You’re thinking of creating a business online and are now wondering which type of TLD is the right one for the brand new website. Perhaps you want other options besides .com. A great thing to note is that country-code TLDs (ccTLD) are on a 3.4% rise, globally, compared to 1.8% of all TLDs. Thus there are more options available for you to choose from.
If you want to check whether or not the domain name, including the TLD, that you want is available or not, you can use the Hostinger domain name search to check. It provides creative alternatives in case the name you want is already taken.
In this article, I’ll briefly give you ten of the most popular TLDs in India and some statistics to back them up.
Image source: canva.com
#1: .com
This is still the most popular TLD in the world, with 70%+ market share. The reason is, yes that it doesn’t directly rank you higher in the SERPs, but Google’s algorithm has a preference for aged brands, which are brands with a track record of great content and uptime.
Most of those aged brands end with .com; people’s perception is that most of .com websites are trustworthy. Thus as much as 50.9% of websites still end with .com cause business owners to want to use that perceived trust.
#2: .in
This is India’s country-code TLD. It’s already widely used by businesses in India. The reason is that country-code TLD will give Google the assumption that your website targets Indian readers, which is true. This thus will result in your website ranking higher or prioritized first in India than other TLD websites.
Out of all the TLDs, there are 1.6% of websites that use .in. This means that there is a higher chance of buying a domain name ending with .in compared to .com. You should use this if you focus on the Indian market and want to build a regional community.
#3: .co.in
This is also an Indian TLD, but it’s a second-level domain. It is intended mainly for registered companies in India, but anyone can purchase it regardless. It gives the same benefits as .in because this will appear in a SERP done in India.
However, it is less popular than .in having only 0.6% of websites using this TLD. Being less popular is harder to type and remember, resulting in losing potential customers to other businesses with more exact domain names and TLDs. You should use this TLD if you are an already well-established business.
#4: .info
This is an unrestricted domain, meaning anyone can use it, just like .com. It is one of the cheapest TLDs out there, thus gaining popularity over many businesses worldwide. It was initially intended for people to provide the latest information on a specific niche, but now anyone can use it for various purposes.
It was popular in the early 2000s because it was restricted to registered brands. Thus many began to use it. But as of 2013 onwards, there was a steep decline in usage of the TLD. This could be because countries like Australia blocked access to .info domains because of a high spam and malware rate. Now, about 0.6% of websites still use this, which is still a pretty high amount.
Image source: canva.com
#5: .io
This TLD was intended to be a country-code for British Indian Ocean Territory. But instead, it is now used by tech and SaaS companies. One reason could be because It is similar to the IT abbreviation I/O, which means input/output. It makes the word “IO” relatable to IT.
Though officially a country-code, Google now recognizes .io as a generic TLD like .com and .info because 0.4% of all websites use this TLD, and most of them are indeed tech or IT companies. So use this if you are in the tech or IT business.
#6: .biz
This TLD was created as an alternative to businesses that couldn’t get their hands on .com because it was bought by someone else. To use this TLD, you must be a registered business or company. Therefore, anyone using this TLD has been labeled to be very credible.
About 0.2% of websites use this. Primarily they are all registered businesses. This is great for you who want to be an efficient and direct business as people who come to your site know what they are going to do.
#7: .pro
This TLD was originally created for certified professionals in engineering, finance, and medicine, but now anyone can use it. .pro is a great way to tell visitors that you are experienced at what you do. It maintains an image that your business is on another professional level.
About 0.2% of websites use this TLD. This means that there is a higher chance of your domain name being available here.
#8: .store
This TLD reinforces your business if you have an online store. It makes it clear from the very start that you are selling products and services. But you can also use .store for an offline store by displaying your product catalog and giving information about your location and contact information.
About 0.1% of websites use this TLD, and it has been steadily growing over the past few months, probably because of the current pandemic causing people to shift shopping to online stores from physical stores.
Image source: canva.com
#9: .ltd
.ltd, which stands for limited, is a TLD that is used specifically to inform your visitors that you are a private limited company. The domain further strengthens the fact that you are protected from financial liabilities.
About 0.1% of websites use this domain and is mostly used in Commonwealth countries, which protects you as a business owner.
#10: .llc
This domain stands for limited liability company and is used specifically for them. This can be registered and bought by anyone, even when your business is not up and running yet.
About 0.1% of websites use this domain, and most of them are small businesses with a single owner. This is because companies under limited liability protect the owner from financial disasters. The firms use this to strengthen the credibility that they have.
All in all
Now you know the ten most popular business TLDs in India, each having their use and benefits.
It’s up to you now to pick the best domain for your business. Domain name search tools will help you easily to find the best one just remember that if you want to focus on India, use the .in or .co.in extension and if you’re going to play it safe and garner an international interest, then use the .com.
Mary Derosa |
"Mary is a founder and chief editor at her digital content and SEO agency PRable.org. She is passionate about digital marketing innovations. The technologies and online businesses are her engines she loves to write about."
