There are over 1,000 different types of domains, crazy! At first, they were created with super specific objectives, like the classic .com for business, .edu for education, or .gov for governments. But of course, over time this got out of control and now we have everything: from .pizza to .ninja (yes, they exist).
Since things got out of hand, they have been organized into categories so that it is not total chaos. But let’s be honest, with so many options, choosing a domain these days is almost as complicated as deciding which series to start on Netflix.
What are Internet Domains
What is a domain? Well, an internet domain is basically the unique name that we give to a part of the web to identify it. It’s like a house address, but on the Internet.
The main reason domains and the famous Domain Name System (DNS) exist is because IP addresses (those long, weird numbers) are hard to remember. So instead of having to learn something like 142.250.184.4 you just write google.com, and voila, you arrive at the same place without breaking your head.
Furthermore, thanks to this system, a website can change servers or locations without you knowing, because the domain remains the same, even if the IP changes. And another key advantage: many websites can share the same IP address without problem. If this were not the case, we would run out of space for new pages very quickly.
Mastery Levels
Internet domains do not come in one size fits all, there is everything depending on what the website is used for, where it is from, and what function it has. Come on, it’s not the same .gov for a government as .fun for, well… whatever someone with a .fun.
When you see a web address, you will notice that the domains are separated by dots and, keep an eye on this, read from right to left (as if they were Hebrew, but in an internet version). It is also important not to confuse the domain name with the extension. So that you are clear: in google.com, “Google” is the domain name and .com is the extension.
Now, do you want to know what types of domains exist? Well, get ready, because there are more categories than in a clothing store on sale.
Top Level Domain
The TLD (Top-Level Domains) are basically the last name of web pages, or in other words, what comes after the last point in an internet address. For example, in google.com, .com is the TLD. There are also the classics .org, .edu, .uk, among many others.
Now, what are they for? When you write a website in the browser, your computer doesn’t immediately know where to go, so it asks DNS (which would be the GPS of the internet). This system first queries the TLD server corresponding. If you search google.com, the DNS goes to the server of .com, which tells you where the Google server is, and voila, there the page appears.
But all this doesn’t work alone, there is an organization that ensures that domains are not chaos: ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). They distribute control of the TLDs to different companies. For example, VeriSign is the one that manages the .com and .net, so if you have a domain with those endings, they are under their control.
And they not only serve to organize the website, but also they give you clues about the purpose of a page:
- .com → It was created for businesses and companies, but today everyone uses it.
- .gov → Only for US government pages.
- .uk → For UK websites.
Each TLD has its reason for being, so the next time you see a .xyz, .tech, or .shop, you already know that that final point has more history than it seems.
Lower Level Domain (SLD)
If you’re here wondering what lower level domains (SLD) are, don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you quickly. Basically, it is the part that appears before the TLD (the extension such as .com or .org) in a web address. For example, in google.com, “google” is the SLD.
This domain is key because it is what identifies and gives personality to your page. You will see it clearly in examples like wikipedia.org, amazon.com, facebook.com, and X.com. It is the part that makes each website unique, so choosing it well is like naming your store or your project.
Subdomains
Subdomains are like small “rooms” within your website, separate but still connected to the main house (your domain). Basically, they are what appears before your domain name in a URL and serve to better organize the content.
What are subdomains used for?
If you have a website with different sections, subdomains help you divide them without having to buy a new domain. For example:
- blog.yoursite.com → For a blog separate from the rest of the website.
- store.yoursite.com → If you decide to sell products without mixing it with the main content.
- support.yoursite.com → So that customers can find help in a place dedicated just to that.
Types of Domains on the Internet
Generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs)
The generic top level domains (gTLDs) are like the domain superheroes, and they are managed by ICANN (which would become the “UN of the internet”). When you search for something, DNS servers get to work translating the domain into an IP address, as if they are using a GPS to make sure you get to the right place.
Examples of these generic domains are .com, .org, and .net. Imagine that you enter www.clickcrows.com. Here is what happens:
- .com: is the top level domain. This is the king of all, the most famous, the one you find on almost all websites.
