A top-level domain (TLD) is essentially the last segment of a domain name. It follows immediately after the “dot” symbol and usually suggests something about the website associated with it, such as its purpose or geographical area of origin. Examples include .com, .gov, .edu etc.
The AOL you’re referring to is probably a reference to the digital and media company, AOL Inc., originally known as America Online. Even though AOL Inc. represents an important group in the world of digital communication and media, it does not have a top-level domain named after it. Instead, the company and its many holdings use common top-level domains like .com and .net for their websites. The most used TLD in their case is .com, as with AOL’s official website, www.aol.com.
There are, indeed, thousands upon thousands of TLDs available today, thanks to a decision by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). From 2012 onwards, ICANN started allowing organizations to apply for virtually any TLD they wanted, including ones that represented brand names. This was a part of the New gTLD Program, and as part of this ICANN programme released branded TLDs like .google, .netflix and .amazon (source: ICANN)
However, even with this new allowance, AOL Inc. has not applied for a .aol TLD. The available list of new TLDs managed by ICANN does not include .aol (source: ICANN List of TLDs). Therefore, in the context of TLDs, AOL is not a TLD, nor does it seem that it will become one in the immediate future. AOL, like most other companies, continues to use traditional TLDs like .com for its online presence.
It’s worth noting that while ICANN allows organizations to create their own TLDs, they do cost a considerable amount – the initial application fee is $185,000 (source: ICANN), and there are ongoing costs for operation and upkeep, which suggests why AOL might have decided not to pursue a branded TLD.
To sum it up, AOL does not have its own top-level domain. Although many organizations now have their own TLDs as a result of ICANN’s New gTLD Program, AOL has decided not to apply for one, unlike other companies such as Google or Amazon. Instead, AOL’s website and services still operate under common TLDs such as .com or .net.
Sources:
1. ICANN: https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/
2. ICANN List of TLDs: https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt
3. ICANN fee information: https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/global-support/faqs/faqs-en
