New domain extensions: the basics

Open extensions

Available for anyone to acquire, new “open” domain name extensions may be used to fulfill a great variety of purposes. For example, many of them feature non-Latin alphabet characters such as Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Sanskrit, and Thai. These new extensions help rendering the web more accessible to non-English speaking communities.

New geographic domain name extensions, referring to precise areas of the world instead of just countries, have also been added. Those who wish to include a location, a city or a region to their domain name can now acquire extensions such as “.paris”, “.corsica”, “.alsace”, or “.nyc”, among many others.

Generic extensions are meant to be used by those who wish for their domain name to portray their website’s contents more accurately. This will help users identify your website’s purpose at a glance. As an example, a website focusing on viral news could greatly benefit from the domain extension “.buzz”.

Some new domain name extensions such as “.bio”, “.sport”, or “.art” which cater to very specific fields and activities are also available.

Semi-open extensions

These domain name extensions exist for very specific purposes, and can only be acquired by the relevant entities. TLDs such as “.museum”, “.coop”, “.bank”, or “.finance” are among these semi-open extensions, and can greatly help in defining a website’s identity.

Closed extentions

These new domain name extensions are dedicated to large corporations, organizations and brands that may want their own trademarked name as their TLD. For example, companies such as L’Oréal or SNCF may use their dedicated extensions for all their websites, ensuring that they’re instantly recognized as their official communication outlets.