The domain industry has seen exponential growth over the last three years with the introduction of gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains). As of 2017, there are over 1,000 top level domains available to register. How do you know which domain extensions are the very best? While possibilities are nearly endless, we have picked five of the top domain extensions to buy this year.
Classic .COM Domain For Authority
As expected, the .COM, which is short for commercial, domain comes in first. Many of the internet’s oldest aged domains were registered in the 1990’s as .COMs. Then, in 2001 we had the “dot com” bubble. However, this extension is still the most widely know domain ending online. If you can buy a one word or industry defining .COM, it’s still considered to be the best option.
Location Specific Domain Like .AFRICA
Since then, country specific domain extensions have become extremely popular. Then, continent and city based domains have been registered by the thousands. Moreover, domains like .AFRICA have been released as recent as last year. If you have a location or country specific audience, then you should give a ccTLD a try. It would also serve as a great alternative to .COMs.
Company Or Startup .CO Domains
Since many .COMs are registered already, many companies and startups are using the .CO domain extension. The actual domain is the ccTLD of the country Columbia. However, as major startups are opting for the .CO domain, many people are associating the .CO with “company” rather than Columbia. If you are starting a new company, you might want to consider using the country code top level domain .CO.
Industry .BIZ Domains Define Markets
Similarly, the .BIZ domain extension is widely used by businesses. If you want to get an industry or trade related domain, odds are that the .COM is taken. Rather, you could buy a domain with a one word or very short length ending with .BIZ. It would be easy to remember and automatically defines your company as a business in the mind of the customer. If you buy this, your brand or organization will be recognized as a business instantly.
Fast Growing .REVIEW Domain Sites
Over the past year, the .REVIEW domain extension has received some of the highest numbers in terms of registration. If you are planning on opening a review based website, these domains could help you get relevant keywords and rank for terms that have to do with reviewing products in your industry. Since this gTLD is relatively new, you have the opportunity to grab a number of great domains that pertain to products, services and solutions.
This year, there will be many more domain extensions released. Keep an eye out for the best domain extensions for your specific industry. Of course, you should buy a .COM if possible. However, the ccTLDs and gTLDs are great alternatives. Internet business partners can easily brand themselves with .CO or .BIZ. Finally, you can buy specific domains extensions like the rapidly growing .REVIEW domain ending. Considering relevancy to your organization and your audience, these are some of the best domain extensions to use in 2018.