Which domain is the most common and reserved for commercial organizations and businesses?

What Does Top-Level Domain (TLD) Mean?

Top-level domain (TLD) refers to the last segment of a domain name, or the part that follows immediately after the "dot" symbol.

For example, in the internet address: https://www.google.com, the “.com” portion is the TLD.

TLDs are mainly classified into two categories: generic TLDs and country-specific TLDs.

Examples of some of the popular TLDs include:

• .com

• .org

• .net

• .gov

• .biz

• .edu.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), is the entity that coordinates domains and IP addresses for the internet.

Historically, TLDs represented the purpose and type of domain or the geographical area from which it originated. ICANN has generally been very strict about opening up new TLDs, but in 2010, it decided to allow the creation of numerous new generic TLDs as well as TLDs for company-specific trademarks.

Top-level domains are also known as domain suffixes.

Techopedia Explains Top-Level Domain (TLD)

ARPANET created TLDs to allow humans to ease the process of memorizing IP addresses. Instead of using a series of digits for each computer, the domain name system was established to organize addresses in a more user-friendly way.

In 1971, the first email was developed and sent using an “@” symbol. The "address" after the @ was not the domain but the actual computer it was sending to. In the early 1980s, when the earliest domains started being developed, the first TLDs such as .org and .com saw the light.

A top-level domain recognizes a certain element regarding the associated website, such as its objective (business, government, education), its owner, or the geographical area from which it originated.

Each TLD includes an independent registry controlled by a specific organization, which is managed under the guidance of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

ICANN recognizes the following types of TLDs:

Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD)

These are the most popular types of TDLs. Some examples include ".edu" for educational sites and ."com" for commercial sites. These types of TLDs are available for registration.

Country-Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD)

Every ccTLD recognizes a specific country and is generally two letters long. For example, the ccTLD for Australia is ".au".

Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLD)

These TLDs are supervised by private organizations.

Infrastructure Top-Level Domains

There is only one TLD in this category, which is ".arpa". The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority controls this TLD for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

In earlier times, the purpose of each TLD was specific, such as .com which was used only for commercial websites. Eventually, as the Internet kept growing and evolving, this restriction was abandoned, and now there’s almost no distinction between most TLDs.

However, some TLDs are reserved for some unique purposes even today, such as gTLDs that are assigned for educational institutions (.edu) and those assigned for government and the military (.gov and .mil).

Some of the TLDs and their original explanations are as follows:

• .com — Commercial businesses.

• .org — Organizations (generally charitable).

• .net — Network organizations.

• .gov — U.S. government agencies.

• .mil — Military.

• .edu — Educational facilities, like universities.

• .th — Thailand.

• .ca — Canada.

• .au — Australia.

According to the IETF, there are four top-level domain names that are reserved, and are not used in production networks inside the worldwide domain name system:

• .example — Only available to use in examples.

• .invalid — Only available to use in invalid domain names.

• .localhost — Only available to use in local computers.

• .test — Only available to use in tests.

Currently, some TLDs are more difficult to get compared to easy ones such as .com. Because of this, many organizations register multiple TLDs and redirect them as necessary to the main one used for their principal web resource.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in 2012 and again in 2018. As of December 2020, it’s been updated and republished to reflect current information. The article was cleaned up, recommendations were reassessed, and references were refreshed.

The simplest, most direct answer to the proposed question is that you generally want to go with a .com domain name.

However, every company or website has unique needs and challenges, so it’s not always as cut and dried. This article takes a closer look at each domain option and dives further into the world of top-level domains (TLDs).

For a more succinct description of each domain, check out the following video (It’s a bit old, but the information is still solid).

Why We Recommend a .com Extension

A .com domain name is the most common extension and still generally carries more significant value for companies.

That’s because most of your customers are going to assume your website is “[your business name].com.” That is unless the extension is part of your trademarked business name (more on this later).

The big question is: does a .com extension have any direct impact on your search rankings?

While it seems that .coms are Google’s preferred extension, it’s probably not the case.

Google’s only reason to prioritize one extension over the other is that Internet users default to .com domains. People expect sites to use the extension – many associate real businesses with .coms, and Google tends to play on user assumptions.

In fact, more than 50 percent of all websites on the web use the .com extension.

