Domain Extension Meanings
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David
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February 20th, 2012
When it comes to registering domain names you'll generally be given quite a few options in regards to the domain name extensions. This refers to whether you register a .COM, .NET, .ORG. US, etc.
Below I'm going to cover some of the more popular domain extensions in addition to some of the new domain extensions. They really aren't listed in any particular order but I've listed them in the order of which would probably be more common to you. When it comes to search engine rankings the domain extension doesn't really make a difference by the way.
TLD - Top Level Domains
There are three types of top-level domains that are classified by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) which I've described below.
TLD - These are the most common extensions that you're probably familiar with. They are made up of .COM, .NET & .ORG domains.
ccTLD - These are country code domain name extensions and they are generally made up of 2 characters. Some of the ccTLD extensions that you're probably familiar with are .US for United States, .CA for Canada, .JP for Japan and .CN for China.
gTLD - These are generic TLDs and are generally made up of 3 or more letters. Some of the gTLD domain extensions that you may be familiar with are .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME & .MOBI.
Domain Extension Meanings
Below you'll find some of the more popular domain extensions and the domain extension meaning.
.COM (Commercial) - Generally intended for commercial use. By far the most recognized domain name extension.
.NET (Network) - This was originally intended for network oriented sites such as internet service providers. This definitely isn't the case any longer. People will register .NET domains for commercial use, generally if the .COM extension isn't available or if they'd like to protect their main .COM domain by registering all available extensions.
.ORG (Organization) - This domain extension was originally intended for non-profit or trade organizations. Again, this is no longer the case and is generally registered by anyone looking to protect their main domain by registering all available domain extensions or simply because a better extension isn't available for registration.
.BIZ (Business) - This is a gTLD that is generally registered to classify their website as a business. Although it's not a commonly recognized extension, I feel that it's a great alternative if the .COM extension isn't available and for only $8.95 per year through www.SiteToad.com it certainly wouldn't hurt to register the extension so that your competition doesn't try to squat on it.
.US (United States) - This ccTLD generally refers to US based companies. Although the domain has been out for quite some time now it's possible to find some very good domain names with this extension.
.INFO (Informational) - This gTLD is generally used as an extension for informational websites. I believe that other than .COM, .NET & .ORG, it's the most popular domain extension used. If you are developing an informational website it's definitely a domain extension that I'd register.
.MOBI (Mobile) - This domain extension, as of this writing, is fairly new. Although majority of the domain name owners registered their domain name with the .MOBI domain name to protect their brand, it is primarily reserved for website built for displaying on mobile devices.
.TV (Television) - In my opinion it's used primarily for media, primarily video, related websites.
.WS (Website) - This is actually a ccTLD for Western Samoa but was converted to a domain extension commonly used as an acronym for 'website'. Although it seems that it would be a great extension I don't feel that it really ever took off and you can find very good domains available with the .WS extension.
.ME (ME) - This is the newest domain, as of this writing. It was originally the ccTLD of Montenegro but would generally be used for personal related websites such as family websites or blogs another option would be to pose your resume or even artwork that you may have done. The other use would be to create a very memorable personal email address.
.NAME (NAME) - This is a gTLD that's intended for personal use. You'll find that this extension is used for personal / family websites or simply used for name related email addresses.
.CA (Canada) - This is a ccTLD that is generally reserved for Canadian based businesses.
.CO.UK (United Kingdom) - This country code domain is generally reserved for commercial related websites based in the United Kingdom. Although it's not restricted to just UK based business, I see very little value in registering the domain extension unless you plan on doing some sort of business in the UK.
.CN (China) - This is the ccTLD for China. This domain is not restricted to companies based in China and can basically be registered by anyone that would like a .CN extension.
A Final Word On Domain Extension Meanings
Although I only covered 14 domain name extensions there are many many more extensions that you can register. Many of them are country code domains that are restricted to businesses or individuals living in that particular country.
As I mentioned in my article on domain name registration tips, it's a good idea to register multiple extensions to keep your competitors from registering your domain name but with different extensions. I personally register at least 8 extensions when I register a domain that know that I'm going to put a lot of time into. Those extensions would be .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .US, .BIZ, .WS & .MOBI.
Lastly, I've seen very little, if any, evidence that the domain extension that you register will have an effect on any search engine rankings. I've seen .BIZ domains register better than .COM extensions many times.
With that said, you may find some sort of difference on regional search engines such as Google.ca or Google.co.uk. I don't have any sort of evidence but you'll often find that domains with those particular extensions do well on those regional search engines.
Webmaster Forum
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