A Top-Level Domain (TLD) refers to the last segment of a domain name or the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol. TLDs are used to classify domain names on the Internet. There are hundreds of TLDs available, but the most familiar include .com, .net, and .org (CIRA Canadian Internet Registration Authority).
Interestingly, the .com TLD is the most commonly used and is often associated with commercial and profit-oriented websites. Created by the Department of Defense in 1985, it stands for “commercial” and is managed by the United States’ Verisign corporation (Gaebler Ventures).
The .net TLD is also amongst the oldest. The “.net” comes from “network,” as it was originally designed for organizations involved in network technologies. Today however, its use is unrestricted. Anyone can register a .net domain name and it is often used as an alternative to the overcrowded .com (Domain.com).
The .org TLD is dedicated originally to non-profit organizations. The term ‘.org’ comes from “organization.” Despite this, nowadays, the .org TLD is also unrestricted, and many organizations that aren’t strictly non-profit have .org domains. For example, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is not a non-profit organization, uses a .org domain (Namecheap.com).
Interestingly, the .com, .net, and .org TLDs are all what is called gTLDs (generic top-level domains), meaning they do not represent a country, unlike ccTLDs (country code top-level domains) like .ca (for Canada) or .fr (for France).
In the context of business, a .com domain might give the impression that your business is primarily based online or operates globally, while a .net might suggest an internet company or a network-related business. However, in practice, since the restrictions on these TLDs were largely lifted, the meaning has become somewhat muddy and it is not uncommon to see these TLDs being used interchangeably on the internet.
There are also plenty of newer, more specific gTLDs like .info, .biz, or .edu, as well as the so-called novelty TLDs like .tv, .me, or .io, which have been growing in popularity in recent years, especially amongst tech startups.
All in all, TLDs can potentially convey information about your website to your visitors, even before they actually visit your site. Therefore, choosing the right TLD can be an important step when setting up your online presence.
Sources:
- CIRA Canadian Internet Registration Authority. “Domain Name Basics – Part 1 – What is a Domain Name?” 2018
- Gaebler Ventures. “Understanding URLs.”
- Domain.com. “What Does .NET Mean at the End of a URL?”
- Namecheap.com. “What is a Top-Level Domain (TLD)?” 2021
- World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Website.
- HackerNoon. “How to Choose the Perfect Domain Name Extension.” 2019
