Today we proceed with our discussion on domains and how to choose one. In our previous article we have touched on the available generic Top Level Domains as an alternative to the Top Level .com Domain.
In this article we are going to list various generic Top Level Domains with a brief explanation of their purpose/meaning. We have not included a description of each domain as some of them are self-explanatory. Whilst all these domains may not be available in South Africa it may be interesting to some readers to see what a gTLD mean when they visit a site which uses one of these domains.
| .academy | academic institutes |
| .accountant | accountants and accounting firms |
| .accountants | accountants and accounting firms |
| .active | general |
| .actor | actors |
| .aero | air-transport industry |
| .agency | business associations |
| .airforce | defense contractors |
| .apartments | apartments |
| .app | Phone apps |
| .archi | architects and architect firms[43] |
| .army | defense contractors |
| .associates | business associations |
| .attorney | attorneys and legal organizations |
| .auction | |
| .audible | |
| .audio | stereo/sound systems, music |
| .author | |
| .auto | |
| .autos | |
| .baby | |
| .band | |
| .bar | Bars and related industry |
| .barefoot | |
| .bargains | coupons and online sellers |
| .baseball | |
| .beauty | |
| .beer | breweries and beer aficionados |
| .best | |
| .bestbuy | |
| .bet | |
| .bid | auctions |
| .bike | bicycles |
| .bingo | bingo |
| .bio | biodiversity, biographies |
| .biz | business |
| .black | those who like the color black[48] |
| .blackfriday | Black Friday, retail |
| .blockbuster | |
| .blog | Blogs |
| .blue | those who like the color blue[50] |
| .boo | ghosts and spooky business |
| .book | |
| .bot | The .bot extension is dedicated to the Amazon technical platform. |
| .boutique | specialized businesses |
| .box | individuals and businesses, in order to promote personal cloud storage |
| .broker | |
| .build | construction industry |
| .builders | construction workers |
| .business | businesses |
| .buy | |
| .buzz | marketing and social networking |
| .cab | cabs and taxi companies |
| .cafe | coffee industry |
| .cam | entertainment[52] |
| .camera | camera-related businesses |
| .camp | camps and camping |
| .cancerresearch | Organizations, research institutes and individuals interested in ending cancer through research [54] |
| .capital | financial firms |
| .cards | general |
| .care | healthcare industry |
| .career | |
| .careers | Employment |
| .cars | Automotive |
| .case | |
| .cash | financial |
| .casino | casinos |
| .catering | Food service |
| .catholic | |
| .center | general |
| .ceo | CEOs |
| .channel | |
| .chat | online chat |
| .cheap | Resellers |
| .christmas | Christmas |
| .church | churches |
| .city | general |
| .claims | retail, auctions |
| .cleaning | Cleaning services |
| .click | |
| .clinic | healthcare clinics |
| .clothing | Apparel |
| .cloud | |
| .club | groups, organizations, assemblies, communities, general |
| .coach | travel (flights and motor coaches) |
| .codes | computer and/or encryption code enthusiasts |
| .coffee | cafés and coffee aficionados |
| .college | Educational |
| .community | social groups, neighborhoods |
| .company | business associations |
| .computer | Technology |
| .condos | Real estate |
| .construction | Construction industry |
| .consulting | hired advisors |
| .contact | |
| .contractors | Remodeling and independent businesses |
| .cooking | sharing recipes |
| .cool | General interests |
| .coop | cooperatives |
| .country | general |
| .coupon | |
| .coupons | coupons |
| .courses | |
| .credit | Financial institutions |
| .creditcard | Financial institutions |
| .cricket | cricket |
| .cruises | cruise businesses and travel |
| .dad | families |
| .dance | Dance studios and companies |
| .date | online dating |
| .dating | online dating |
| .day | general |
| .deal | |
| .deals | online shopping and couponing |
| .degree | general |
| .delivery | general |
| .democrat | Democratic Party politics |
| .dental | dentists |
| .dentist | dentists |
| .design | graphic art and fashion |
| .dev | development |
| .diamonds | diamond and jewelry industry |
| .diet | |
| .digital | general |
| .direct | general |
| .directory | general directory |
| .discount | general |
| .doctor | |
| .dog | dog stores and owners |
| .domains | domain registries |
| .download | technology |
| .duck | |
| .earth | |
| .eat | restaurants and foodies |
| .eco | |
| .education | educational institutes |
| .energy | energy industry and marketing |
| .engineer | engineers and engineering firms |
| .engineering | engineering firms |
| .equipment | equipment-related businesses |
| .esq | lawyers, law firms, legal professionals |
| .estate | real estate businesses |
| .events | happenings |
| .exchange | generic trade |
| .expert | generic expertise |
| .exposed | general interest |
| .express | shipping |
| .fail | general |
| .faith | religion and churches |
| .family | families |
| .fan | |
