Best Domain Extensions: 1M+ Sites Ranked By TLDs [2025]

Last updated: Nov 15, 2024

Best Domain Extensions: 1M+ Sites Ranked By TLDs [2025]

You're about to choose a domain name. But here's the thing, most people pick their domain extension without knowing how it affects their Google rankings.

That's a problem.

We analyzed Ahrefs' top 1 million websites to find out which domain extensions actually help websites win in search results.

If you're building a website that needs to be found online, this data will save you from making a costly mistake.

Here's what we discovered about the best domain extensions for SEO in 2025.

Best Domain Extensions for SEO

Pie chart titled 'Best TLDs for SEO' showing .com (46.3%), .org (10.2%), .de (3.7%), .net (3.3%), .cn (2.9%), .jp (2.3%), .fr (1.8%), .ca (0.9%), .co (0.7%), .com.br (0.5%), tech (0.0%), and many other TLDs as smaller segments
Pie chart: .com dominates, then .org, .de, .net, .cn, and others. Source: linkdr.com/blog/best-domain-extensions

And if we remove the geographical TLDs, we can rank them by SEO performance:

Tier list chart ranking domain extensions for SEO: S tier (.com), A tier (.org, .net), B tier (.io, .ai), C tier (.co), D tier (.info), E tier (.cc, .me, .app), and F tier (.top, .tv, .vip, .biz, .online, .pro, .shop, .site, .my, .club, .live, .dev, .tech, .digital, .store, .cloud, .win, .agency, and others). Source: linkdr.com/blog/best-domain-extensions
SEO TLD tier list: .com is S tier, .org/.net are A, .io/.ai are B, .co is C, .info is D, .cc/.me/.app are E, and most others are F. Based on LinkDR analysis of 1M+ sites.

The full analysis of the top 1 million websites reveals fascinating patterns in TLD usage and effectiveness.

Key Insights from the TLD Analysis

1. Dominance of Traditional TLDs

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.com remains the undisputed leader, with 449,443 domains (approximately 45% of the top million websites).

This is followed by .org (80,314) and .de (39,228), showing the continued strength of traditional TLDs.

2. Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs)

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Several country-specific domains show remarkable strength:

  • .de (Germany) leads the ccTLDs with 39,228 domains
  • .cn (China) has 24,599 domains
  • .jp (Japan) has 18,662 domains
  • .co.uk (United Kingdom) has 17,423 domains

3. Performance Metrics: LinkDR Domain Score

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When considering both quantity and ranking performance (our own unique LinkDR Domain Score):

  1. .com (2.411) leads in overall score
  2. .org (2.125) shows strong performance
  3. .de (1.988) demonstrates exceptional strength for a ccTLD
  4. .net (1.958) maintains relevance
  5. .cn (1.912) shows China's growing internet presence

*💡 Scroll down below to see how we created our LinkDR Domain Score*

4. New TLDs and Their SEO Performance

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Newer generic TLDs (gTLDs) show interesting patterns:

  • .io ranks surprisingly high (1.756), popular among tech companies
  • .xyz (1.663) shows decent performance despite being relatively new
  • .app (1.414) demonstrates moderate success

5. Other Noteworthy Observations

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  1. Educational Domains: .edu has relatively few domains (3,363) but very high average rankings (308,262), indicating high authority 2. Government Sites: .gov shows similar characteristics with 2,504 domains and an average rank of 315,088 3. Regional Variations: European ccTLDs (.de, .nl, .fr) generally perform better than Asian ones in terms of average ranking

How to Select the Best Domain Extension

Best TLDs for Businesses

  1. .com remains the safest choice for global reach
  2. .io could be considered for tech-focused businesses
  3. Country-specific TLDs show strong performance in their respective markets

Best TLDs for Organizations

  1. .org continues to carry authority
  2. Regional TLDs can be effective for targeted audiences
  3. New gTLDs should be chosen carefully, as their performance varies significantly

Methodology: How We Ranked Domain Extensions

The analysis considered three main factors:

  • Frequency: How many domains use each TLD
  • Average Rank: The mean Ahrefs rank for domains with each TLD
  • Consistency: Standard deviation of rankings (lower deviation indicates more consistent performance)

These factors were combined into a composite score, weighted to balance quantity with quality.

