How to Choose a Domain Name Extension
Your audience forms an opinion about your website in roughly 0.05 seconds. Choosing the right TLD (top-level domain), or domain extension, can make or break that crucial first impression. But with thousands of domain extensions available, it can be tough to choose the best TLD for your business. That’s where this guide comes in.
Understanding Domain Name Extensions
To understand domain name extensions, it’s helpful to understand the different parts of a URL or Uniform Resource Locator—your complete, unique web address. Just like your home address is made of your address number, street name, whether it’s a lane or an avenue, directions like northeast, and other important pieces of identification like unit number, a URL is also made from different parts.
Using our URL as an example, let’s take a closer look at the different components.
- Scheme or protocol—the https indicates specific rules your internet browser follows to communicate with our website server
- Subdomain—the www is a subdomain, short for “world wide web”
- Second-level domain (SLD)— the registeredagentsinc is the custom piece that connects to our brand
- Top-level domain (TLD)—the .com is our domain extension
- Subdirectory—everything after the slash, aka the hire-us, is a subdirectory telling your browser which part of our site to access
Your domain name is just two parts of this overall picture: the top-level domain, or TLD, and the second-level domain, or SLD.
When you’re wondering how to choose a domain name, you’re probably thinking about the SLD—the customized piece that reflects your brand. The TLD is usually an afterthought. But actually, it’s not a small decision, and the TLD you choose is likely to impact your brand in some way.
So let’s look at that TLD in more detail.
What Is a TLD (Top-Level Domain)?
Everything that follows the last dot (.) in a domain name makes up the top-level domain, or TLD. In our URL, that’s .com.
The first TLDs were designed to categorize websites by type:
- .com for commercial
- .org for organizations
- .net for networks
- .gov for government
- .mil for military
- .edu for education
Today, things are only a little different.
Common TLDs and their uses
Although the sheer number of available domain extensions might suggest otherwise, there are just a handful of popular TLDs. Your customers are more likely to recognize and trust these extensions:
.com
.com boasts nearly half the global internet’s domain extension registrations. Everyone recognizes this as the default domain extension for commercial and business sites.
.org
.org remains a popular choice for nonprofit and other charitable organizations. It’s so trusted as a do-gooder TLD that using it for sales looks shady—so don’t do that.
.co
Short for “company,” .co has become a modern alternative to .com. This newer extension is also significantly less populated, so you’re more likely to snag your dream domain at this TLD.
.net
.net is a solid choice for promoting services in networking and technology. And because it’s run by the same registry operator as .com, it enjoys the same history of accuracy and stability.
Domain Extensions by Type
There are a few main types of domain extensions: gTLDs, sTLDs, and ccTLDs. We’ll walk you through the differences, but if things get a little confusing, just remember that we can always help you choose a domain extension for which you’re eligible.
Generic TLDs (gTLDs)
GTLDs are the most common type of domain extension. These are established giants like .com, .org, and .net, along with thousands of others spanning different interests, communities, and possibilities.
While anyone can register most of these domain extensions, a few have prerequisites:
- Generic restricted TLDs or grTLDs
These can only be registered by specific entities who meet particular qualifications. Registering a .biz domain, for example, requires you to present proof that you’re using it for business or commercial purposes. Things get a little more confusing once you start diving into the details of which other gTLDs have specific eligibility requirements. We’ll talk about regional, or geoTLDs, and industry-specific TLDs a little later. - Brand TLDs
ICANN—the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, aka the big boss of the internet—has empowered brands to buy their own TLDs. Several have taken advantage of this newer program, including .toyota and .canon. As you can probably guess, these particular extensions are off-limits to your average Main Street businesses. On the other hand, when your business goes global, you can apply for your own branded top-level domain!
Sponsored TLDs (sTLDs)
A sponsored TLD represents a specific community or organization. Where ICANN establishes policies to regulate gTLDs, the delegated sponsors of these specialized sTLDs establish and enforce their own rules.
