What is a ccTLD?

What is a ccTLD?

Country Code Top Level Domains, abbreviated as ccTLDs, are two-letter domain extensions designated to a country, sovereign state, or a dependent territory. Some ccTLD examples are .sg for Singapore, .uk for UK-based businesses and organisations, and .eu for the European Union. 

ccTLDs show users and search engines where a website is based. Whether you’re operating in a specific location or running a global brand that’s targeting a specific area — ccTLDs are a great way to grow your local presence.

3 Benefits of ccTLD for SEO and Branding

Let’s look at some of the business benefits of registering ccTLD. 

1. ccTLDs are search-engine friendly

Say you run a Singapore-based marketing agency and want to attract visitors based in Singapore. Apart from a .com extension, you may want to consider a .sg domain. The extension increases your chances of ranking higher in the search results of those living in Singapore.

Search engines like Google base their search results on the IP address of the user. So anyone keying the words ‘agency Singapore’ might see your web page higher if you had a .sg extension.

2. ccTLDs adds credibility

Websites that apply for certain ccTLDs need to comply with requirements. To register a .sg domain, for example, you need to provide the following:

• Have a Singaporean address
• Be a Singaporean citizen, or have a Foreign Identification Number (FIN) (or a National Registration Identity Card (NRIC)
• Be willing to register the admin, technical, and billing contacts as an individual and not a company
• The company listed as the registrant needs to provide their Business Registration Number

From a credibility standpoint, this shows customers that you are a legitimate business, providing you with a stamp of authenticity. 

3. Some ccTLDs lets you be creative

There are country-code extensions that can be used as a generic extensions. With a process known as a domain hack, you can craft a word when you stitch a domain name and a ccTLD together.

In the next section, we’ll explore some examples to inspire you to play around with this neat trick.

A List of ccTLDs That Will Make Your Domain Stand Out

A quick disclaimer before we begin. When we say “get creative with your domains”, we don’t mean registering a domain that’s too long or contains random strings of letters. You still need to be mindful of the best practices for choosing a brandable domain.

Instead, we’ll be focusing on the different ccTLDs that can help you come up with unique combinations.

Another thing to take note of is that you may not be eligible to register all the ccTLDs on this list. As we mentioned above, there are ccTLDs that require you to have a local address and present local IDs.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the list of all ccTLDs you can get creative with.

• .ac (the country code top-level code for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha) – Words that end with “ac”. For example, if you are a bookstore, you can launch a site called bibliophili.ac., which as you might have guessed is a clever play on the word bibliophile (or lover of books).

• .ag (the ccTLD for Antigua and Barbuda) – Now this ccTLD has more options for you, especially if you’re in the fashion industry.  You can launch a website called designerba.ag or fashionm.ag.

• .as (American Samoa) –  Even a popular brand like Adidas couldn’t resist this fun domain hack! One of their domains, ad.did.as, redirects to their website.

• .at (Austria) – Whereu.at, heartbe.at — there are many ways to get creative with Austria’s official ccTLD.

• .ba (the ccTLD for Bosnia and Herzegovina) – This ccTLD matches words that end with .ba, including scuba, mamba, or arriba!
  

• .be (Beglium’s official ccTLD) – A .be domain might be the official domain for Belgium, but anyone can register it. YouTube uses the domain hack youtu.be for their URL shortening feature.
  

• .co (Colombia) – Now you might already be familiar with a .co domain. Apart from being Colombia’s official TLD, it happens to be one of the most popular domain extensions. In fact, Twitter makes use of it (t.co).

• .cy (the ccTLD for Cyprus) – .cy domains aren’t exclusive to residents of Cyprus. Like most domains on this list, anyone can register it. Add your brand name before the word consultancy to create a domain like: acmeconsultan.cy.

• .de (Germany’s official ccTLD) – While you’ll need a German address to obtain a .de domain, there are a lot of domain hack ideas you can get from it. Play with words like gratitu.de or your brand plus the word worldwi.de (example: consultantswordlwi.de, beautyworldwi.de).

• .fm (Federated States of Micronesia) – Launching a website that’s all about tunes or radios? Then you might benefit from a .fm domain. Examples: last.fm and tastebuds.fm.

• .gl (the ccTLD of  Greenland) – This domain is well-known for all the right reasons. In 2009, Google launched a URL shortener service using the domain hack, Goo.gl. You can also bring out your creative juices and get a similar catchy domain for your business.

• .gs (a ccTLD for South Georgia and the Sandwich islands) – Perfect for blo.gs!

• .in (India) – Thousands of businesses in India and the rest of the world trust this domain. But you can also use it to promote your bitco.in website. Whether you buy, sell, or run a bitcoin blog, you’re sure to benefit from a .in domain.

• .it (Italy) – Selling directly to the Italian market? Get creative with a domain like gelato.it or luxurybrands.it. You can also play around with the word “it” with domains like letslearn.it or letsdo.it.

• .ke (Kenya’s official ccTLD) – Selling ca.ke? Or into karao.ke? You’ll find so many words that would fit this domain.

• .me (Montenegro’s official ccTLD) – There’s nothing like putting the spotlight on ‘.me’. Use this popular domain extension on self-care sites like lookingoutfor.me or caringfor.me. You can also use it to promote your perfu.me business.

• .ly (the ccTLD for Libya) – A .ly domain might be the official ccTLD for Libya, but it’s proven to be a brandable extension for other websites as well. Brands that use the suffix ‘-ly’ will find it most useful. Take a cue from the popular URL shortening site, bit.ly.

• .us (the official ccTLD of the United States) – Are you based in the US? Or maybe your business has a valid US registration? Then you’ll find multiple domain hacks with a .us extension. Some examples include call.us or message.us.

• .tv (Tuvalu) – Tuvalu might be a tiny nation but its official ccTLD is growing by the numbers. Since the abbreviation ‘tv’ is eponymous to all things media, the biggest websites have made use of this catchy domain extension.Case in point? Twitch.tv.
  
  As a content creator, you can leverage the domain for your brand as well. Examples: yourname.tv, yourchannel.tv, entertainment.tv.

Hack your way into a brandable domain

Ready to find your ideal domain? CLDY has an intuitive domain search tool that helps you determine if your domain hack is available. Simply type a domain into the search box and check if it’s available.

Once you find your perfect domain, register it with CLDY and enjoy perks like Domain Privacy, Domain Lock, and easy domain management.