- clickcrows: is the domain name that we have recorded, which in this case is our epic page.
- www.: is the subdomain, the one in charge of hosting the website, like a little assistant that guides you to the main page.
So, when you write a URL, each part has a very important role. And don’t worry, although it may sound complicated, it’s as if each domain had its own address to get to the internet party. And it’s all thanks to gTLDs!
The generic top level domains (gTLD) are like the nomads of the internet: they are not tied to any particular country. This makes them the perfect starting point for creating international versions of your website, especially if you want to organize everything in subdirectories.
It’s as if your website were a store and, instead of having a store in each country, you decide to make a global supermarket with different sections within the same store, as if you were saying: “Here we have the Spain section, here the Mexico section, and here the Japan section.” With a gTLD like .com or .org, you can create those sections without anyone asking you what part of the world you are from.
| gTLD Domain | Representation |
|---|---|
| com | Commercial or general purpose, the most popular and used. |
| org | Non-profit organizations, although it is not exclusive |
| net | Networks and technology, but widely used on the web. |
| edu | Educational institutions, mainly in the US. |
| gov | US governments and official entities |
| mil | US Military Entities |
| int | International organizations and treaties. |
| info | Informative and reference websites. |
| biz | Business and companies in general. |
| name | Personal use, ideal for personal names. |
| pro | Certified professionals (lawyers, doctors, etc.). |
| aero | Aviation and air transport industry. |
| museum | Museums and cultural organizations. |
Generic Restricted Top Level Domains (grTLDs)
Here we enter the VIP category of the Top Level domains, those that are not available to everyone because they require meeting certain requirements. It’s as if you wanted to enter an exclusive club: if you don’t meet the conditions, you stay at the door.
For example:
- .name → Only for individuals, so forget about using it for your business.
- .pro → Reserved for credentialed professionals. It’s not enough to say “I’m great at what I do”, you have to prove it.
And then there are the geographic domains with restrictions, those that you cannot freely register unless you meet certain requirements in the corresponding country. Some examples are:
- .cn (China)
- .jp (Japan)
- .uk (United Kingdom)
- .kr (South Korea)
- .id (Indonesia)
Basically, if you want a domain for these countries, get ready to show that you have something to do with them. It’s not enough that you like sushi or that you know how to say “hello” with a British accent.
| Domain | Type | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| .name | Personal | Only for individuals, not for businesses. |
| .pro | Professional | Reserved for professionals with verified credentials. |
| .cn | Geographic (China) | Requires presence or relationship with China. |
| .jp | Geographic (Japan) | You need a connection to Japan, such as residence or registered company. |
| .uk | Geographic (UK) | Local requirements must be met for registration. |
| .kr | Geographic (South Korea) | There must be a relationship with South Korea. |
| .id | Geographic (Indonesia) | Presence or relationship with Indonesia is required. |
Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs)
The ccTLD (Country Code Top-Level Domain) are the digital passports of countries on the internet. Each country has its own top level domain, which is always composed of letters. It’s like a car license plate, but for websites.
For example:
- If you see a website that ends in .gr, it’s not that it talks about “great” things, but it’s about Greece.
- If it is .ca, it has nothing to do with cats, but with Canada.
These domains are often used to indicate that a page is focused on a specific country, although some extensions have become so popular that no one associates them with their origin anymore (such as .tv, which belongs to Tuvalu, but they use it for television sites). So don’t just rely on the letters!
They are like the “Welcome to…” signs but on the Internet. Thanks to them, we can know if a website is focused on a particular country.
Imagine if they didn’t exist. Everything would be mixed in one same global domain, like a shopping center without sections: you could just as well be looking for a sushi store in Spain and end up on a website in Japan without realizing it.
