What top level Domains to Consider for any Designer or Developer

Browsing top level domains, it’s not always clear the value that exists there for designers and developers. I mean, why switch from “.com”, “.org”, “.ca”, or “.net” – the reason being comes down to cost. 

Depending on the keywords being ranked for and a range of other factors, you may be paying a lot of money for a tag that can be easily switched out for something else. “.com” is already getting more expensive. Depending on the spelling, the length of the domain, and/or the creativity of it, you may be able to get away with a “.com” however supply is running low.

There are many other top level domains available for web designers and developers to choose from. Keep in mind that the biggest barrier to some of these domains is in explaining to clients that you don’t own a “.com” and that you have another tag. If you can get around this, we highly recommend checking out other top level domains to lower expenses and potentially increase the value of your site.

For example, for web designers, there’s “.design”, “.graphics”, “.media”, and “.art”. For a freelancer or an agency, picking up one of these top level domains may help to elevate the perception of your business to something more in the eyes of the client. For the developer, there are top level domains including “.engineer”, “.software”, “.systems”, “.tech”, “.technology”, and “.tools”.

Ideally, finding the right domain should be based on fixating on the purpose of your business. That said, let’s say you don’t want to be confined to one specific definition, or assuming you prefer something a little more unique to certain components of web design and development, there’s “.host”, “.review”, “.music”, “.audio”, and “.video” among others to browse.

There are also country-specific domains that work well for a company seeking to expand to specific territories globally. Even targeting a specific locality or region may help to improve the reputation of brand in the area, such as using a city-specific domain. Be cautious if you do end up narrowing down the options to city-based domains though as it does not provide much accommodation for growth outside the region. If you do end up expanding the business at a later point, you may have to purchase additional domain names to get going. This is not always ideal, especially for a small business working with limited financial resources.

The last collection of top level domains we want to share with you today are those targeting more general business. These don’t necessarily apply to the web design or development field but can be purposed across many different categories of work. These domains include “.agency”, “.consulting”, “.network”, “.services”, “.solutions”, “.studio”, “.team”, “.work”, and “.works”. Depending on what you want for your business, these tags may help in establishing credibility and building brand reputation.

At the end of the day, there is some value in at least considering selecting a top level domain other than a “.com”. Invest serious thought into this though as you don’t want to be trapped in a domain uncharacteristic to what your business is or where it’s headed.

For more information on top level domains and whether an alternative top level domain would be right for your business, Unlimited Exposure would be happy to speak with you. As key figures in Toronto web design, we specialize in SEO, PPC, online reputation management, and digital branding.