Domain extensions are one of the most important aspects of a domain name. In the SEO sphere, two of the most talked about subjects are on-page SEO and backlinks. Not much has been said about domain extension and their impact on a site SEO. Having the right extension can help create relevance.
In this article, you will learn the impact and importance of domain extensions, how it affects your site SEO and the best ones to use.
What is Domain Extension
In terms, it is the attachment after a domain name. For an example let’s use Ideapify.com for an example,
Domain Extensions Examples
- .com
- .org
- .info
- .the
- .me
- .uk
- .audio
- .school
- .xyz
- .website
Types of Domain Extension
There are basically 4 types of domain extensions, they are
1. gTLD (generic top-level domain)
This is a type of TLD that can be used for any niche or country, it has no restrictions. Hence the term “generic” that is general. It is sometimes referred to as international TLD. Examples are .com, .net, .org, .xyz, and so on.
2. gTLD-sponsored
This extension can’t be used by any individual or organisation. It is a restricted extension. An example of a domain name being sponsored is .gov, which is used for Web sites or services by the government.
3. kTLD (keyword top-level domain)
Generally, there is nothing like kTLD. I termed all extensions that are not generic nor country related as kTLD. Examples are .college, .school, .work, .university, .property, .ceo, .car, .auto, .taxi and so on.
4. ccTLD (country code top-level domain)
These are country-related extensions, for example .us for united states, .uk for the United Kingdom, .ng for Nigeria, .za for South Africa, .ke for Kenya, .gh for Ghana, .ca for Canada, .in for India and so on.
This type of extension allows visitors and search engines to know which country your website serves. You’ll also find plenty of great brands that use ccTLDs to locate their sites for different markets.
For example :
- BBC.com
- BBC.co.uk
Things To Consider Before You Choose a Domain Extension
1. Branding/Popularity
If you want to build a brand, you should consider having a popular domain extension like .com, .net, .org and so on. A .com (and other popular extensions) appears more trustworthy than a .site extension. This is because people are used to them. Having a recognizable domain extension can make your domain name/brand memorable.
The only downside of this is the popular domain names extension most of the time taken (not available) or premium.
11 Most Popular Domain Extensions 2022
- .com
- .net
- .org
- .co
- .us
- .biz
- .icu
- .io
- .me
- .info
- .edu
2. SEO
Google has made it clear that not having the popular domain extension will not affect your SEO.
This is what they said
“Overall, our systems treat new gTLDs like other gTLDs (like .com and .org). Keywords in a TLD do not give any advantage or disadvantage in search”.
However, having a keyword domain extension can help in ranking high on search engines if optimised properly. For example .download will easily rank high for download-related keywords than .com. Likewise, .movie will rank high for movie-related keywords than .scholarship. You can read more about how to choose a domain name and keyword domain.
3. Website Purpose
If your site is informational like a tutorial or research site, going with .info is ideal. For educational purposes, .edu is ok. For scholarship purposes, .scholarship is ideal and so on.
These can help indicate your site’s purpose before someone ever lands on your page,
4. Location
The location of your business is important when deciding on a domain extension to use. A ccTLD is ideal for this purpose. In fact, Google has made it clear of giving preferential treatment to sites with ccTLD. This is what they said:
By default, most ccTLDs (with exceptions) result in Google using these to geotarget the website; it tells us that the website is probably more relevant in the appropriate country.
For example, if you are searching for the best registrar or web hosting sites in the United States, the algorithm will favour sites with .us than .com or any other gTLD.
5. Pricing
The price of an extension is quite different for different Domain registrars. However, it is in a particular part range. For an example, .com costs between $5- $13 in all registrars for first registration and $13 – $20 for renewals
List of Medical & Fitness Domain Extensions
- .bio
- .care
- .clinic
- .coach
- .dental
- .dentist
- .diet
- .energy
- .fit
- .fitness
- .green
- .health
- .healthcare
- .plus
- .recipes
- .rehab
- .run
- .surf
- .surgery
- .vet
- .vision
- .yoga
- .eco
- .doctor
Most Expensive Domain Extension
| Extension | Reg Cost ($) | Renewal Cost ($) | |
| 1 | .creditcard | $132.98 | $134.98 |
| 2 | .hosting | $338.98 | $368.98 |
| 3 | .property | $99.98 | $128.98 |
| 4 | .audio | $128.98 | $130.98 |
| 5 | .sucks | $268.98 | $270.98 |
| 6 | .tickets | $393.98 | $428.98 |
| 7 | .new | $488.98 | $488.98 |
| 8 | .sexy | $2,998.00 | $3,098.00 |
| 9 | .protection | $2,048.00/ | $2,298.00 |
| 10 | .security | $2,048.00 | $2,298.00 |
| 11 | .theatre | $538.98 | $598.98 |
| 12 | .inc | $1,098.00 | $2,098.00 |
| 13 | .car | $2,048.00 | $2,298.00 |
| 14 | .cars | $2,048.00 | $2,298.00 |
Cheapest Domain Extension Renewals
Most Domain extensions can be cheap for starters but as time goes on, you’ll be required to renew your domain extension at a slightly higher price. Here’s a list of domain extensions with cheaper renewal rates.