With ccTLDs, each country has its own little corner on the web. So, when you see a .es, you know that the page is probably from Spain; if it is .fr, I’m sure it’s something French. It’s like giving a name and surname to a website to know where does it come from without having to guess.
| ccTLD Domain | Country |
|---|---|
| .gr | Greece |
| .ca | Canada |
| .tv | Tuvalu |
| .es | Spain |
| .fr | France |
Internationalized Country Code Domains (IDN ccTLDs)
The internationalized country code top level domains (IDN ccTLD) are like normal ccTLDs, but in a multilingual version. That is, instead of using only the Latin alphabet, they use characters from the language of the country they represent.
For example, China’s ccTLD is .cn, but its IDN version is .中国 (which literally means “China” in Chinese). The same thing happens with other countries that have different writings, like Russia (.рф) or Saudi Arabia (.السعودية).
In addition to these ccTLDs in other languages, there are more general IDN TLDs, which are not tied to a particular country, but which also help make the Internet more inclusive for those who do not use the Latin alphabet.
And if that were not enough, the IDN not only affect the “.com” or “.es”, but also the part before the point. So yes, you can have a domain completely in your language without the need to mix rare characters.
New Top Level Domains (nTLDs)
The new top level domains (nTLD) came to give people more options in a world where getting a .com freely is almost like finding a four-leaf clover.
And the number of domain names continues to grow without brakes. According to Research and Markets, we are going from 362.6 million domains in 2022 to some 464.8 million in 2030. Yes, the internet is filling up fast.
Although these new domains have opened up a huge range of possibilities for companies and brands, not all are available to everyone. Some are reserved for specific communities or companies. So, if you were planning to register a .apple to sell apples, you’ll probably get a surprise (and not exactly a pleasant one).
| nTLD Domain | Use |
|---|---|
| .shop | E-commerce and online stores. |
| .tech | Technology companies, startups and innovation. |
| .blog | Blogs and content creators. |
| .app | Mobile and web applications (SSL required). |
| .bank | Verified banks and financial institutions. |
| .law | Professionals and firms in the legal sector. |
| .music | Music industry and artists. |
| .expert | Experts in different areas. |
| .design | Designers and creative agencies. |
| .marketing | Marketing professionals and agencies. |
| .health | Companies and health services. |
| .photography | Photographers and visual portfolios. |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Types of Domains
Choosing a domain is not just a matter of seeing what is available and registering the first thing that comes to mind. Each type of domain has its pros and cons, and can influence things like your brand perception, SEO, and even user trust.
To make it easy for you, here is a quick summary of what you can expect from each one:
| Domain type | The good | Bad | Impact on SEO | How is it perceived? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Level Generics (gTLD) | Easy to remember, global, accessible and well positioned in search engines | A lot of competition and risk that the domain you want is already occupied | Good for global SEO, but less effective locally | Professional and reliable |
| Generic Restricted Top Level Domains (gTLDs) | They give confidence since only certain organizations can register them | They have strict requirements and everyone cannot use them | Excellent within their sector, but not impact outside of it | Exclusive and highly reliable |
| Geographic Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) | They reinforce local identity and help position yourself in the country’s searches | They may require legal presence or a relationship in the country to register them | Very good for local SEO, but less effective internationally | Close, specific, trustworthy in the region |
| Internationalized Geographic Top Level Domains (IDN ccTLDs) | They allow users of different alphabets access sites in their own language | Not all browsers and users are used to them | They improve accessibility for local audiences, but may not be recognized globally | Culturally relevant, but not universal |
| New Top Level Domains (nTLDs) | Creative, with more availability and specific options for different sectors | Less known and some may be more expensive | It depends on the recognition of the chosen nTLD | Innovative and modern, but can cause confusion |
Which one to choose?
- If you want something global and professional → gTLD is the safest option.
- If your website is from an official or academic institution → You will need a grTLD.
- If your business is focused on a specific country → A ccTLD will strengthen your local presence.
- If your audience uses a non-Latin language → An IDN ccTLD will facilitate the user experience.
- If you are looking for something more creative or niche → An nTLD can make your website stand out.
Choose wisely and make sure your domain reflects your project well!
