There are currently over 250 ccTLDS (country code top-level domains):
.CA is of course the most important ccTLD for Canadian small business. An individual or business must meet Canadian Presence Requirementsin order to register a .CA.
Aside from .CA, however, there are 252 ccTLDs in the world. I won’t review them here but have included a link to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority ccTLD database which maintains a comprehensive list.
Many of the ccTLDs are unrestricted and don’t have presence requirements in order to register them. Many are also used for “vanity” purposes and marketed as something other than for their own country. Some examples include:
- .CO (actually Columbia but associated globally with the words "company," "corporation" and "commerce")
- .TV (actually Tuvalu but marketed as “television”)
- .FM (actually Federated States of Micronesia but marketed as “radio”)
- .LY (actually Libya but used for popular URL shorteners like bit.ly or ow.ly)
- .WS (actually Western Samoa but marketed as “.website”)
- .ME (actually Montenegro but marketed for individuals)
- .CC (actually Cocos Islands but used for “commercial companies” “community colleges” "creative commons” and more)
Now that you have a background of what domain name options are available, stay tuned for future blog posts which will help you choose the appropriate domains for your business. You can find additional information on domain names, register a new domain or consolidate a domain portfolio online.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cybele Negris
Cybele Negris is Co-founder & President of Webnames.ca, a multi-million dollar internet solutions company. She serves on the boards of Small Business BC, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business Roundtable of BC, Vancouver Economic Development Comm.