Cheapest .com Domain Registration and Renewal Costs
| First Year | Renewal / Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Average | $13.61 | $15.80 |
| GoDaddy | $0.30 | $18.99 |
| Ionos | $1 | $15 |
| Namecheap | $5.98 | $13.48 |
| Dynadot | $7.99 | $9.99 |
| Dreamhost | $7.99 | $17.99 |
| Cloudflare | $8.03 | $8.03 |
| Freenom | $8.38 | $8.38 |
| Espace 2001 | $9.36 | $9.82 |
| Name Silo | $9.95 | $9.95 |
If we consider the lowest cost over two years, Ionos and Cloudflare are in the lead for .com domains. If not Name Silo and Espace is the best choice for over 3years.
Cheapest .net Domain Registration and Renewal Costs
| First Year | Renewal / Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Average | $13.61 | $15.80 |
| Ionos | $1 | $20 |
| Dynadot | $5.99 | $10.99 |
| Freenom | $6.71 | $6.71 |
| Cloudflare | $9.95 | $9.95 |
| Namecheap | $10.98 | $14.98 |
| Dreamhost | $10.99 | $16.00 |
| Espace 2001 | $11.23 | $11.23 |
| Name Silo | $11.79 | $11.79 |
| GoDaddy | $14.99 | $19.99 |
For .net extensions, Freenom and Dynadot are a better choices to buy from.
Cheapest .org Domain Registration and Renewal Costs
| First Year | Renewal / Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Average | $12.09 | $15.64 |
| Ionos | $1 | $20 |
| Namecheap | $8.88 | $14.98 |
| Dynadot | $7.99 | $10.99 |
| Fat Cow | $8.99 | $17.99 |
| Name.com | $8.99 | $17.99 |
| Netfirms | $8.99 | $17.99 |
| Dotster | $8.99 | $17.49 |
| Domain.com | $8.99 | $17.49 |
| Freenom | $9.58 | $9.58 |
For .org domains, Dynadot, Name.com, Ionos and Freenom come out on top.
FAQ
Domain Extensions to avoid
Over time, some domain extensions have gained a bad reputation. In fact, they have been misused by spammers to send spam.
So here are a few extensions that it is best to avoid :
- .cf
- .ml
- .ga
- .work
- .gq
- .fit
- .tk
- .men
- .date
- .top
- .link
- .fail
This is not because a TLD appears in the list of Spam that doesn’t mean the domain extension is automatically bad. So if the extension matches your Web project, you don’t have to exclude these TLDS.
What is the Best Domain Extension?
No doubt it is the .com and other gTLDs but however it also depends on the niche of your site. Take a look at the new top-level domains (those ones with keywords): some are specially designed for industries or target groups and may very well suit your niche.
Does Domain Extension Affect SEO
It’s always a good idea to think about SEO when creating a website. gTLDs affects brand and trust more than anything, but Google stated that it doesn’t take TLDs into account when listing search results. However, this is how it can affect a site’s SEO:
If two or more websites have the same name and implement the same SEO practices, but have different extensions, the website with the .com domain extension will have the highest ranking in most results. This is because people tend to trust websites .com and usually prefer their alternatives .net or .org, and websites with a high volume of traffic perform better in search engines.
The component of your domain name affects SEO. The name of your site tells people and search engines what your organization is and/or what it does.
For example, if the sites on the same niche (.com and .work) are ranking on SERPs, .com website will receive more clicks than the .work website because .com is more trusted than .work. As a result of the more clicks, it gets it go up in ranking and .work will decrease in ranking.
Another example is if there are two sites on the niche (equal SEO) let’s say scholarship with these domains uvc.com and uvc.scholarship. The algorithm will definitely favour the domain with .scholarship because of the relevancy to the search.
The last example in terms of local SEO, a .ng will do better than a site with .com targeting people in Nigeria.
Best domain extensions for SEO
The best domain extensions are gTLDs. Apart from that, any extension that is relevant to the niche is perfect.
Best Domain Extensions for Business
- .biz
- .store
- .shop
- .bid
- .wine
- .shoes
Which Domain has the Highest Market Value
The .com has the highest market value because it is loved by all and it is generic. After the .com, other gTLDs have high market value than any extensions.
If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress blogging video tutorials and how to make money online. If you have any questions, please leave us a comment. Also, If you think I missed a step or have any suggestions for us; please let us know. We'd love to hear from you!
