve been very active online since the ‘90s, I didn’t create my own website until a few years back — and then kicked myself for not doing it sooner.

Truthfully, I didn’t think I had the time to design, publish and maintain a site. But GoDaddy’s Website Builder within the GoDaddy Websites + Marketing suite made it super simple. Heck, I even edit my site on my phone, for goodness sakes. It’s a breeze.

As a proud Canadian, it was also important to have my own .ca domain, MarcSaltzman.ca.

After all, I choose to live in Canada, so why shouldn’t my online home be Canadian?

Type the .ca domain you want into the box below

Get a web address with Canada written all over it

Did you know you can only get a .ca domain if you have a Canadian presence? I like that. According to Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), .ca domain names are only available to Canadian citizens and businesses, organizations and community groups located in Canada.

CA Domain CIRA Website
With .ca web address, people can see at-a-glance you’re located in Canada.

A .ca domain tells others you’re proud to be in — and cater to — the Great White North (or #WeTheNorth, if you prefer).

With my website, for example, Canadian companies can hire me as a keynote speaker, while TV and radio stations regularly use it to contact me for tech-related interviews. Editors of magazines, newspapers and websites have tapped me as a journalist by finding me at MarcSaltzman.ca.

It may come as no surprise that Canadians also prefer to shop at Canadian sites.

According to the CIRA, an incredible 83% of Canadian internet users surveyed said they prefer shopping on a site with a .ca domain name. Why? It means you’re not only supporting Canadian businesses, big or small, but you can better avoid common online shopping issues when buying outside of Canada such as:

  • Delayed shipping times
  • Currency exchange surprises
  • Import charges tied to duties, custom fees and taxes

We’ve all been there, right?

Plus it supports a good cause

And did you know a portion of every .ca domain purchase goes back into Canada’s internet community through CIRA’s Community Investment Program? Cool. Giving back is so Canadian.

Creating a .ca domain won’t break the bank, either. In fact, I’ve registered a couple of URLs, just in case I want to use them one day.

So, don’t delay and reserve that .ca domain before someone else snags it up. GoDaddy.ca can help you there (yes, GoDaddy-dot-ca) — spelled the Canadian way.

Read more about the many benefits of registering your own .ca domain name here.

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