How to Choose the Right TLD

A TLD, or Top Level Domain by its full name, is the bit that comes at the very end of a web address; for example, the TLD for Namecheap.com is the .com suffix. The most common TLDs are .com, .net, .org. but there are hundreds more available.

The average business owner might not give the components of an URL much thought, let alone the differences between top level domain extensions. It’s so easy to overlook a domain suffix if you assume that .com is the one to go with. However, the tail end of your domain name can Impact your website's search engine ranking, people's perceptions of your brand, and more.

Picking the second level domain name of your website — the word or phrase that appears before the TLD — can be the easy part. You’ll soon find many different TLDs appended to your chosen domain name. How do you decide between hundreds of options? Should you go with the eternally popular .com suffix, your local country code extension, or some descriptive word that aligns with your brand?

This article will guide you through the most common types and the factors that go into picking the right TLD for your website.

The primary objective of a domain name is representing your brand with a name. This name is important since it will determine how many people will be persuaded to come closer and take a look at your website. Admittedly, choosing the right TLD extension for your website can be an unwanted peculiarity during this process.

When the go-to .com version of your domain name is not available, you need to widen your net and consider another TLD, but which one? We suggest having an open mind as regards new TLDs. There are many available, each with its intended purpose, which might be a more fitting match for your business needs over a .com extension.

It's easy to skip over TLD selection and go with the first domain that comes to mind. This decision can't be reversed, so it's worth choosing the right TLD from the get-go.

We know that there are many options, but the perception of your potential customer base is a consideration you don't want to overlook when choosing your TLD. Think about it; most people are used to seeing .com and other country-code TLDs, and are less familiar with new generic top level domains (gTLDs), such as .cat.

A domain with a standard .com tld, a familiar gTLD, or a localized domain is likely to be seen as more trustworthy by potential customers, which is especially important for business websites and new company websites in particular.

There was a time when TLDs were limited to the classic extensions. It took a long time for the TLD market to open up. At one point, for example, it wasn’t the norm for big businesses and small businesses to even own a domain. However, once the world wide web became more established, the emphasis went into choosing a domain name. Now, the second-level domain name is the easy part. There’s a staggering number of TLD registrars to choose from aside from most people's go-to .com.

Contrary to popular sentiment, the internet doesn’t end at .com. Just as the web grew and became part of people’s lives, the new TLDs will become more common and accepted, especially by users who have grown up with the web.

Despite the popularity of .com domains, it should be noted that it is entirely possible to run a successful online business using any TLD. There are hundreds of different domain extensions available, so we won’t cover each one here. Instead, let’s consider the most popular options and those that cater to a specific industry to help hone down your options.

The most common TLDs are .com, .net, .org and a handful of others. These so-called 'classic gTLD's' represent just a snippet of what's available. New TLDs like .biz, .mobi and .club are used by specific industries or business interests. TLDs like this are fine options if your business model is focused, but what if your website focuses on an individual? New TLDs, such as the .me and .name extensions, have taken off for biographical websites and blogs.

The purpose of this post isn't to rave about the exciting world of new TLDs. The extension is just a piece of your web address, but it should work together with your domain name to create a cohesive brand for your website. In the spirit of this, let’s move on to our failsafe tips for choosing an appropriate domain extension.

Before you begin the TLD selection process, consider the purpose of your site. There are extensions to fit a whole host of business types and models. If your site represents a non-profit or charitable organization, .org is a wise choice. if you are creating a straightforward commercial website, .com and .biz are commonly used TLDs for online businesses. On the other end of the spectrum, you may envisage a blog to keep a journal, for instance. In this case, an extension like .me would be a fitting solution.

Technically, you can go with almost any TLD that takes your fancy, even if the purpose doesn't fit your selection. However, this won't be helpful to your site visitors. We recommend choosing an extension informed by the use of your website. This way your domain will create a cohesive first impression.

• Look for a gTLD that helps explain and exemplify what you do.

• Think about the audience you are pursuing. You might be better going with .com if you host your advertising on offline platforms, TV, radio, print, etc. where your audience will naturally assume your extension is .com, and you could stand to lose some visitors who try .com.

