The top-level domain (TLD) .MORTGAGE is a gTLDs (generic top-level domain) on the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS). It is intended to allow businesses and professionals in the mortgage industry to clearly display their involvement in the field, and to generate online customer trust with a domain that speaks for itself (Name.com).
TLDs are the last part of a domain name, coming after the final dot of any domain name. For instance, in the domain name www.example.com, the TLD is .com. There are different types of TLDs, including gTLDs (such as .com, .net, .tech etc.), ccTLDs (country code top-level domains such as .uk for the United Kingdom, .de for Germany), and new TLDs introduced through ICANN’s (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) new gTLD program which expanded the available TLDs to include .MORTGAGE (ICANN).
A .MORTGAGE TLD would be ideally suited for mortgage lenders, brokers, or any businesses related to the mortgage industry, such as real estate agencies and mortgage calculators. The .MORTGAGE TLD can provide an exclusive and credible online identity for these businesses and could help with SEO ranking due to the relevance of the keyword ‘mortgage’ in many search queries relating to this sector (Donuts Inc).
To give an example, a mortgage lending company called ‘Example Lenders’ could opt for a domain name such as www.examplelenders.mortgage. This makes their field of operation immediately clear to any potential customers, and signals their commitment to their profession. It additionally reduces the chance of confusion with similarly named businesses in unrelated fields.
Moreover, it gives the chance to grab a better, shorter, more descriptive domain name as with this more specific TLD, the chances that the name has already been taken are often smaller, compared to if you’d go for .COM.
Keep in mind though, that Google treats new gTLDS such as .MORTGAGE as gTLDs, meaning they’re not given any special importance in terms of geotargeting and won’t necessarily have an edge over a .com domain in search results. So, if you decide to go for such a domain, your SEO strategy should be solid regardless of your TLD.
To answer your question in summary, the top-level domain .MORTGAGE is a domain extension designed specifically for the mortgage industry. It can be used by businesses, brokers, and other professionals in the mortgage industry to enhance online identity and trustworthiness.
Sources used:
1. Name.com. N.d. “Mortgage Domain Names | .MORTGAGE – Name.com.” Name.com. https://www.name.com/domains/mortgage.
2. “TLD (Top-Level Domain) Definition.” TechTerms. 2018. https://techterms.com/definition/tld.
3. ICANN. N.d. “New gTLD Program. ICANN.” https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/tlds
4. Donuts Inc. 2020. “Why Mortgage Professionals Need A .Mortgage Domain Extension.” donuts.domains. https://donuts.domains/blog/mortgage-professionals-need-a-mortgage-domain-extension/.
5. Mueller, John. “Generic TLDs: Google treats them as gTLDs, even if they sound location specific.” Google Search Central Blog. 2020. https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2015/07/googles-handling-of-new-top-level.
