Create Your Own Top Level Domain (TLD)
If you have already secured your web hosting and purchased your domain then the chances are – you already have a Top Level Domain (TLD).
You might still be wondering what a Top Level Domain is?
We will explain the purpose of TLD, the hierarchy of domain names and also go through some of the most common Top Level Domain (TLD) extensions purchased or used.
Further Reading: Fix Common Website Design Mistakes
What Is a Top Level Domain (TLD)
A top-level domain (TLD) is the last segment of the domain name and also known as domain suffixes.
The TLD is the letters immediately following the final dot in your internet address.
A TLD identifies something about the website like its purpose, the organisation that owns it and the geographical area where it originates from.
TLD helps to identify certain website elements like the type of business, the country of origin, whether it is a government website, academic website and more.
The guidelines for a domain TLD used to be quite stringent however back in 2010.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) relaxed their guidelines when it comes to generic TLD and company trademarks.
The Domain Name System (DNS) is the naming system for online services or any resources that are connected to the Internet.
It works to associate domain names to each company, website or services.
DNS also translates the domain name into the numerical IP address that is needed for the network protocols to function correctly.
Further Reading: Choosing the Right Domain Name
The IP part of IP address stands for Internet Protocol. The address part refers to a unique number that gets linked to all online activity you do.
It is somewhat like a return address on a letter you would send out and all this happens in milliseconds.
Further Reading: How to Get Traffic to Your Website Fast
There is a diversity of extensions you will be able to choose from depending on your style of business or organisation whilst others can be for fun.
It is very crucial to choose a domain extension that is in alignment with your business.
We can highlight the some of common ones below:
- .co.uk - used for a variety of purposes but mainly used for online businesses
- .edu -commonly used for educational institutions
- .net - used for a wide variety of reasons -from online companies to personal projects
- .org - commonly used for non-profit organizations
- .co - mainly used for companies
- .biz - used for company names
- .info – used mainly for information purposes
The internet was mainly created for American government usage however it quickly opened to the public and rest of the world.
Since many of these TLDs were restricted to the American government or military.
Then country code TLDs (ccTLDs) were created and added to help distinguish each country from another.
Some of the two-letter country codes are:
- .au – Australia
- .ca – Canada
- .mx – Mexico
- .de – Germany
- .fr – France
- .ru – Russia
- .co.uk – Great Britain
- .com - USA
- .nl - Netherlands
For a full list take a look at this article from Wikipedia.
Further Reading: How to Fix Common Website Design Mistakes
- .tv - used for online television shows and other video-related projects
- .me - used for personal branding related projects
- .expert - used to convey your authority in a specific niche
- .guru - same as above
- .io - commonly used for technology-related companies
- .name - used for sites catered around an individual
What is a restricted TLD?
A restricted TLD is a Top Level Domain whose registration is limited to people or entities that satisfy certain criteria.
Both generic TLDs (gTLDs) and country code TLDs (ccTLDs) can have restrictions. It is up to the TLD’s registry to implement these restrictions and decide on the criteria for those restrictions.
An example of a restricted gTLD is .NYC, which is the TLD for New York City and requires a valid New York City address from persons or entities who want to register .NYC.
An example of a restricted ccTLD would be .US – the United States’ domain. Registrants for .US must have a presence in the US.
Other examples of restricted TLDs can be used by business or entity related as shown below:
- .post - used by the post office
- .gov - used by different government sectors and resources
- .mil - used by military related websites
- .museum - used by museums and related industries
- .aero - used by the aerospace industry
What is a Sponsored Top Level Domain (sTLD)?
A sponsored TLD is a specialised top-level domain that has a sponsor representing a specific community served by the domain.
The communities involved are based on ethnic, geographical, professional, technical or other theme concepts.
These are proposed by private agencies or organisations that establish and enforce rules restricting the eligibility of registrants to use the TLD.
- .aero – Members of air transport industry
- .asia – Companies. organisations and individuals in the Asia Pacific region
- .cat – Catalan linguistic and cultural community
- .coop – Cooperative associations
- .jobs – Human resource managers
- .mobi – Providers and consumers of mobile products and services
- .travel – Travels agents, airlines, hoteliers, tourism bureaus
- .tel – For business and individuals to publish contact data
- .xxx – Pornographic sites
The TLD that you choose will communicate and convey a lot about your business or organisation.
The most common TLD is .com and .co.uk. Feel free to choose the extension/s that is most in alignment with your business and website.
Further Reading: Creating a Website for Your Business
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