So one could say that a .com extension helps your rankings because users are more likely to click on abcd.com than abcd.anythingelse. Additionally, .coms are easier to remember, and a person is more likely to type in the wrong URL with other extensions. 

When to Use a .org Extension

Using other TLDs can be beneficial in some situations. In particular, the .org extension is well-known and trusted.

.org stands for ‘organization’ and is the primary choice for charity or non-profit websites. The extension is also one of the originals established in 1985, so it’s been around for decades. It was created for anything that wasn’t commercial (aka non-profit entities).

However, restrictions were removed in 2019 after the registry changed ownership, allowing for-profit companies to use the extension. If you use .org correctly, it can give you a bump in social credence or validation. Many users perceive .org sites as more authoritative and credible than alternatives.

If you choose to use a .org, you’ll need to brand your company with the .org tied directly to your name. That’s because, as previously noted, most users assume companies use the .com extension. Tying the .org to your brand decreases the likelihood that people will visit other sites by accident.

As far as search rankings go, the extension performs well but has less sway than a matching .com.

When to Use a .net Extension

A .net extension is a popular option that’s often recommended to buyers whenever the desired .com domain is taken. The .net stands for ‘network’ and was originally designed for umbrella websites that serve smaller sites, such as web hosting companies.

If the .com name you want isn’t available, find out if the current owner is in the same industry before settling for a .net. That’s because you don’t want your customers becoming there’s.

In general, the .net extension is trusted and perceived as authoritative by consumers. It’s also been around enough that people can easily remember it.

From the SEO end of things, .net is better than other specialty extensions. But since it isn’t quite up there with .com and .org extensions, you might not get the same benefits as using those alternatives.

If your ideal .com name isn’t available, .net is typically a strong second choice.

Are Specialty Names Worth It When You Can’t Even Get a .org or .net?

There are hundreds of domain extensions (from .aaa to .zw) that can be very tempting to get whenever the top 3 extension types aren’t acquirable.

Indeed, some companies do choose one of these extensions to be extra creative with naming conventions. Sometimes, companies may believe that a . crazyname will actually be more memorable.

If you have the time and ability to promote that kind of name, associate it with your brand, and work harder on the associated SEO tactics . That’s certainly an option. Otherwise, stay away from such domain names.

What If the Specialty Domain is Highly Relevant?

Some highly relevant extensions might work for your business, though restrictions may apply.

For instance, legal firms have to apply for the .law domain extension – it’s exclusive to legal organizations and qualified lawyers worldwide. Information such as bar registration numbers and the state or jurisdiction where the lawyer or legal entity is licensed may be required.

These types of regulated extensions (e.g., .edu and .gov) can be valuable and could impact your SEO . However, it’ll still take a lot of work to rank your site on search engines and make sure the name sticks in consumers minds.

Is .co Close Enough?

A .co domain extension could be both better and worse than .net. It’s too close to a .com extension, which is something of a double-edged sword.

For one, the closeness can cause customers to associate it with the same type of COMmercial activities. Second, people are far more likely to remember .co domains as a .com, typing that into the web browser.

So it’s best to always go with the .com version if it’s available. You can use .co as a fallback plan. 

Choose Reliable Over Trendy

You may remember when companies used to get creative with country code top-level domains. A few that come to mind include Bit.ly, About.me, and del.icio.us. These domains looked cool, fun and sparked a trend of organizations using similar extensions for uniqueness.

But the trend didn’t last, and if you tried it today, it would probably seem pretty old-fashioned.

Stick to what you know works before committing to a trend that isn’t trendy anymore.

Domain Names are More than the Extension

Your domain name is about to become a critical asset to your business and marketing efforts, so it’s important to make an informed decision.

The .com or .org or .net question is only the first thing that needs consideration when you start building your brand online. Beyond the extension, here’s what you need to know about domain names .

Domains should be: 

• Memorable
• Short
• SEO-friendly
• Typeable
• On-brand
• 
  

How is your domain helping your online marketing efforts? Is it time to make a change? Are you rebranding to get more business?

We can help.

The post How Do I Choose Between a .com, .org, or .net Domain Name? appeared first on SEO.com.

Which domain is reserved for accredited postsecondary institutions?

What are the four wireless communication network categories?

Which of the following terms refers to the smallest element of data and has a value of either 0 or 1?

What is one of the major challenges of networking or performing business in a connected world?