Domain Name Extension And Its Types And Options
What is a domain name extension? This is the most popular and foremost question when it comes to domain name extension. Many people were really asking that question times every time a subject about domain name and its extensions is tackled. Well, fortunate for them that they are actually left with answers on their hands. However, many of the people today are still not aware of the nature of domain name extension and its types especially those who haven’t heard anything about domain names.
For such matter, it is indeed a nice idea to present some of the facts about the domain name extension and its types for the people to know what a domain name extension is and how it functions in the world of the internet. So here it is.
Essentially, a domain name extension is also called a top level domain name such as .com, .org, .net, and a lot more. It is considered that a domain name extension is the top most part if the domain names under which all of the domains on the web are registered. To further create a vivid idea on the uses of a domain name extension, it is interesting to know that a domain name extension like .com is particularly intended for the commercial organizations. The .net domain name extension is then designed for network services just like the Internet Service Providers or ISPs, and on the other hand, a domain name extension like .org is specifically designed for non-profit organizations. Along with that, it is also interesting to know that such mentioned domain name extensions – .com, .net, and .org – are the most common and they belong on the international front.
When it comes to registering domain names you’ll generally be given quite a few options in regards to the domain name extensions. This refers to whether you register a .COM, .NET, .ORG. US, etc.
Below I’m going to cover some of the more popular domain extensions in addition to some of the new domain extensions. They really aren’t listed in any particular order but I’ve listed them in the order of which would probably be more common to you. When it comes to search engine rankings the domain extension doesn’t really make a difference by the way.
TLD – Top Level Domains
There are three types of top-level domains that are classified by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) which I’ve described below.
TLD – These are the most common extensions that you’re probably familiar with. They are made up of .COM, .NET & .ORG domains.
ccTLD – These are country code domain name extensions and they are generally made up of 2 characters. Some of the ccTLD extensions that you’re probably familiar with are .US for United States, .CA for Canada, .JP for Japan and .CN for China.
gTLD – These are generic TLDs and are generally made up of 3 or more letters. Some of the gTLD domain extensions that you may be familiar with are .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME & .MOBI.
Domain Extension Meanings
Below you’ll find some of the more popular domain extensions and the domain extension meaning.
.COM (Commercial) – Generally intended for commercial use. By far the most recognized domain name extension.
.NET (Network) – This was originally intended for network oriented sites such as internet service providers. This definitely isn’t the case any longer. People will register .NET domains for commercial use, generally if the .COM extension isn’t available or if they’d like to protect their main .COM domain by registering all available extensions.
.ORG (Organization) – This domain extension was originally intended for non-profit or trade organizations. Again, this is no longer the case and is generally registered by anyone looking to protect their main domain by registering all available domain extensions or simply because a better extension isn’t available for registration.
.BIZ (Business) – This is a gTLD that is generally registered to classify their website as a business. Although it’s not a commonly recognized extension, I feel that it’s a great alternative if the .COM extension isn’t available and for only $8.95 per year through www.SiteToad.com it certainly wouldn’t hurt to register the extension so that your competition doesn’t try to squat on it.
.US (United States) – This ccTLD generally refers to US based companies. Although the domain has been out for quite some time now it’s possible to find some very good domain names with this extension.
.INFO (Informational) – This gTLD is generally used as an extension for informational websites. I believe that other than .COM, .NET & .ORG, it’s the most popular domain extension used. If you are developing an informational website it’s definitely a domain extension that I’d register.
.MOBI (Mobile) – This domain extension, as of this writing, is fairly new. Although majority of the domain name owners registered their domain name with the .MOBI domain name to protect their brand, it is primarily reserved for website built for displaying on mobile devices.
.TV (Television) – In my opinion it’s used primarily for media, primarily video, related websites.
.WS (Website) – This is actually a ccTLD for Western Samoa but was converted to a domain extension commonly used as an acronym for ‘website’. Although it seems that it would be a great extension I don’t feel that it really ever took off and you can find very good domains available with the .WS extension.
.ME (ME) – This is the newest domain, as of this writing. It was originally the ccTLD of Montenegro but would generally be used for personal related websites such as family websites or blogs another option would be to pose your resume or even artwork that you may have done. The other use would be to create a very memorable personal email address.
.NAME (NAME) – This is a gTLD that’s intended for personal use. You’ll find that this extension is used for personal / family websites or simply used for name related email addresses.
.CA (Canada) – This is a ccTLD that is generally reserved for Canadian based businesses.
.CO.UK (United Kingdom) – This country code domain is generally reserved for commercial related websites based in the United Kingdom. Although it’s not restricted to just UK based business, I see very little value in registering the domain extension unless you plan on doing some sort of business in the UK.
.CN (China) – This is the ccTLD for China. This domain is not restricted to companies based in China and can basically be registered by anyone that would like a .CN extension.
A Final Word On Domain Extension Meanings
Although I only covered 14 domain name extensions there are many many more extensions that you can register. Many of them are country code domains that are restricted to businesses or individuals living in that particular country.
For further information, such mentioned domain name extensions are called as the “Big 3” for the reason that they accessible to anyone, without limitations, and now widely recognized in all parts of the globe.
In terms of the a country by country basis since most countries now have a matching top level domain name, under which domain names are sold, the most common domain name extensions are based on two characters ISO country codes.
In terms of a country by country basis, the common domain name extensions are based on the two-character ISO country codes and this is for the main reason that many countries offered these kinds of domain name extensions. Among such kind of domain name extensions is the .fr for France, .jp for Japan, and so on and so forth. Most popular country top level domains include the .fr for France, .jp for Japan, and http://.co.uk. It is well noted that these domain name extensions are generally under the control of the government and so adding a level of stability and durability seemed so tough to match.
Besides, during the year 2000 the ICANN approved a new set of domain name extensions which is composed of seven new top domains such as .aero, .biz, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, and .pro. They are generally called “alternative top level domain names” and that they are officially known, thus they will work in all parts of the globe, in any browser or other software.
And just recently, five organizations have proposed for the creation of the newest domain name extensions which are noted to be applied or to function officially on 2005 if the proposal will be approved. And it is interesting to know that what is included as the newest domain name extensions are .asia, .cat, .jobs, .mail, .mobi, .post, .tel, .travel, and .xxx.
Update – March 2012
Small businesses are facing a big choice when it comes to their Web presence.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, is accepting applications for the chance to create and manage new top-level domains—the part of the Web address to the right of the dot, like “com” and “org.” People who manage websites will have the chance to acquire addresses at those new top-level domains, also known as TLDs.
The Wall Street Journal
Many Web veterans argue that the new addresses are a potential boon for small companies. Businesses will be able to get TLDs that better reflect their brand—perhaps “.food” for restaurants or “.realestate” for brokers—and let them do better marketing. There’s also the chance that the new TLDs may offer better security protections or even vet the sites that use the domain.
Critics, though, say the new addresses will cause confusion for customers and headaches for businesses. Marketing a new TLD will take precious money and time, they argue, and there isn’t a big demand for existing niche TLDs to begin with.