| .fans | general |
| .farm | farms and agriculture |
| .fashion | clothing industry |
| .feedback | |
| .film | |
| .final | |
| .finance | financial |
| .financial | financial |
| .fire | |
| .fish | fishing businesses, sports, and interests |
| .fishing | fishing businesses, sports, and interests |
| .fit | Fitness and exercise |
| .fitness | Fitness and exercise |
| .flights | airline businesses and travel |
| .florist | florists |
| .flowers | florists and gardens |
| .fly | travel |
| .foo | web development |
| .food | |
| .foodnetwork | |
| .football | soccer and American football |
| .forsale | online retail |
| .forum | |
| .foundation | charitable organizations |
| .free | |
| .fund | financial |
| .furniture | furniture businesses |
| .fyi | “for your information” |
| .gallery | photo and art galleries |
| .game | |
| .games | |
| .garden | gardening |
| .gift | gift-giving |
| .gifts | gift-giving |
| .gives | charities and gift-giving |
| .glass | window sales and repairs |
| .global | general |
| .gold | gold and luxury |
| .golf | golf |
| .gop | Republican Party politics |
| .graphics | graphics |
| .green | the environmentally-focused |
| .gripe | opinion sites |
| .group | |
| .guide | help sites |
| .guitars | Guitars |
| .guru | generic expertise |
| .hair | |
| .hangout | |
| .health | |
| .healthcare | healthcare industry |
| .help | help sites |
| .here | generic geographic |
| .hiphop | Hip hop culture |
| .hiv | AIDS and HIV |
| .hockey | hockey |
| .holdings | real estate or financial business |
| .holiday | holiday gift industry |
| .homegoods | |
| .homes | real estate professionals |
| .homesense | |
| .horse | horse-related businesses and interest |
| .host | network companies |
| .hosting | |
| .house | real estate and construction businesses |
| .how | how-to guides |
| .ice | |
| .info | information |
| .ing | Verbal suffix: e.g., “jump.ing”. |
| .ink | creative printing or tattooing[64] |
| .institute[65] | |
| .insurance | |
| .insure | Insurance companies |
| .international | international entities |
| .investments | financial |
| .jewelry | jewelry stores |
| .jobs | Employment |
| .joy | |
| .kim | people named Kim Also means “who” in Turkish |
| .kitchen | food industry and remodeling |
| .land | real estate |
| .latino | |
| .law | |
| .lawyer | lawyers and legal organizations |
| .lease | financing |
| .legal | lawyers and legal organizations |
| .lgbt | the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community |
| .life | general |
| .lifeinsurance | |
| .lighting | lighting |
| .like | |
| .limited | general |
| .limo | limousine businesses |
| .link | connecting to information[68] |
| .live | |
| .living | |
| .loan | banks and lenders |
| .loans | banks and lenders |
| .locker | |
| .lol | LOL: laughing out loud |
| .lotto | |
| .love | dating sites |
| .luxe | |
| .luxury | businesses catering to the wealthy |
| .makeup | |
| .management | business management |
| .market | marketing services and retailers |
| .marketing | marketing services |
| .markets | financial and stock markets |
| .mba | Masters in Business Administration |
| .media | general media interests |
| .meet | social gatherings, meeting new people |
| .meme | Internet memes |
| .memorial | memorial sites |
| .men | men |
| .menu | restaurants |
| .mint | |
| .mobi | mobile devices |
| .mobily | |
| .moe | Japanese otaku culture The word “moe” (Japanese: 萌え?, pronounced as “moh-ay”) is a slang word rooted deep in the Japanese Otaku culture. It has often been used to mean a particular type of “adorable” or “cute” towards fictional characters, people, animals, etc.[70] |
| .money | financial |
| .mortgage | mortgage lenders |
| .motorcycles | motorcycles |
| .mov | Digital video |
| .movie | movies and cinemas |
| .museum | museums |
| .name | individuals, by name |
| .navy | defense contractors |
| .network | general |
| .new | general |
| .news | news sites |
| .ngo | Non-governmental organizations. Sold packaged with .ong. |
| .ninja | general expertise |
| .now | |
| .off | |
| .one | general |
| .ong | Non-governmental organizations. Sold packaged with .ngo. |
| .onl | short for “online” |
| .online | generic |
| .ooo | general |
| .open | |
| .organic | organic gardeners, farmers, foods, etc. |
| .origins | |
| .page | |
| .partners | businesses |
| .parts | manufacturing and consumer auto |
| .party | nightclubs and social gatherings |
| .pay | |
| .pet | |
| .pharmacy | pharmacies |
| .photo | photography and photo-sharing |
| .photography | photography and photo-sharing |
| .photos | photography and photo-sharing |
| .physio | physical therapists |
| .pics | photography and photo-sharing |
| .pictures | photography and photo-sharing |
| .pin | |
| .pink | those who like the color pink |
| .pizza | pizza parlors |
| .place | general |
| .plumbing | plumbing businesses |
| .plus | generic |
| .poker | Poker players and sites |
| .porn | adult entertainment (pornography) |
| .post | postal services |
| .press | publishing and journalism |
| .prime | |
| .pro | professions/professionals |
