There are now more than 1,000 top-level domains, giving a daunting choice to anyone wanting to register a new website. From the recognisable .com and .org to the more obscure .io and .ly, choosing the right domain for your website is an important first step that may stick with you for years to come.
So which domain should you go with? The answer is an unfortunately ambiguous 'It depends'. But here's some general guidelines on picking the right top-level domain for your website.
Why not just use dot com?
The first thought that comes to mind when picking a top-level domain (TLD), otherwise known as the thing your web address ends with, is to go with the tried and true .com. It's the go-to domain and undeniably the most recognisable.
While you can almost never go wrong with using .com as your TLD, years of registrations means that there's very little real estate left with it. There's a good chance that your ideal .com web address has already been taken, either being used or squatted on by somebody else.
Alternative top-level domains
So if you can't acquire your ideal .com address, what about using an alternative TLD such as .co or .io?
The good news is that using an alternative TLD isn't going to affect your websites ranking in search engines – Google's algorithm ensures that no TLD receives preference over others. This means that the main thing to consider when choosing an alternative TLD is audience perception.
Alternative TLDs and user perception
Some TLDs hold certain connotations. Moz's survey on how searchers perceive TLDs found that they associate .org with non-profit organisations and .edu with educational institutions, giving these TLDs narrow uses.
It's important to set up accurate expectations about your site's content. Using an alternative TLD that isn't perceived as relevant to your company will give a false impression. Visitors won't trust your site's content or your brand if you mislead them.
Association-free alternative domains
One option is to use domains that simply substitute the .com and hold no additional associations, such as the .co or .io domains.
While less tech-savvy audiences (your grandparents) might be more apprehensive about clicking through to these uncommon domains, Vine.co and Soup.io are examples of large websites that have successfully utilised these TLDs and are likely to normalise their usage in the future.
If you had a web address set in your mind that isn't available on .com, the .co or .io domains will work just as well.
Creative uses of alternative domains
Another option is to use alternative TLDs as part of your branding. For example, websites with a .pizza or .shoes domain provide a very straightforward message to users about what their website is offering. This is especially useful if your brand name itself doesn't specify what the core of your business is.
Domains such as del.icio.us or visual.ly are also creative examples of how sites have incorporated their TLDs into their branding to create a more memorable and easy to remember web address.
Untrustworthy alternative domains
Using alternative domains can come with some risks. For instance, it can negatively associate your site with some of the less savoury parts of the internet, such as professional spammers and malware operators.
Spamhaus found that some TLDs harbour more malicious content sites than other domains, with .accountant, .download, .science, .trade and more all having a high percentage of bad domains. It's best to avoid using these compromised TLDs as the last thing you want is for your website to be associated with scams or hoaxes and put on a blacklist.
Local top-level domains (ccTLDs)
Country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) are also worth considering for your website. ccTLDs are top-level domains that are specific to certain countries, such as .uk for the United Kingdom or .au for Australia.
Some ccTLDs have additional requirements that must be met before acquiring their domains, such as needing to be a resident of that country.
How ccTLDs affect SEO
Unlike generic top-level domains, ccTLDs influence search engine results. Search engines give geotargeting preferences to local domains as their content is seen as more relevant to the searcher.
If your business is primarily local in nature, using a ccTLD can give you an advantage in local search results against non-geotargeted websites. On the other hand, if your business is global, using a ccTLD will make your website less visible to your target audience overseas.
ccTLDs and user perception
Apart from the effects ccTLDs have on search engine optimisation, they also affect how users perceive your website. The previously-mentioned Moz survey found that the majority of users do recognise that ccTLDs indicate a certain place of origin. However, it also found that ccTLDs do not significantly impact user trust, either positively or negatively.
The bigger picture
Ultimately, while there are some benefits in picking certain TLDs over others, the choice itself may not be as important as it looks. As alternative TLDs become more and more popular, the domain your web address ends with won't make or break your site.
Instead of focusing on what your domain name ends with, it's better to make your entire web address easy to remember, easy to type and as straightforward as possible to ensure a good web experience for your audience.
As long as your website contains quality content, users won't hold it against you if your website ends with a .co or a .com.