LinkDR Domain Score: Explaining TLD Performance Metrics

Our scoring system combines three key factors to evaluate TLD performance:

$$ S = (F × 0.4) + (R × 0.4) + (C × 0.2) $$

Where:

  • F = Frequency Score = log10(count + 1)
    • Logarithmic scale helps handle the huge range between .com (449,443 domains) and smaller TLDs
    • Example: .com's frequency score = log10(449,443 + 1) = 5.65
  • R = Rank Score = log10(1,000,000 / avgRank)
    • Inverted because lower Ahrefs rank is better (1 is best, 1M is worst)
    • Example: .com's rank score = log10(1,000,000 / 503,767) = 0.30
  • C = Consistency Score = 1 / (log10(stdDev + 1) + 1)
    • Rewards TLDs with more consistent rankings
    • Lower standard deviation means more predictable quality
    • Example: .com's consistency score = 1 / (log10(290,320 + 1) + 1) = 0.31

Top Performing TLDs by LinkDR Domain Score

  1. .com (2.411)
    • Highest count (449,443)
    • Decent average rank (503,767)
    • Moderate standard deviation (290,320)
    • Dominates primarily through sheer volume
  2. .org (2.125)
    • Strong count (80,314)
    • Better average rank than .com (468,468)
    • Similar consistency (289,125)
    • Balances quantity with quality
  3. .de (1.988)
    • Moderate count (39,228)
    • Competitive average rank (503,278)
    • Better consistency (284,388)
    • Shows strength through balance of metrics

Full Analysis: Top 100 Domain Extensions for SEO

At LinkDR, we help startups get more traffic by helping them build backlinks, find more affiliates and partners and rank higher with better content.

We hope this analysis helps you make a better decision in choosing a domain.

So to further help you, we've also provided a full export here!

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Feel free to use this data however you want. Just please attribute LinkDR and mention us, it would mean a lot! If you want a quote or a comment, feel free to reach out the team on Twitter:

Top 100 TLDs by SEO Performance

TLDCountAvgRankStdDevScore
com4494435037672903202.411
org803144684682891252.125
de392285032782843881.988
net328714997832870531.958
cn245994867162903331.912
jp186624592452851341.875
co.uk174235157782786071.843
nl162545061142751681.834
fr154464854802890271.832
ru149335023022799001.820
it109965061792836331.766
io98244768792972541.756
pl95015077202810461.740
ca86734903312870171.730
com.au85965169962763161.719
co.jp85194730462847641.733
uk77264271592897321.734
ch67095250982770371.674
cz66575086752802661.678
com.br65955194442804221.673
co64014951392926261.676
se63415033122868841.671
eu62235274802800071.660
in60944848952862111.671
dk59205297712757031.650
xyz56924728692952781.663
be52775135332801991.636
es49554800392911131.636
info45005228562777771.605
at44454959072812781.612
tk43098358361220101.518
au37284306272906611.606
vn37185058512873131.578
cc37034948602824731.581
edu33633082622700261.646
fi31974942362843501.555
no31324975542831841.551
kr30324926182905981.547
id28485263512874851.524
hu28385043632826421.531
us27765133922792281.524
me27364810872943491.533
tr26784812172825831.529
br25254520222810521.530
gov25043150882852401.591
ua23425271942784961.490
tw23174617092862891.511
ir22265461343061931.475
ro21205092712813211.479
za20485266862787441.467
gr20264931892792261.477
top19825262542697131.462
mx19765032952768871.469
tv19384919032871721.469
ie18254739442802661.465
sk18255077392797871.453
pt17364829692847981.453
cf16998017541497291.363
co.nz16985245982791891.435
ai16764980802863561.442
app15215319262916361.414
vip15175097852737821.421
biz14965369672792651.409
il14915031502855081.420
ar13785138852835971.402
cl13314939442868951.403
online12515534282680771.373
pro11495441242770791.361
nz11374629682894051.387
hk11284778282892901.380
sg11214589662965771.386
shop10875924192641111.337
site10105470092693531.338
my9874851952920551.354
lt9485201192761021.336
club8375996902537841.289
bg8114823242918021.321
th8104277472818401.342
gq7817887151443891.231
dev7634883823014111.309
ee7434847652879181.305
hr7234919642823901.298
si6755139042740331.279
is6504728872894251.286
to6334223892928871.301
ae6325102292858451.268
live6265383402727791.258
by6184997892774481.268
kz6165113692755461.264
ph6125003562917491.266
ml5908112281360061.178
rs5854983302921621.259
lv5835024122930461.257
pe5784793852853461.264
pk5684902102704721.257
link5264458002968761.260
tech5145282552951981.226
nu4415255102809721.201
bd4404557342917901.225

If your TLD is not in this list, you might want to reconsider it!

Conclusions: Which Domain Extension is Best for SEO?

While .com maintains its historic dominance, the data shows there's room for success with alternative TLDs.

The key is matching the TLD choice to your specific use case and target audience.

Country-code TLDs show particularly strong performance in their respective markets, while newer gTLDs are still establishing their place in the hierarchy.

The high performance of traditional TLDs (.com, .org, .net) suggests that established trust patterns continue to influence website success.

However, the strong showing of certain ccTLDs and newer options like .io indicates that the landscape is evolving, offering viable alternatives for specific use cases.

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