Top domain names that are in website addresses

A domain extension such as .us or .com is not only a necessary part of the URL – the top-level domains (TLDs) also become part of your brand. Companies will attach great importance to securing the right domains for their websites – in an online world, brand image and online presence are often inseparable. People surfing the Internet will associate certain things with a certain domain extension – whether the website seems trustworthy or modern, for example. This happens mostly unconsciously. And it’s one of the reasons why some domain extensions are more popular than others. Let’s take a look at the most popular domain extensions out there.

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What is a domain extension?

Web addresses are structured according to a fixed scheme. The name resolution via DNS ensures that Internet users arrive at the website they want to reach – without having to enter bulky IP addresses (a string of numbers is much harder to remember than “ionos.com”, for example). To achieve this translation, a URL is structured hierarchically. First, you’ll find the subdomain on the far left (after "https://"), which in most cases is www, but can also contain “blog” or specific language versions (es or en). This is followed by a freely chosen domain name. The address is completed by the domain extension, a top-level domain.

A distinction is made between top-level domains that refer to a specific country, such as .us for the USA – known as ccTLDs – and those that are generic gTLDs, such as .org. TLDs are (for the most part) managed internationally by ICANN or IANA. Although there are now lots of different domain extensions – and there are constantly new top-level domains – certain TLDs are more popular than others. This has resulted in a thriving domain trade, where domains can sell for high prices. When choosing the right domain, you’ll also have to keep a certain budget in mind.

The most popular domain extensions 2021

One of the oldest TLDs in the world is still the most popular domain extension after more than 30 years: .com. Originally intended as an abbreviation of “commercial” and planned only for companies, many users now associate .com domains with websites in the USA. This is for good reason, as the domain extension .us, which was actually intended for the USA, isn’t used as much as .com, although .us is on the rise for government websites, alongside .gov.

TLD Percentage Meaning Around since Type .com 52.0 % Commercial 01.01.1985 gTLD .ru 6.1 % Russia 07.04.1994 ccTLD .org 4.5 % Organization 01.01.1985 gTLD .net 3.3 % Network 01.01.1985 gTLD .ir 1.8 % Iran 06.04.1994 ccTLD .in 1.7 % India 08.05.1989 ccTLD .uk 1.6 % United Kingdom 24.07.1985 ccTLD .au 1.6 % Australia 05.03.1986 ccTLD .de 1.2 % Germany 05.11.1986 ccTLD .ua 1.1 % Ukraine 01.12.1992 ccTLD

Note

This ranking is taken from Analysis by W3Techs.com. This service provider measures published websites (and unregistered domains) and tries to filter spam websites from its statistics. This therefore sometimes results in different statistics to other publications. Another source worth checking out is the Domain Name Industry Brief from Verisign, the operator of the .com domains.

Country code TLDs occupy multiple slots among the ten most popular domain extensions. You’ll notice that .us is missing – it only comprises 0.3% of websites. / Data source: https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/top_level_domain

No matter which statistics you look up, more than half of all Internet addresses have the extension .com. Also high up in the rankings are the other two generic top-level domains .net and .org. Like .com, these have been around since 1985. The other domain extensions in the top 10 are primarily country code TLDs (ccTLDs), which are country-specific. .us isn’t high up on the list at all – possibly because most websites in the USA will use .com.

Among the country code top-level domains, highly populated countries such as Russia and India are ranked up top, as are other countries with a high level of digitalization, such as the United Kingdom and Germany. Some ccTLDs can only be bought by individuals or companies residing in the respective country, and this is true of the USA. .us domains can only be registered by a US citizen, resident, or a foreign entity with a bona fide presence in the US. In short, the restrictions on this ccTLD state that there must be a US presence associated with it. This is different to other ccTLDs, such as .de (Germany). These domains are also available for foreign persons, and it may be worth registering for one if your business has a presence in Germany, for example. This is also true of other countries, but make sure you check the restrictions of registering ccTLDs beforehand.

Further popular domain extensions

In the case of the most popular domain extensions such as .com or .org, the most coveted Internet addresses have long been taken or can only be claimed for large sums of money. If you’re upset that you can’t use a certain domain because the .com or .org extensions are taken, try looking at newer domain extensions instead. Alternatively, you can also enlist the help of a domain broker – a professional to get you the best deal for the domain you want.

