How do I choose a domain name suffix (TLD)?

A domain name suffix, the ending portion of the domain, is called a top-level domain or TLD for short.  By far the most common TLD’s used on the internet are .com, .net, and .org.  There are many other TLD’s available when registering a domain name such as .gov, .edu, .info, or .biz. So which domain TLD should you choose? The answer is easier than you might think, you should use the one that is available & fits the needs for what you want to use it for.

TLD History
In the beginning,  back when the internet was much smaller than it is now, TLD’s were generated to fit the specific need for a particular market. Domains ending in .org were only intended to be used by organizations such as non-profits and .com domain names were intended for commercial use. Quickly domain names started being used up and more TLD’s were generated to fit the needs of the growing internet. Now there are too many TLDs available each with their own specific set of rules on who can registered them. Many TLD’s however remain open for registration without any strict set of rules.

Here’s a look at some of the most common TLD’s available and why you might want to use one over another.

• .com – Originally designed for commercial use. By far the most popular TLD available. Most website owners try to register a .com first if it’s available due to internet users typing .com first as a possible guess when they don’t know the exact domain for the website they are looking for. This is less of a issue lately with more and more users turning to search engines first before trying to guess a domain in the address bar.
• .net – Originally designed for network use. This could be a network of sites or for server names on a computer network. It’s the 2nd most popular TLD on the internet and most users of the TLD do not follow the “designed for network use” label anymore.
• .org – Originally designed for organizations or non-profits. Is currently being used by all kinds of organizations from open source software groups to large multi-national non-profits.
• Country Domains (.ca, .com.uk, .jp) – Designed for use in a specific country that each domain is registered for. Normally use of these domains is restricted to companies with a presence in the specific country or residents of the country. Using one of these domains will normally get you listed in the index for Google’s country specific search engines, eg. http://www.google.ca/
• .co – Newer TLD created for companies to use due to the lack of available .com’s
• .me – Newer TLD created to use for personal sites such as blogs or family sites
• .info – Newer TLD created to use for informational sites or non-commercial websites
• .biz – Another new TLD for businesses to use due to the lack of available .com’s
• .coop – A TLD created for cooperative electrical utilities
• .mobi – A TLD created to use for websites designed specifically for mobile devices
• .tv – A TLD created to use for websites designed around television
• Many Many More!

These days you really shouldn’t get stuck on the idea that you must have a .com web address. Yes they are nice and are certainly the domain TLD of choice, however the average internet users patterns have changed. More and More users are not typing domain names into the address bar of their web browsers to start looking for a site. Now they are going directly to Google or Bing and starting with a search instead. When users locate a site they like and want to visit again, they will search for the site again or create a bookmark in their browser.

You should always check with your domain registrar to see if there are specific rules regarding registering with the TLD you have chosen before attempting to register your domain. Users should be cautious  of registering a domain with a known trademark in it, company’s can take legal action and un-register your domain if you’re infringing on their intellectual rights.