International domains and what’s behind them.
How can you tell if a domain is foreign? What is a top-level domain (TLD)? There are several types of TLDs, you can read more about them in our article, “What Is a Domain?”. Why choose the right TLD? Which one to choose? Should it be creative? Should it be related to your business? There are a number of questions you may have when you are in the process of building a website. It is important that it is easy to remember. It can be creative (we will show you some examples) or simple (but most of these are no longer available). A good domain name doesn’t necessarily mean your site will be successful, but a bad domain name can make your website invisible and insignificant. These domain codes are worth playing around with, creating words with them, so that not only the look of your site, but also your URL is creative (for example, the domain names www.read.it or www.love.ly). Here are a few domain codes to help you decide which is best for your activities. (Some are only available under certain conditions.)
- .com (gTLD) – from “commercial”; originally associated with commercial enterprises, but now anyone can use it. The most popular TLD.
- .net (gTLD) – from “network”; one of the oldest TLDs, anyone can use it.
- .org (gTLD) – from “organisation”; anyone can use it.
- .biz (gTLD) – created in 2001 for businesses as an alternative to .com.
- .info (TLD) – created for informational websites, but anyone can use it.
- .mobi (TLD) – from “mobile phone”; recommended for sites that rely primarily on mobile visitors.
- .asia – regional domain, usually used by companies, organisations and people from Asia, Australia or the Pacific.
- .ag – regional domain, for Antigua and Barbuda; popular with German, Austrian and Swiss companies.
- .am – country code for Armenia; very common, can be used by anyone; it reminds people of the AM radio band, so it is popular with radio stations.
- .cc – code for Cocos (Keeling) Islands; popular alternative to .com.
- .cn – country code for China; usually used by companies in China; to register, you need to verify the authenticity of the registration.
- .eu – the code for the European Union; anyone within the EU can use it.
- .fm – the code for the Federal States of Micronesia; it reminds people of the FM radio band, so it is popular with radio stations.
- .im – the code for the Isle of Man; anyone can use it.
- .ly – country code of Libya; anyone can use it.
- .me – country code for Montenegro; anyone can use it; can be useful for personal websites and blogs.
- .nu – the code for Niue; sounds like “new”.
- .tk – the code for Tokelau; most names can be used by anyone; usually used by organisations in Tokelau but it is also popular in Germany with telecommunications companies.
- .tv – the code for Tuvalu; anyone can use it; widely used by television companies.
- .us – country code for the USA; only American citizens, residents or organisations can use it.
- .ws – country code for West Samoa; anyone can use it; it is popular because it can be interpreted as “website” or “world site”.
- .name (gTLD) – popular domain name for registering personal names.
- .travel (gTLD) – popular with organisations in the tourism and related industries (www.wttc.travel).
- .jobs (gTLD) – popular choice for employment-related sites (www.getgood.jobs).
- .aero (gTLD) – reserved for organisations involved in aviation.
- .club (gTLD) – reserved for clubs and entertainment venues; it’s a newer domain available since 2014 (www.book.club).
There are also a number of foreign domain codes that can be used. Before you reserve a domain name, you need to make sure that it is available. You can check this on Rackhost.uk.