Country Code & Geographic TLDs

How are ccTLDs and GeoTLDs different from gTLDs?

You’ve already discovered that GeoTLDs and ccTLDs were created to be area or country-specific domains. Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) however, were broader and for general purpose.

For example, .com derived from the word ‘commercial’, .edu from ‘education’, and .gov from ‘government’. Fast forward and there are now over 1,000 TLDs to choose from for your personal blog or professional website. Don’t forget to look for new ccTLDs in our TLD list.

How Can I Use ccTLDs Creatively?

Innovative website owners also use what is known as a ‘domain hack’ to create an exciting name with wordplay. Using both the domain name and the TLD, new words or sayings can be spelled out. Why not try exploring our country domain extension list to see what fun domain hacks you can make?

For example, take Anguilla’s .ai, the British Indian Ocean Territory’s .io, and Colombia’s .co. These website endings can be ‘hacked’ to provide addresses like portfol.io, if you’re a budding photographer, pistach.io if you’re a nut for nuts, or ta.co for if you like to keep it caliente.

Would a ccTLD or GeoTLD benefit my business?

Securing an internet domain related to the country you do business in, will help show that you’re a trustworthy organization with an interest in attracting a local market. Both types of TLDs can help you target customers from a specific location, and they may feel more secure using a web space that uses their own country codes.

For example, if you owned a thriving coffee mug store in downtown New York, you might consider registering for thecoffeemug.us or thecoffeemug.nyc. Your website coupled with a country code will help your user to learn more about where your business operates. Plus, if your dream .com domain name has already been taken, it’s always worth a check through our list of ccTLDs to see if it’s available.

Often, although a top-level domain may be classed as a ccTLD, the website content has nothing to do with a specific geographical location. Country domain extensions like .ai are frequently used by artificial intelligence companies, and .co is used by companies across the globe.