The Internet is likely the most powerful human tool ever, and it works in part due to its system of addressing and directing through the system of domains. Invented in 1983 by Paul Mockerapetris, the system has been the backbone of the Internet and its first registered address was in 1985.
Today, that system bolsters over 331.9 million unique addresses that make up the world-wide web. Websitebuilderau.com data on domains show a steady growth rate year on year of about 6.7 million (2.1%) new domains yearly.
More Options than Ever
Domains in the modern world play a vital and implicit role in branding and building your sales channels online. Today, there are much more options available than even just a half decade ago. New TLD’s (Top Level Domains) are increasing options and adding another level of branding potential to the domains we have access to. These TLDs are either geographically or niche/sector specific and can give additional visibility and branding to your website. In today’s domain marketplace, .com or .net are not the end of the line in TLD’s, with over 1500 options available in 2017.
Top TLD’s by Registration Volume
When it comes to TLD’s .coms are still supreme with over one-third of all domains registered, amounting to over 129.2 million. China’s .ch TLD is a far second with 21.4 million registered domains, and .tk is third with 19.1 million. Other notable TLD’s are .de from Germany, with 16.2 million and .net, with 15.1 million users.
Tips to Help You Choose
When choosing a domain name a few tips and tricks will help you make the most of your choice. First, it’s important to avoid using hyphens and numbers in domain names. Second, you always want to be sure that you’re not registering a domain name that has already been trademarked. Third, keep it short and sweet. The shorter the domain name, the better. Fourth, don’t forget to register for Whois Guard privacy protection; this prevents people from identifying the site’s owner and their personal details.
Get More Domain Info
If you’re looking to register a domain and want to know more about the many different options, including TLD’s, top registrars or other facts on domains you probably don’t know, check out these 101 of the most fascinating facts from website builder reviews.
