Making a website for your business or new online project requires a good domain. Domains come in all sorts and prices. The ending can be critical for SEO and branding. This ending is called a TLD. There are many types of TLDs like generic TLDs and Country TLDs. Today we will be being showing you some of the top TLDs for you to use for your next domain shopping. Please keep in mind that not every domain registrar carries these TLDs so make sure to check with the website to make sure it is available.

Firstly, .com Domains have been proven to rank the best in website SEO. Therefore, they are worth the most in domain sales and aftermarket sales. They are the most common and used the most. If you care a lot about your image, and branding, a .com domain would be perfect for you. Many types of .com domains have been taken from the 90s, so if you have a one or two-word, dictionary word name for your brand, a .com domain may be hard to find or more expensive since it has most likely been bought out be a domain flipper. Even things like four number .com domains have been mostly taken or already resold. In terms of branding, .com domains are mostly memorized and known among consumers and are trusted by most since they are mostly used. Some other TLDs may be deemed as “unsafe” by some consumers since they are not known or recognized by them. So, if that is a big factor for you, you may want to check out some other options before purchasing your .com domain. In terms of price, .com is typically mid-range for price. There is cheaper TLDs like .xyz domains but a .com domain may be worth the extra money. In terms of availability, must registrars carry .com domains. It is one of the most available TLDs. It should also be noted that the com in .com stands for commercial. This might be perfect for established business and starting projects. Some people want their company name to be intuitive and memorable. Having a .com domain with your brand can really help you boost your brand image and scale up professionally and creatively. Com may mean commercial, but it is widely used for any purpose despite its name. This can also be said for .org domains and in a way, .net domains. If this all sounds good to you, and you would like to scale up your business to make it look more professional, a .com domain may be for you and for your new brand image!

We are now moving on from .com to ccTLDs. ccTLDs are country code TLDs. Some examples of ccTLDs are .us (United States), .uk (United Kingdom), .pr (Puerto Rico), and .ca (Canada). These can be very nice if you would like to relate to a certain area or country. If your business only services a certain country, it may be worth having a ccTLD to show you serve that country and conduct business in that area. This could be a great backup option if maybe a .com domain is not available or if you want a shorter domain option since most ccTLDs are two letter long. Some countries also have subdomains. Some examples of that is .co.uk (United Kingdom), .com.bz (Belizean), .us.com (United States), and .org.mx (Mexico). These are longer domains but if you feel the need to specify the type of business and country you service those are available. This can also be used if everything else is already taken and you don’t want to go for a more generic TLD like .house or .monster. We will speak about these generic TLDs later in this article. Another possible thing with ccTLDs is domain hacks. This is a term used to use a TLD to complete the term. Some examples of this is the brand Pepsi (pep.si), the word United States (unitedstat.es), and the word blogs (blo.gs). These are mostly achieved by ccTLDs but can sometimes be achieved by generic TLDs like the word factor (f.actor). ccTLDs can be sort of memorable but only for the countries and areas that use them the most. Some areas use their respective ccTLD more then they use generic TLDs due to certain restrictions and local recognition. Some ccTLDs may be massively more expensive due to government restrictions and laws. Some may also require citizen documentation before purchasing a ccTLD domain. It is also very important to note that some ccTLDs from different countries require different security licenses and certificates to operate and be purchased in the first place. If you would like to represent and be known in your area, a ccTLD is perfect for your website or project.

The next type of TLDs we will cover is the many generic TLDs. Some examples of generic TLDs might be .dance, .cool, .lol, .vip, and .glass. These can be used for fun and if you find a generic TLD that fits your project. These domains can be used for fun and maybe even domains that also identify your brand. There is most likely a generic TLD that fits your project style or business idea, so if any of the common TLDs are taken try a generic TLD that fits you. A generic TLD is typically called a gTLD. A gTLD can help customers understand what business you are in and what you service. This is great if your business needs to establish a strong connection on what you do and how you operate with the visitors of the website to let them know what business you represent and what the consumer is in for. They can also be used for company URL shorteners with unique names. These are mostly used for extra domains too. If you already own a .com and maybe a ccTLD domain, it may be useful to pick up a gTLD for your business so it can be used as a backup domain and it could be used to brand what you are wanting to accomplish. If you are one of the people that want to take up all of the domains with your brand name for security purposes, there will be plenty of gTLDs to use for your project and one that will fir your needs. I personally love gTLDs as they have to much opportunity to go outside the box and pretty much set your domain as whatever you want your business to be. It must also be noted that gTLD domains are not worth much compared to other, high value, must common TLDs. Another great thing is that gTLDs are starting to get even more popular than ever so a lot of brand new gTLDs are coming out so people can have more flexibility to change their brand domain and market it as something brand new! We will talk about new TLDs coming to the market next and how you can keep a lookout for them. In that segment we will also talk about how new TLDs will be very expensive for the market and market value if you are into that kind of thing.

New TLDs are on the horizon all the time! They are typically more creative than the past and will serve or cater to a market that typically does not have much online presence coverage at the current time. Some examples of new TLDs that are coming out or have very recently came out are .gay, .tech, .fan, and .free. The problem with some of these new TLDs is that some consumers are used to the 3 top TLDs most websites uses. They may type in your website with a .com at the end and loose a customer that cannot find your website. Since these consumers are so accustomed to this they may forget other “domain endings” exist and may end up going to the wrong website. Another problem is the vast market of domain sales and how new TLDs will affect this. New TLDs are starting to get used less and less as our market today is already so diverse, some people don’t see the need to make a new TLD and maybe cater to a “smaller niche”. It can also lessen the value of already established successful TLDs since more people would want to see their domains on that new TLD. New TLDs have a good and bad side to them that could end up affecting everyone in the industry and for a regular business or project owner.

That was how to choose the right TLD for your business or project. You are always in control if your branding and marketing of your brand so you can make sure to choose the right domain and TLD that feels okay for the job. The possibilities are endless with domains, don’t always feel too limited! We trust that you will find your perfect domain!