The Role of Domain Extensions in Branding.

My interest in domains and domain extensions stems from my obsession with personal websites.

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The fact you can own a little corner of the internet all to yourself is pretty cool.

I have noticed certain domain extensions play a subtle but significant role in branding and specifically 'Brand Identity'.

.com: The Official

The .com is your go-to domain extension. It is well-known and trusted around the world. This is best used for all websites but especially for projects that are official.

.xyz: Nonchalant Vibe

The .xyz domain extension was released in 2014 and has since gained a lot of popularity.

I find that websites with this domain give off a very shoulder-shrugging, nonchalant vibe. It’s good for personal projects or if you just don’t care.

The story behind how this domain came into being is pretty interesting so here is a piece from TechCrunch that you may enjoy.

The founder of the .xyz domain is really active in the crypto/web3 space which is why you may notice every NFT, crypto, and web3 project using .xyz.

.co: The Artsy Alternative.

The .co extension is a very good option for creative and artsy websites. Think hand-made products or crafts.

This extension is also your best bet if .com is not available.

.io: Indie-hacker Classic.

Here is a cool fact for you; the .io is the official extension assigned to the "Indian Ocean Territory" and Levi Strauss & Co was one of the first companies to use it. You can read more about it here.

Over the years though, this extension has garnered a lot of love from the Indie Hackers community.

If you want some further reading on domain extensions, I found a detailed study by GrowthBadger.

Tweet me your thoughts.

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