What is a TLD?: parts, uses and types of domains

is one of the main challenges when it comes to establishing a strong online presence.

In addition to choosing the right name, you have to choose an appropriate extension from the many options available. This extension is called top level domain (TLD) and it plays a much more important role than it seems at first glance.

In this article, we will discover the basic concept of a TLD, from its definition, type and role in search engine optimization (SEO).

What is a top level domain?

A top-level domain (TLD), also known as a domain extension, is the part to the right of a domain name. In .com, for example, is the domain name, while .com is the TLD. Other common TLDs are .org and .net.

An in-depth look at domain name structure

In short, a . It is associated with domain name system (DNS)a hierarchical naming system that translates domain names into IP addresses.

The domain structure starts from left to right, including:

• Subdomain: It is located to the left of a second level domain and acts as an extension of the main domain. A subdomain indicates a different section of the website, such as blog.site.com. Please note that not all domains have a subdomain.
• Second level domain: is placed in the center of a domain name. This is often the most memorable part of the domain structure, as people often use their personal or business names.
• top level domain: A URL ending after the full stop (such as .com or .net).

There is also the , which is the full version of a domain name that is also the host name.

Now that you’ve learned the definition of what a TLD means and its position in a URL, let’s look at a list of available TLDs, their primary purpose, and their role in .

What is a top level domain for?

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) developed the domain name system, which includes a TLD, to make it easier to memorize IP addresses and organize Internet addresses.

The first TLD was .harp. Subsequently, seven new domain extensions were created to provide domain spaces to other institutions, such as .edu for schools and

A TLD can now represent specific elements of a website, such as its purpose, its owner, or its geographic location.

Therefore, sometimes people can get an idea of ​​what the site is about without seeing its content. For example, a TLD .government means that it is one of the United States government sites, while suggesting that your business is available online now.

TLDs are also useful to distinguish different websites with the same second level domain. An example would be WordPress.

There are two WordPress domains: wordpress.org Y wordpress.com. Each one has a different extension, which indicates what the site is about:

• wordpress.org: is for WordPress open source software, including themes, plugins, and community support. Since the site is owned by the non-profit WordPress Foundation, it uses the .org as it is the .
• wordpress.com: offers paid WordPress software run by a for-profit company called Automattic, Inc.

They are also useful for locating websites. Some companies use a country code top-level domain (ccTLD), such as a domain .us or .co.uk, to localize your business sites and tailor content to each geographic segment.

Some ccTLDs may also be applicable for general use. For example, it was previously a ccTLD for the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), but is now a commonly used extension among tech companies.

Before you start domain registration, check if the domain you want is available. If not, use the to see available domain names that use different TLDs.

domain name checker

Immediately check the availability of the domain name.

Suppose you are looking for www.domain.com and discover that it is already registered. Typically, the domain checker will offer alternative options with the same second level domain name but different TLDs, such as www.domain.net either www.domain.org.

Different Types of Top Level Domains

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (I CAN) has established five categories of original top-level domains:

• Generic
• sponsored
• Country code
• Infrastructure
• Proof

Let’s take an in-depth look at these types of TLDs.

Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD)

gTLDs are the most common domain extensions that anyone can register. Some of the most popular generic TLDs are:

• .com: originally used for commercial sites. Today, it is the most widely used TLD.
• .org: primarily associated with various non-profit or charitable organizations.
• .net: originally used by companies working with network technology. Today, it is widely used by all kinds of organizations and businesses.
• .X and Z either .icu: general use, from e-commerce websites to agencies.
• .biz: generally used by various companies.
• .tech: Widely used by technology companies.

Since ICANN changed its policy and opened the new gTLD registry, some 1,200 new extensions have been added to the .

The most recent top-level domains are:

• Industry Specific Extensions: .news, .flights Y .finance.
• Popular brands: .Google, .bmw Y .calvinklein.

These generic TLDs help users associate website addresses with industries and brands. For example, the URL makes it clear that this domain name belongs to Google.

There are also many new gTLDs with generic words, such as:

• .yam: individuals and personal use.
• .info: information platforms, an alternative to .org or .com.
• .store and : e-commerce store platforms.
• .agency: business agencies, such as travel or advertising agencies.
• : various groups, organizations and communities.

Despite the generic association of gTLDs and their use, most of them do not always serve such purposes.

ICANN does not strictly regulate domain registration with gTLDs as the Internet evolves. Anyone can use a top level domain extension as long as it is available.

For example, domainname.org You can join non-profit organizations. However, as .org is one of the unrestricted gTLDs, any site can use this example of a top level domain.

Sponsored Top Level Domain (sTLD)

An sTLD is a TLD restricted to a specific entity or owner. There are private organizations that sponsor sTLDs and their registration requires a formal authorization to show that a person has the right to use them.

Unlike a large number of gTLDs, there are only 14 sTLDs on the IANA list, including:

• .gov: United States government agencies, sponsored by the .
• .edu: educational institutions, created by .
• .int: purposes related to treaties, international organizations, governed by the IANA.
• .one thousand: military based in the United States, sponsored by the .
• .tel: internet communication service websites, backed by a private company called .
• .Asia: websites based in the Asia-Pacific region, operated by the .
• .cat: Catalan linguistic and cultural community, managed by the dotCAT Foundation.

Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)

A ccTLD represents a geographical area from which an Internet address originates. It is a two-letter code defined by the .

There are more than 300 ccTLDs on the IANA list. It is more than the number of countries available because ccTLDs also represent sovereign states and dependent territories. Some examples are:

• .us: USA
• : Canada
• .nl: Netherlands
• .of: Germany
• .fr: France
• .jp: Japan

In 2010, ICANN announced the first ccTLDs with non-Latin characters, known as Internationalized ccTLDs (IDN ccTLDs). These new TLDs include the Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic and Hebrew languages.

Most ccTLDs are available only to residents of the corresponding countries, but some are public and can be purchased anywhere.

One of the examples is .fm: a ccTLD for the Federated States of Micronesia. As often associated with the broadcast format, radio-related websites may also use domain names with extensions .fm. The same goes for the , which is an official extension for the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu, but is also popular with media-focused sites.

Infrastructure Top Level Domain

The only infrastructure TLD is . are the acronyms for Addresses and Routing Parameters Area and the IANA reserves it for The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Therefore, only the management of the network infrastructure is authorized to use said TLD.

Test Top Level Domain (tTLD)

These extensions are for local testing and documentation purposes only and cannot be installed in the global DNS.

The four tTLDs include:

• .test: reserved for testing different scenarios or software.
• .example: placeholders and documentation purposes only.
• .invalid: displays invalid domain names and is used only when necessary.
• .localhost: local network test

Do TLDs affect SEO?

Search engines rank websites based on content relevance, regardless of their TLD. Therefore, a TLD does not have a direct impact on SEO.

However, a TLD can affect SEO by influencing the actions of visitors. If a person uses an unusual TLD, people may not remember the domain or misspell it, resulting in fewer inbound links or landing on a different site.

A TLD can also influence click-through rate.

Each TLD has a different level of trust and can affect people’s decision to visit a web page. For example, if people use a for their sites, visitors might perceive it as less credible, even though the sites rank well.

For this reason, consider choosing popular top-level domains, such as a , .com either .

On the other hand, ccTLDs can help with international SEO when it comes to geo-targeting.

A ccTLD tells search engines which country or region the content is targeted at. Search engines can then prioritize these locations and display the content to the most relevant audience, ranking the site higher in the SERP for that geographic area.

Can I change the TLD of a website?

It’s possible…