Sponsored TLDs include .gov and .mil, which are sponsored by different U.S. federal entities and reserved for their specific use. Similarly, .travel can only be registered by participants in the travel industry, and .post is restricted to the worldwide postal industry and community.
Country code TLDs (ccTLDs)
Country code TLDs are two-character domain extensions that represent a specific territory or country. For example, .us, .uk, and .ph represent the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines respectively.
CcTLDs may or may not be restricted to specific governing agencies or local registrants. Extensions like .ai and .io have become popular in the artificial intelligence and tech communities thanks to the generous registration policies of Anguilla and the British Indian Ocean Territory, and we have Tuvalu to thank for .tv.
How Domain Extensions Affect SEO
Wondering how domain extensions affect SEO? This gets a little tricky, because your other SEO strategies like quality content, keyword optimization, backlinks, and meta descriptions tip the scale far more than your top-level domain. Let’s take a closer look.
What is the SEO impact of different TLDs?
By itself, your domain extension’s SEO impact is negligible. Search engines including Google treat top-level domains as equivalent to each other. Plus, recent moves by the search giant suggest even the geographic targeting boost of ccTLDs may diminish as location-ambiguous branding use increases.
However, consumer trust in your domain extension can affect your click-through rate, indirectly having a negative impact on your search engine results page rankings. Some domain extensions, like .zip, are notorious for shady activity—even .biz has a negative connotation thanks to a higher percentage of scam sites.
Should you choose new or established TLDs?
Choosing a new versus an established TLD is entirely down to what works for your brand. A newer gTLD like .app or .io doesn’t automatically mean your site will rank lower than one with a more established extension, like .com or .org.
Plus, Google has confirmed that the presence of a keyword in a TLD is irrelevant to its search results. In other words, there’s no advantage (or disadvantage) to parking your CPA firm’s website at .accountants versus .com if that’s the only difference.
Brand Identity and Choosing the Right TLD
Choosing the right TLD means picking the extension that builds up your brand identity and matches your messaging.
Aligning your TLD with your business goals
Your domain extension selection should align with your business goals and marketing strategies. Who’s your target audience? What values do you want to communicate to them? An .inc might work for a corporate brand taking advantage of a uniquely memorable URL. A cheekier brand might go for something like unique.ly.
Alternatively, purchase your domain name at multiple extensions and forward them to the most credible one. Then dress up your marketing to match your audience.
Regional and industry-specific TLDs
Want to capitalize on the local scene or stand out as a professional in your field? Think about securing regional top-level domains and industry-specific domain extensions.
- Regional TLDs
GeoTLDs, or regional domain extensions, share the vibe of their locality. Brands strongly identified with .nyc, .paris, .tokyo, or any of the available geoTLDs show community pride when they adopt these domain extensions. - Industry-Specific TLDs
A type of community TLD, industry-specific domain extensions are intended for use by the associated field. Like sponsored TLDs, they’re usually delegated to regulatory bodies who ensure registrants meet any eligibility criteria. Examples of these include .bank, .insurance, and for something a little less buttoned-up, .spa.
Domain Name Availability and Legal Considerations
Before you get too attached to a domain name, you need to make sure it’s available and free from any legal baggage. Protect your brand and head off future complications with these next steps.
Checking the availability of desired extensions
First, make sure that the domain and extension you want are actually available. You can search our domain name registry here:
If the domain name you want isn’t available at a top-level domain that works for your brand, try these suggestions.
Avoiding legal issues with trademarks
Second, search the USPTO trademark office to make sure your brand doesn’t infringe on anyone’s trademark. Lawsuits are costly and time-consuming, and changing your domain name is easier said than done.
Final Thoughts
With over 300 websites created per second, the digital world is becoming increasingly saturated. Make a memorable first impression and start building a reputation customers can trust with a domain name extension that bolsters your brand. And, if you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. We’ve helped folks launch their dreams for years, and we’re standing by to help you do the same.