Domain Extension Definitions
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Valid Characters Allowed in Domain Names

Domain Name Search & Registration

Important Facts

When registering domain names, you'll generally be given quite a few options, with regards to the domain name extensions. This refers to whether you register a .COM, .NET, .ORG, .US, etc.(for example: yoursite.com or yoursite.net).

Tip: It's a good idea to register multiple extensions of your domain name to keep your competitors from registering them. Many businesses register at least 7 extensions of their domian name for this reason. Those extensions would be .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .US, .BIZ & .MOBI. So for example, if you registered "mybusiness.com", and this was your main website, you may want to also consider registering "mybusiness.net", "mybusiness.org", "mybusiness.us", etc., so that your competitors won't be able to purchase them. You can also increase your traffic to your main website by linking these other domains to it. For example, you can place links on mybusiness.net and mybusiness.org that lead to mybusiness.com, which will help to funnel more traffic to mybusiness.com. This can also increase your search engine rankings, which can also boost traffic.

Note: The domain extension/s you choose do not make a difference to the major search engine rankings. "Ranking" refers to your web site's position, in the list of other web sites, on a particular search engine... the nearer to the top of the list, the better your ranking is for the keywords that were searched for. However, there may be some differences on regional search engines such as Google.ca or Google.co.uk. You may find that domains with those particular extensions do well on those regional search engines.

There are three types of top-level domains that are classified by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) which is described below.

TLD - Top Level Domains - These are the most common extensions that you're probably familiar with. They are made up of .COM, .NET & .ORG domains.

ccTLD - These are country code domain name extensions and they are generally made up of 2 characters. Some of the ccTLD extensions that you're probably familiar with are .US for United States, .CA for Canada, .JP for Japan, .CN for China, etc.

gTLD - These are generic TLDs and are generally made up of 3 or more letters. Some of the gTLD domain extensions that you may be familiar with are .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME & .MOBI.

Domain Extension Definitions

Below you'll find some of the more popular domain extensions and the domain extension meaning. Although only a few domain name extensions are covered here, there are many more extensions that you can register. Many of them are country code domains that are restricted to businesses or individuals residing in that particular country.

.COM (Commercial) - Generally intended for commercial use. By far the most recognized domain name extension.

.NET (Network) - This was originally intended for network oriented sites such as internet service providers. This definitely isn't the case any longer. People will register .NET domains for commercial use, generally if the .COM extension isn't available or if they'd like to protect their main .COM domain by registering all available extensions.

.ORG (Organization) - This domain extension was originally intended for non-profit or trade organizations. Again, this is no longer the case and is generally registered by anyone looking to protect their main domain by registering all available domain extensions or simply because a better extension isn't available for registration.

.BIZ (Business) - This is a gTLD that is generally registered to classify their website as a business. It's a great alternative, if the .COM extension isn't available and for a low cost per year through Commerce Blvd, it certainly wouldn't hurt to register the extension so that your competition doesn't try to squat on it.

.US (United States) - This ccTLD generally refers to US based companies. Although the domain has been out for quite some time now, it's still possible to find some very good domain names with this extension.

.INFO (Informational) - This gTLD is generally used as an extension for informational websites. Other than .COM, .NET & .ORG, it's the most popular domain extension used. If you are developing an informational website it's definitely a domain extension that you should register.

.MOBI (Mobile) - This domain extension, as of this writing, is fairly new. Although majority of the domain name owners registered their domain name with the .MOBI domain name to protect their brand, it is primarily reserved for websites built for displaying on mobile devices.

.TV (Television) - This is primarily used for media, primarily video, related websites.

.ME (ME) - This is the newest domain, as of this writing. It was originally the ccTLD of Montenegro but is now generally used for personal related websites such as family websites or blogs. Another option would be to post your resume or even artwork that you may have done. The other use would be to create a very memorable personal email address.

.NAME (NAME) - This is a gTLD that's intended for personal use. You'll find that this extension is used for personal / family websites or simply used for name related email addresses. The domain must be submitted in one of these formats: firstname.lastname.name or lastname.firstname.name. You are allowed to use initials or nicknames instead of first names.

.ASIA (Asia) - A valid address, phone number within Pan-Asia or the Asia-Pacific region is required for registration.

.CA (Canada) - This is a ccTLD that is generally reserved for Canadian based businesses. Anyone who is of Canadian nationality or permanent residence can register a .ca domain name. this includes citizens, owners of Canadian trademarks, or anyone with a corporation/partnership within Canada.

.CO.UK (United Kingdom) - This country code domain is generally reserved for commercial related websites based in the United Kingdom. Although it's not restricted to just UK based business, these domain extensions would be helpful, if you plan on doing business in the UK.

.COM.MX (Mexico) - This domain extension is generally reserved for commercial related websites based in Mexico. Although it's not restricted to just Mexican based businesses, these domain extensions would be helpful, if you plan on doing business in Mexico.

.CN (China) - This is the ccTLD for China. This domain is not restricted to companies based in China and can basically be registered by anyone that would like a .CN extension.

.DE (Germany) - This is the ccTLD for Germany. Registration requires either the legal registrant/owner of the domain name or the administrative contact for the domain name have a valid German Street address.

.EU (Europe) - .EU domain names are restricted to European (EU) citizens, EU Companies, or EU Organizations.

.FR (France) EU trademark with a local administrative contact or a copy of the company's registration (KBIS) in France is required. A company address, phone number, and domain name must match.

.IT (Italy) Only natural persons or juridical persons who possess citizenship, reside in or have a registered office in one of the member states of the European Union can register domain names.