What Are Top-Level Domains (TLDs)? Everything You Need to Know

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TLDs are more than just random suffixes, though. They serve a couple of notable functions for your website, including playing a hand in your search engine optimization (SEO). It’s important to understand what TLDs are and to pick one that works for you.

So, what is a TLD, and how should you choose one? Keep reading for a full TLD explanation. We’ll cover:

What are top-level domains (TLDs)?
Types of top-level domains
Choosing top-level domains
How to obtain a TLD
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What are top-level domains (TLDs)?
To start, what is a TLD?

Top-level domains are the second part of any domain name — the part that comes after the dot. They usually consist of two or three letters, though some have more.

The original purpose of TLDs was to help categorize domain names. For example, .com domains were exclusively reserved for commercial websites, while .gov was reserved for government websites. Some of those distinctions still exist, though others have faded over time.

Types of top-level domains
There are a few different types of TLDs. ICANN — the organization in charge of regulating domains — officially recognizes three types. We’ll cover those three types below.

Keep reading for a breakdown of each type of TLD!

Generic TLDs (gTLDs)
Generic TLDs (gTLDs) cover the vast majority of TLDs, as well as the most common ones. Most of these TLDs are available to anyone. They include:

.com
.org
.net
.co
Initially, ICANN only offered a handful of options in this category. However, they eventually opened doors for domain registrars to offer a wider variety of gTLD options, causing many creative options to enter the mix. Today, viable gTLD options include:

.tech
.photo
.tv
.ninja
And more!
In all likelihood, this category of TLDs is the one your business will use. Though there are countless gTLDs in existence, “.com” is by far the most common.

Sponsored TLDs (sTLDs)
Sponsored TLDs (sTLDs) aren’t as common as gTLDs, but you’ve still no doubt seen your share of them before. Whereas gTLDs are usually open to everyone, sTLDs are specific to a particular organization.