Security, referencing, price: what are the advantages of a .fr domain name?

When choosing a URL for your site, you quickly tend to focus on the radical of the domain name (Numerama for example), leaving aside the extension that follows it. And yet… the choice of domain name extension is far from trivial: it greatly influences the referencing of your site and provides valuable information to Internet users who consult it.

Let’s take it .Fr For example. This domain name extension specific to French territory is a significant asset for companies whose activity is located in France. But this is not its only advantage, since the .fr is also for many synonymous with trust and quality. Among them, OVHcloud currently offers two particularly interesting offers if you decide to register a URL in .fr.

What are the advantages of a .fr site?

Choosing a .fr domain name extension has many advantages, some of which are not necessarily visible at first glance. The main thing is undeniably the trust and proximity induced by this extension.

For nearly 80% of French people (AFNIC’s Perception du .fr study), the .fr is closely linked to historic French companies and institutions, which therefore enjoy an excellent reputation. Sites established on the national territory, in French language, and easily accessible. Choosing the .fr for its activity means giving it immediate legitimacy and an aura of accessibility to French Internet users.

From this choice comes another valuable advantage in terms of SEO. Quite logically, a .fr site will go up more easily, on French territory, in the results of your search engine. Enough to obtain an additional advantage, with an equivalent domain name, on sites in .com, .net or any other domain extension.

A .fr domain name is also synonymous with quality and security. The rules for assigning this domain name extension imply that the site which benefits from it belongs to individuals or legal persons established in Europe, on the territory of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. A way to guarantee the respect and security of personal data.

Choosing .fr also means saving money, which is not insignificant when you start your business. Once again, for the same domain name, .fr is often 20 to 30% cheaper than its .com equivalent, and costs an average of 12 euros per year, according to AFNIC data. Some hosts, such as OVHcloud, even reduce the bill by half.

Finally, know that opting for a .fr domain name allows you to carry out a good deed. Since this year, 11% of .fr turnover has been dedicated to financing actions of general interest, including the first €1.3 million for the Afnic Foundation for digital solidarity. Enough to finance various projects allowing, for example, to reduce the digital divide. This year 2023, its call for projects concerns the organization of digital workshops and the reduction of inequalities within our society.

Secure your .fr domain name in just a few clicks with OVHcloud

Specialist in data hosting, based in France, OVHcloud is the ideal partner to support you in the creation of your website and help you secure your .fr domain name. How ? Thanks to two offers as interesting as they are complete, which are aimed at neophytes as well as connoisseurs of the subject.

The first formula offered by OVHcloud is perfect for anyone who wants to get started on the internet with a personal or professional site (blog, showcase site, online store). This is a turnkey, easy-to-use offer that includes:

• a .fr domain name offered for the first year;
• one month of free accommodation;
• a free and easy-to-use CMS (WordPress, Prestashop);
• 100 GB of disk space to host your content;
• up to 10 email addresses linked to your domain name.

Thanks to this offer, and by taking the Personal hosting formula offered by OVHcloud, you will pay less than 4 euros (excl. VAT) to put your website online.

The second offer from OVHcloud is aimed at users who wish to establish their activity over time and benefit from a long-lasting domain name. Thanks to it, you will be able to register your .fr domain name for a period of two to ten years, which has several advantages, the main one being to avoid price increases linked to the registration of the domain name.

This formula also has all the advantages offered by OVHcloud, whether for setting up your future site (free CMS, e-mail account, web hosting) or in terms of managing your domain name (DNS management, DNSSEC , theft protection, domain name redirection).

Last but not least, OVHcloud is currently offering you one year free on your .fr domain name for any subscription of two years or more.

.com, .fr or .net: what is a domain name extension?

Before talking directly about domain name extensions, let’s take a look at the anatomy of a URL. In general, it consists of four main elements:

• The protocol : ftp, http, https… this part makes it possible to make the connection between your computer (the client), its browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera) and a remote web server, on which the content you wish to consult is hosted;
• The subdomain: in most cases, these are the www present after the protocol. This part of the URL indicates that the site belongs to the world wide web and can be viewed through a browser. Over time, the sub-domains have diversified and the use of the www is no longer mandatory;
• The radical : this is the name of your site, which distinguishes it from other sites. It is unique and is used to direct Internet users precisely to your content, like a postal address. The radical also makes it possible to communicate information to Internet users on the content of the site (theme, brand name, etc.);
• The domain name extension: located after the radical, it allows you to specify to which category or group your site belongs;
• The domain name: we call domain name the combination of three elements, namely the sub-domain (or prefix), the radical and the domain name extension.

In the early days of the Internet, the purpose of the domain name extension was to classify and order websites in specific categories, supposed to help Internet users find their way around. The famous .com was intended for commercial sites. The .org for non-profit organizations, and the .net, for everything related to network technologies. Each country also has its own extension, like .fr for France.

Over time, this nomenclature has evolved and developed. Some extensions have been diverted from their primary purpose (Micronesia’s .fm is thus used by many radio stations for their sites), while a string of more or less whimsical extensions have been added (.ninja, . wtf or .cool for example).

AFNIC, a major asset for creators of .fr sites

In France, the allocation and management of domain name extensions is managed by AFNIC or Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération. Founded in 1997 on the initiative of INRIA and the Ministry of Industry, Telecommunications and Research, this association under the 1901 law has guaranteed for nearly 30 years the proper functioning of .fr, its promotion and the continuity of the service. .

When you decide to create your website, you can check availability with AFNIC. You can then register a .fr domain name in one of the AFNIC-accredited registrars. How do I know if a domain name is available? Well, the association keeps a complete register of some 4 million existing domain names with this extension: the Whois.

Thanks to this database, you can very quickly obtain all the information you want on a domain name, and which you may need during your formalities. In particular, you will be able to:

• Test the availability or not of a domain name;
• Obtain information about the holder of a domain name (if active);
• Obtain the administrative or technical contact related to the given domain name;
• Obtain its creation or expiry date;
• Obtain information on its protection (DNSSEC active or not);
• Know in which registrar the domain name was filed.

It should be noted that the personal data of natural persons appearing in this database are automatically anonymized, and that only legal persons are displayed in their own right in the results.

Beyond the pure management of domain names, AFNIC is also in charge of promoting and supporting .fr. How ? Thanks to the Réussir en .fr platform, which provides Internet users and/or companies with numerous resources to become familiar with and train in the challenges of the web (articles, webinars, physical workshops).

If you liked this article, you will like the following ones: do not miss them by subscribing to Numerama on Google News.