What is a Domain Extension – Forbes Advisor INDIA

In the digital age, individuals and enterprises need to secure unique web addresses for hosting their websites, and domain extensions help them achieve this. Generally, a web address consists of two parts: the domain name and the domain extension. For instance, you are reading this article on www.forbes.com, where the part after the World Wide Web acronym is the website’s name, and the part after the period, i.e., “.com” in this case, is the domain extension.

Domain extensions are also called top-level domains (TLDs), as they are a large part of the Domain Name System, which manages the unique identities of websites on the internet. Domain extensions like “.com” or “.net” help the DNS create unique IP addresses.

Types of Domain Extensions

Now that you know what a domain extension is, let’s discuss its purpose. They are used to classify websites into different categories, segregating them based on their type. For instance, a commercial website is followed by a “.com” extension, whereas education websites are followed by “.edu.” Let’s understand the different types of domain extensions with examples. 

The Unique Identification Authority of India’s website, or “www.uidai.gov.in,” has the primary extension “.gov,” implying that the government runs and maintains the website. This is also called the Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). A few other examples of gTLDs are given below.

• .net: Network-related websites
• .org: Non-profit organizations
• .edu: Educational institutions
• .co: Companies and businesses
• .info: Informational websites
• .blog: Blogs and personal websites

The example also contains a country-code TLD, “.in,” representing the region to which the website belongs. In this case, the country is India. This example also shows you how certain websites can use two domain extensions for better reach and recognition in a region. Some other country-specific TLDs are listed below.

• .us: United States
• .uk: United Kingdom
• .ca: Canada
• .au: Australia
• .jp: Japan
• .de: Germany
• .fr: France
• .cn: China

Most common domain name extensions:

Today, the most common domain name extensions or TLDs include .com, .net, .org, .co, and .us. The first, .com, is one of the most popular and trusted domain extensions. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) created the .com extension in 1985 as one of the first TLDs for website categorization. 

In 2023, a vast majority of websites on the internet, i.e., 47.8 percent, carry the .com extension. The second most common domain extension is .org, which holds 4.7 percent of the global TLD share. Then, there are extensions like .ru and .net that secure the third and fourth positions by having a 3.7 and 2.9 percent global TLD share, respectively. Notice how .ru is the country-specific TLD for Russia, while the others are general TLDs.

Can Domain Extensions Improve SEO?

The answer to this question requires both statistical evidence and human perception of entities on the internet. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of making a website or a particular landing page friendly to a search engine’s guidelines. Google, for instance, ranks websites based on high-quality, human-generated content, quality backlinks, the website’s architecture, security, and so on. 

In the early days, when there were a few thousand websites on the internet, securing the domain name’s .com extension was considered SEO-friendly. However, today, when Google is constantly evolving its ranking criteria, connecting a .com extension to a website hardly matters if it doesn’t fulfill the other requirements. 

However, since .com is one of the oldest TLDs, and some of the most popular and trusted websites use this extension, it gives new web pages with .com extensions a perceivable search value. 

The other side of this coin is that non-dotcom TLDs help businesses and individuals reach a particular audience. For instance, someone who only wants to cater to an Indian audience should use the .in extension with their domain name. This, in turn, helps Google understand that the website is targeting a specific segment of viewers, which might help in personalized search results.  

To summarize, domain extensions or TLDs do have an impact on the audience’s perception of the website. Further, they can help websites reach a small global audience, but it also depends on whether developers use the proper country-specific codes and other best SEO practices. Today, people use domain extensions for creative marketing and customer engagement. 

How to Choose the Best Domain Extension for Your Website

The best domain extension of TLD for your website depends on the target audience, purpose, and availability of a TLD. If you wish to interact with a global audience, the .com domain is preferable, provided it is available and you can afford it (different TLDs can cost you differently). However, if your target audience resides in the United States or Europe, you should prefer the .us or .eu extension, respectively. 

If you wish to create an organization’s website, you should prefer the .org extension, as it immediately differentiates the website from others. Shopping pages often have the extension .shop after the store name. Ultimately, it comes down to the purpose of the website. Last but not least, coming up with a unique name for a website helps secure popular TLDs. To check availability (and price), one can head to hosting service providers and enter the website name.

How to Register a Domain Extension

Once you’ve found the perfect domain name and extension combination, you can go to a domain name registrar, which manages, sells, and buys domain names. In India, popular options include GoDaddy, Domain.com, and NameCheap, which help users register their websites with the decided domain extensions. The process requires entering the desired domain name/extension, checking availability, providing a billing address, and paying the cost (if any). 

Bottom Line

Picking up the right domain extension or TLD for your website can be challenging, especially since it requires heavy research and an elaborate vision regarding the audience and the purpose of a website. However, once you’re through with that part, getting the required domain extension is relatively more straightforward.