TLD extension
Senior SEO-specialist
What are TLD extensions? Does it impact SEO? We tell it.
What is a TLD extension?
TLD stands for ”top-level domain.” The list of Internet top-level domain extensions includes all top-level domains. Top-level domains are the domains in the DNS root zone of the Internet.
Here, the DNS root zone is the hierarchical namespace of the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS). The Domain Name System (DNS) is the system and network protocol used on the Internet to translate names of computers and its IP addresses.
Sample TLD extension
The TLD extension of our website (RalfvanVeen.com) is ”.com”. Thus, the TLD extension is the last part of a website’s domain name. In total, there are about 1,500 different TLD extensions.
Examples include:
- ”.com”’: anyone who creates a Web site can create it in .com. It is found in all industries. It was originally created for companies that are ”for-profit.” This TLD extension is also used by nonprofit organizations.
- ”.org”: This TLD extension was originally created for nonprofit organizations. Nowadays, this extension is used by all kinds of companies.
- ”.net”: This TLD extension is an open extension, which means it is available to everyone. ”.net” was originally created for Web sites that act as a ”portal” for other Web sites. A kind of conduit.
- ”.edu”: This is mainly used by English colleges. SEO specialists speculate that backlinks from these websites have more value than backlinks from other TLD extensions.
- ”.gov”: This TLD extension is mainly used by the U.S. government. SEO specialists speculate that backlinks from these websites also have more value than regular backlinks.
The impact of TLD extensions on SEO
The TLD extension is a topic of SEO that involves a lot of speculation. The biggest impact a TLD extension has on a website is when it depends on a country.
For example, the TLD extension of the Netherlands is: ”.nl”. A ”.nl” website will rank less highly in Germany than a ”.de” website. The reverse is also true. ”.de”’ websites rank less well in the Netherlands than in Germany.
