Domain Categories

Domain names fall under many different categories.  The are organized by what is known as a “domain extension,” which is essentially the end of the domain that follows the domain name itself.  Domain extensions communicate what a visitor is likely to see when he/she visits the site.

gTLDs or Generic Top Level Domains

Generic top level domains (gTLDs) indicate the type of information that is on a site:

.com, the most popular domain extension, mean that a site is likely to be commercial in nature. 
.net, the second most popular gTLD, used to convey that the site had something to do with networking or computers, though it is increasingly becoming used as often as .com for commercial and other sites.
.org was traditionally used for nonprofit and NGO websites, though it is also used for commercial websites today.
.info domains traditionally contain informational websites.

All of these gTLDs are available to anyone in any country.  There are other gTLDs including .mil, .gov, .edu that are restricted for use in the US and many others that are generic terms used to convey the type of content one might expect to see on the site that are available internationally.

ccTLDs or Country Code Top Level Domains

Country code domain names are becoming increasingly popular for companies and people who wish to target an audience in a specific country. The upside to using a ccTLD is that your website will likely be featured in that country’s search engine results and that users within the country will identify your site as pertaining to them.  The downside is that search engines outside of the country will probably not feature your website in search listings and that people in other countries will think your content is not intended for them.

Domain Registration Strategy

Registering your domain name in multiple categories with multiple domain extensions can help ensure that you are keeping your name out of competitors’ hands.  Domain registration processes vary depending on the top level domain and some countries restrict the registration of ccTLDs to only country residents and businesses.  The gold standard domain extension for businesses is .com, since it is the most used and most widely featured in search engine results.  Search for your domain today.