Here’s a summary of just some of the TLDs perfect for particular industries:

The location of your business, or more often, the location of your target audience can be a major factor in your choice of a TLD. Think about whether you want to attract local visitors and if you need to consider the geographical location of your business before choosing your domain extension. Are you targeting a single country or town, or are you planning to go international? Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs) are the best choice if you need to market your site's audience to a particular geographic region.

There are over 200 ccTLDs available, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding one in your desired area. If you want to sell products in only one country, like Canada, where you will have Canadians as your target audience, then you should think about choosing .ca. Google will then understand that your goal is to rank higher in Google.ca. If you have an international target audience then, store that sells products worldwide, choosing a .com, .net, .org or .com (the most used TLD), would be the best solution.

A distinct advantage to using your local ccTLD is that they are more widely available than .com and what's more, you don't have to operate in the host country of a ccTLD to own a specific country domain. This means you can purchase them from anywhere in the world and your site will pop up more often in searches relevant to their location. This is ideal when you are offering a localized version of a product or service.

The internet has transformed into a global marketplace. Your business might be in the United States, but anyone across the globe can view what you've got to offer. That said, in most cases, people and companies don’t need this kind of global reach. If you operate a neighborhood restaurant or run a local gardening club, for example, you are trading locally and will benefit most from local TLDs.

Local SEO is on the rise as google favors local sites targeting a specific geographical area. Hyperlocal TLDs for particular cities have seen many websites swap from .com to a domain extension that reflects their exact location. .Berlin, .Paris, .London, and .NYC are all now available. These suffixes are still relatively new, which gives you a better chance of finding the domain you’re looking for.

Another way to target a particular audience is using internationalized domain names. IDNs allow you to use country specific characters in core languages and scripts; for example, Cyrillic script.

It's important to use IDNs with great care. Indeed, they will appeal to a specific group of people but will make it more difficult to reach a wider audience, so limit the use of IDNS unless you want to focus your attention on a specific group of people.

Worrying about SEO might a bit premature at this point, but it's never too early to think about where you’ll appear in search results. When browsing for a domain, it’s important to understand the value of choosing a top level domains while keeping SEO in mind. Considering SEO from the early stages of creating your domain name is the best way to make sure you’ll rank well later on.

There is a common misconception that .com has the best chance of topping search engine rankings. The fact is, every TLD can rank in the top positions if SEO practices are adopted. .com is the most popular extension and that’s why it’s frequently ranked in top positions.

Using a new TLD will not affect your ranking in search engines. It’s worth noting that in the eyes of Google and other search engines, all TLDs are equal. New gTLDs and ccTLDS won’t carry any inherent SEO value, but neither will they be seen as inferior to .com.

It's generally accepted that if your website has quality content and web design with one of these TLDs, nothing is stopping it from doing well. Just like with any domain, it may take it a while to get there.

Follow our tips for choosing a good TLD for SEO purposes:

• Since gTLDs don’t target specific countries and some are widely known, you benefit from a broader, more accepting audience.

• As mentioned, country-specific domain extensions are advantageous for websites that wish to attract visitors in a specific area. The downside to choosing a ccTLD is that you won’t be ranked as well globally. With rare exceptions, such as startups with good marketing practices, specific extensions are best off reserved only for websites offering country-specific services.

While some new gTLDs can help you stay competitive in search engines and increase your brand reputation, others will look spammy and have an adverse effect. Some of the options for domains extensions are seen by search engines as a spam factor, and they won't rank them well.

Before you settle on a domain to register, take a moment to check if the TLD you’re going for is appearing on email block lists. If there’s anything to suggest the TLD is viewed with contempt online, that could be a bad sign. We recommend avoiding such a TLD because it will make your website look like it could be spam, which isn’t a good thing.

In the case of domain names, does the extension on the end really matter? The short answer is: yes and no. Take Amazon, for example. The company uses .smile and .like for some of their products. These have arguably no positive SEO value or communicate anything special to site visitors. That said, the right TLD can add a certain "something" to your brand, helping to drive visitors to your website.

Ultimately, If you’ve found a TLD you’re happy with, go with it. If you commit to it and observe SEO best practices, you’ll be fine.

If you’re about to order a domain name, consider the basic pointers above to guide your choice of domain name. If you’re interested in the extensions domain extensions available, explore the Namecheap domain directory of thousands of TLDs. Once you have a basic idea of what kind of domain name you want, have a play around with our domain name search and experiment with the TLDs available with Namecheap.