| .productions | studio/art businesses |
| .prof | Professors, teachers and learning |
| .promo | |
| .properties | real estate |
| .property | real estate |
| .protection | |
| .qpon | coupons |
| .racing | racing |
| .radio | |
| .read | |
| .realestate | |
| .realty | |
| .recipes | recipes and cooking |
| .red | those who like the color red[77] Also Spanish variant of .net Also likely to be attractive for domain hacks for words that end with ‘-red’. |
| .rehab | Rehab centers and support sites |
| .ren | Renren users (ren means “people/person” in Mandarin Chinese pinyin |
| .rent | Real estate professionals and small businesses |
| .rentals | short-term ownership |
| .repair | general repair/maintenance businesses |
| .report | business services |
| .republican | Republican Party politics |
| .rest | Restaurants and related industry |
| .review | public reviews |
| .reviews | public reviews |
| .rich | businesses catering to the wealthy |
| .rip | memorial sites[79] |
| .rocks | general |
| .rodeo | Rodeo interest |
| .room | |
| .rsvp | Invitations and replies |
| .run | running and jogging |
| .safe | |
| .sale | retail |
| .save | |
| .school | schools |
| .science | science-related sites |
| .secure | |
| .security | |
| .select | |
| .services | business services |
| .sex | adult entertainment (pornography) |
| .sexy | adult entertainment |
| .shoes | shoes |
| .shop | |
| .shopping | |
| .show | entertainment and vlogs |
| .showtime | |
| .silk | |
| .singles | online dating |
| .site | general |
| .ski | |
| .skin | |
| .sky | |
| .smile | |
| .soccer | soccer |
| .social | general interest |
| .software | computer software |
| .solar | solar-power |
| .solutions | business services |
| .song | |
| .space | as a creative space |
| .spot | |
| .spreadbetting | |
| .store | stores |
| .stream | |
| .studio | art, fitness, & entertainment |
| .study | |
| .style | fashion |
| .sucks | gripe sites |
| .supplies | manufacturing industries |
| .supply | manufacturing industries |
| .support | help pages |
| .surf | surfing |
| .surgery | healthcare industry |
| .systems | technology |
| .talk | |
| .tattoo | tattoo aficionados |
| .tax | financial |
| .taxi | taxi services |
| .team | team sports |
| .tech | technology |
| .technology | technology |
| .tel | Internet communication services |
| .tennis | tennis |
| .theater | theaters and cinemas |
| .theatre | |
| .tickets | |
| .tips | general help topics |
| .tires | tire manufacturers |
| .today | general |
| .tools | manufacturing industries |
| .top | general |
| .tours | tourism |
| .town | generic geographic |
| .toys | toy businesses |
| .trade | businesses |
| .trading | |
| .training | training and how-tos |
| .travel | travel and tourism industry related sites |
| .travelersinsurance | |
| .trust | |
| .tube | |
| .tunes | |
| .university | young adults, university life |
| .vacations | travel |
| .vet | veterans and veterinarians |
| .video | video sharing |
| .villas | real estate and/or travel businesses |
| .vip | |
| .vision | eye-care businesses |
| .vodka | Vodka-related businesses and interest |
| .vote | democratic elections and campaign websites |
| .voting | polling sites |
| .voyage | travel |
| .wang | general Wǎng is a Chinese Mandarin pinyin rendering of 网 (“web” or “portal”).[83] Wang is also a common surname in mainland China. |
| .watch | Watches |
| .watches | |
| .weather | |
| .webcam | Web cam shows and video sharing |
| .website | general |
| .wed | engaged couples and wedding-oriented businesses |
| .wedding | wedding-oriented businesses |
| .whoswho | general |
| .wiki | wikis |
| .win | games, Microsoft Windows |
| .wine | Wine |
| .winners | |
| .work | general |
| .works | general |
| .world | general |
| .wow | |
| .xyz | general |
| .yoga | yoga |
| .you | |
| .zero | |
| .zone | general |
Corporate identifiers
| .bar | bars and pubs |
| .bank | banks |
| .coop | cooperatives |
| .enterprises | business associations |
| .industries | industrial businesses |
| .institute | established business associations |
| .ltda | companies in South America |
| .pharmacy | pharmacies |
| .pub | bars and pubs |
| .realtor | realtors |
| .reit | real estate investment trusts |
| .rest | restaurants |
| .restaurant | restaurants |
| .sarl | Société à responsabilité limitée, Francophone Limited liability company |
| .ventures | funding for start-ups |
South Africa specific gTLD’s
| Name | Entity |
| .capetown | Cape Town, South Africa |
| .durban | Durban, South Africa |
| .joburg | Johannesburg, South Africa |
We trust that you found this list interesting. Should you wish to obtain an explanation of any of the above gLTD’s you are more than welcome to contact us at info@webscripto.co.za
Eitel is the owner and Lead Website Designer at WebScripto Pty Ltd. When not working on a website he loves to write blog articles covering various aspects of Website Design and Maintenance. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments, questions or suggestions.
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