The three letters are always at the end of the domain name, but are they that important? Can you tell what information the site has just by reading these three letters? By not typing them you could be taken to the wrong site or nowhere at all.
What Are Top Level Domains or TLDs?
Top Level Domains are also called internet domain extensions or domain suffixes. Thanks to TLDs you can instantly know what kind of information the site has to offer. For example, if the URL you’re typing ends in .gov, you know that you’ll find information that has to do with the government.
Every TLD has a self-reliant registry that is managed by a particular organization. That specific organization is under the control of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names (ICANN). But why are there so many TLDs? Since a TLD tells you what is associated with it such as its geographical area, who owns it, or its purpose, there will be quite a few to choose from.
How Many Types of Top Level Domains Are There?
There are six main types of TLDs that are recognized by ICANN: Not all top-level domain names are used in production networks: for example, TLDs such as .example, .invalid, .localhost, and .test. What these TLDs can be used for are right in the name itself. Another example is .test that is used in tests.
Conclusion
Once you know what TLDs are for, you at least have an idea what type of information that is waiting for you on that site. Since there are so many, you might only learn about the ones you use the most, but it’s always a good idea to at least have an idea of what most of them mean. How important are TLDs to you? Let us know in the comments.
