What each ending tells your customers
The ending of your web address is a small signal, and people do notice it. Seeing .com.mt, a customer in Birkirkara or Victoria knows they're dealing with someone local. That can matter for trades, clinics, accountants and anyone whose customers want a Maltese company they can call.
A .com says nothing about where you are. That's useful when your customers are spread out, like a dive centre taking bookings from visitors in Germany, or a freelancer working with clients abroad. It's also the ending people type by habit, so a .com is a little harder to get wrong when someone types it from memory.
Who looks after .mt domains
Malta's country ending, .mt, and the versions under it such as .com.mt, are run by NIC Malta. You can read their current rules and search for available names at nic.org.mt.
A .com is handled differently. It's a global ending, sold through many registrars around the world, and you can usually buy one in a few minutes. With a .com.mt there may be extra steps, so check NIC Malta's site for what they ask for before you plan your launch around a particular name.
Why a .com.mt usually costs more
Country endings tend to be pricier than a .com, and .com.mt is no exception. Prices change and differ between providers, so get a current quote rather than trusting an old figure.
For a real example of the difference, the Malta CVS professional-support listing shows one Malta provider charging €20 extra for a .com.mt on top of its yearly domain and hosting fee. That's one provider, not a rule, but in that case the extra was modest. The bigger cost is losing a name, so think about the long term more than the first year.
Pros and cons at a glance
- .com.mt pro: looks clearly Maltese and local, which can build trust with Maltese customers.
- .com.mt pro: the name you want is more likely to be free than the .com version.
- .com.mt con: usually costs more each year, and registering may take more steps.
- .com.mt con: longer to say and type, and some visitors may leave off the .mt.
- .com pro: familiar everywhere, quick to register, and often cheaper to renew.
- .com con: short, good names are often taken, so you may end up with something longer.
Should you register both?
If the budget allows, owning both is a sensible way to protect your name. You pick one as the main address and point the other at it, so anyone who types either ends up on the same site. It also stops someone else grabbing the matching name and confusing your customers.
If you can only have one, go with where your customers are. Mostly local? A .com.mt fits. Mostly visitors or overseas clients? A .com is the safer pick. Whichever you choose, put the same address on your shop sign, van, Google Business Profile and business cards so people only ever see one version.
Always register the domain in your own name
This matters more than the ending. The person or company named as the domain holder controls it. If a designer, a relative or a former staff member registered it in their name, you may struggle to move your website, change your email or renew it when they're not around.
Ask for the domain to be registered with your business as the holder and your own email as the contact. Keep the login details somewhere safe, and note the renewal date. If a domain lapses, someone else can buy it, and getting it back can be hard or impossible.
Picking the name itself
Keep it short, easy to spell and easy to say over the phone. Avoid hyphens and numbers if you can, and say it out loud to a friend to check they'd type it correctly. If your trading name is taken, adding your town or trade often works, such as your name plus Mosta or your name plus plumbing.
Every €150 Boost website includes the domain registered in your name, with domain, hosting and SSL renewal from €60/year after that. If you're unsure which ending to go for, tell us about your business and we reply within 1 working day.