The most popular ccTLD domain extensions

Verisign claims that the most popular country-specific domain extension is .tk, which the official domain of the group of atolls, Tokelau. This is according to their survey data (which in turn refers to surveys conducted by the service provider ZookNIC). Although only about 1,500 people live in the territory, there are about 27.5 million .tk domains. Many website operators resort to a domain from Tokelau, as these can be registered free of charge and in a relatively simple manner. In contrast, the domains of North Korea are not exactly easy to come by. The secretive state seems to use only about 28 domains.

ccTLD Registered domains: Country/region: Around since: .tk 27.5 million Tokelau 07.11.1997 .cn 24.7 million China 28.11.1990 .de 16.6 million Germany 05.11.1986 .uk 10.8 million United Kingdom 24.07.1985 .nl 6.0 million Netherlands 25.04.1986

Fact

Because .com is used so widely in the USA, the .us ccTLD doesn’t appear on this list. This isn’t really a reflection of how active US citizens are online though, as about 88.5% of the US population use the internet, according to figures from statista. That’s a huge number within a huge population! Compare this to China, which ranks second on the above list: only 54.3% of the population are using the Internet, according to the CIA.

The newest top domains

To expand the Domain Name System (DNS) and enable more web presences, new generic TLDs (ngTLDs) are published every so often. Although these new domain extensions are not yet as established as traditional TLDs, they offer far more opportunities to create suitable website addresses.

Verisign also addresses the new domain extensions in its regular domain report:

ngTLD Percentage Active since .icu 17.7 % 02.05.2015 .xyz 9.4 % 19.02.2014 .top 8.1 % 03.08.2014 .site 5.2 % 16.03.2015 .online 5.2 % 16.03.2015

The domain extension .icu (read as “I See You”) has gained a lot of popularity in recent months and is a popular TLD. The reason for this, besides the marketing-friendly meaning of the abbreviation, is that the prices for this ngTLD had been reduced.

Also, part of the new domain extensions are geographic TLDs, which, however, do not belong to the ccTLDs, because they are administered differently. In the USA, .chicago and .nyc are popular choices.

The most spammed domains

Not every domain extension has an equally good reputation. Especially cheap domain extensions or ones that aren’t controlled TLDs are often used for illegal purposes. The organization Spamhaus checks the Internet for spam and identifies the top 10 most spammed TLDs. To do this, the project takes into account both the total number of spam domains and their share of the total.

TLD Spam domains Spam percentage Around since .fail 571 75.3 % 23.04.2014 .viajes 176 83.8 % 17.12.2013 .exposed 351 72.4 % 04.02.2014 .work 32.915 40.4 % 23.09.2014 .london 1.285 50.8 % 22.03.2014 .surf 1.375 40.8 % 18.06.2014 .fit 3.008 31.6 % 09.01.2015 .ml 5.101 27.3 % 29.09.1993 .golf 473 37.7 % 24.03.2015 .gq 3.354 28.4 % 10.07.1997

Note

Just because a TLD appears in the Spamhaus list doesn’t mean that the domain extension is automatically bad. So, if the extension fits your web project, you should not exclude these TLDs! As you can see .london is an internationally popular domain extension, but also appears on the spam list.

What are the best domain extensions in 2021?

The list of top domains can give you a good idea of which domains are in high demand. However, this does not necessarily mean that you should also choose one of the most popular domain extensions for your web project. Although these TLDs benefit from a good reputation among Internet users and stand for professionalism, many of them are already taken. So before making your decision, also consider the new top-level domains. Many are specially designed for certain industries or target groups and could fit very well to what you want to do!

Tip

Do you want to publish your own website? Are you still looking for the right web address? With IONOS, you can buy and register a domain in just a few steps – it’s easy, affordable, and there’s plenty of choice!

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What is top

A Top-Level Domain is the suffix tied to a website, such as as com, net, or org. A top-level domain (TLD) is the suffix or extension tied to a website. Around half of all websites use the top-level domain com, commonly called “dot” com. Other common TLDs include net, org, and edu.

What is the most popular web domain?

The top-level domain has been the number one for years..

1. . COM. The .com extension was initially intended for commercial companies. ... .

2 . CN. The number 2 most popular domain extension is . ... .

3. . DE. . ... .

4. . NET. . ... .

5. . UK. The number 5 most popular domain extension is . ... .

6. . ORG. . ... .

7. . NL. Say . ... .

8. . RU. ..

What are the 7 top

Different types of top-level domains.

Generic Top-level Domains (gTLD).

Sponsored Top-level Domains (sTLD).

Country Code Top-level Domains (ccTLD).

Infrastructure Top-Level Domain (ARPA).

Test Top-Level Domains (tTLD).

What is the best domain name for my website?

How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Business.

Use a .com extension. ... .

Keep it short and simple. ... .

Avoid hyphens, numbers, and doubled letters. ... .

Stay unique, specific, and on-brand. ... .

Add keywords. ... .

Do your research. ... .

Consider domain extensions. ... .

Avoid vague or generic options..