Best Domain Extensions: 1M+ Sites Ranked By TLDs 2024

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Want to buy a new domain and focus on SEO? Want to know which Top-Level Domains (TLDs) are ranking well on Google?

To answer this question, we analyzed data from Ahrefs' top 1 million websites, looking not just at how many domains use each TLD, but how well they perform.

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Whether you're launching a startup, expanding internationally, or just curious about the internet's architecture, these insights offer a fresh perspective on the digital namespace we all share.

Let's dive into what the numbers tell us about the state of domains in 2024...

Best TLDs for SEO

Here are the best TLDs for SEO, ranked by tiers:

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

Here are the most significant insights:

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Dominance of Traditional TLDs

.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.

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Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs)

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

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Performance Metrics

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

.com (2.411) leads in overall score

.org (2.125) shows strong performance

.de (1.988) demonstrates exceptional strength for a ccTLD

.net (1.958) maintains relevance

.cn (1.912) shows China's growing internet presence

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

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New TLDs

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

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Interesting Observations

Educational Domains: .edu has relatively few domains (3,363) but very high average rankings (308,262), indicating high authority

Government Sites: .gov shows similar characteristics with 2,504 domains and an average rank of 315,088

Regional Variations: European ccTLDs (.de, .nl, .fr) generally perform better than Asian ones in terms of average ranking

Selecting the best domain extension

For Businesses

.com remains the safest choice for global reach

.io could be considered for tech-focused businesses

Country-specific TLDs show strong performance in their respective markets

For Organizations

.org continues to carry authority

Regional TLDs can be effective for targeted audiences

New gTLDs should be chosen carefully, as their performance varies significantly

Methodology

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:

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

Let's break down the top performers:

.com (2.411)

Highest count (449,443)

Decent average rank (503,767)

Moderate standard deviation (290,320)

Dominates primarily through sheer volume

.org (2.125)

Strong count (80,314)

Better average rank than .com (468,468)

Similar consistency (289,125)

Balances quantity with quality

.de (1.988)

Moderate count (39,228)

Competitive average rank (503,278)

Better consistency (284,388)

Shows strength through balance of metrics

Full Analysis

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:

Ilias: https://x.com/illyism

Lewis: https://x.com/lewisbuildsai

Here are the top 100 TLDs:

TLD	Count	AvgRank	StdDev	Score
com	449443	503767	290320	2.411
org	80314	468468	289125	2.125
de	39228	503278	284388	1.988
net	32871	499783	287053	1.958
cn	24599	486716	290333	1.912
jp	18662	459245	285134	1.875
co.uk	17423	515778	278607	1.843
nl	16254	506114	275168	1.834
fr	15446	485480	289027	1.832
ru	14933	502302	279900	1.820
it	10996	506179	283633	1.766
io	9824	476879	297254	1.756
pl	9501	507720	281046	1.740
ca	8673	490331	287017	1.730
com.au	8596	516996	276316	1.719
co.jp	8519	473046	284764	1.733
uk	7726	427159	289732	1.734
ch	6709	525098	277037	1.674
cz	6657	508675	280266	1.678
com.br	6595	519444	280422	1.673
co	6401	495139	292626	1.676
se	6341	503312	286884	1.671
eu	6223	527480	280007	1.660
in	6094	484895	286211	1.671
dk	5920	529771	275703	1.650
xyz	5692	472869	295278	1.663
be	5277	513533	280199	1.636
es	4955	480039	291113	1.636
info	4500	522856	277777	1.605
at	4445	495907	281278	1.612
tk	4309	835836	122010	1.518
au	3728	430627	290661	1.606
vn	3718	505851	287313	1.578
cc	3703	494860	282473	1.581
edu	3363	308262	270026	1.646
fi	3197	494236	284350	1.555
no	3132	497554	283184	1.551
kr	3032	492618	290598	1.547
id	2848	526351	287485	1.524
hu	2838	504363	282642	1.531
us	2776	513392	279228	1.524
me	2736	481087	294349	1.533
tr	2678	481217	282583	1.529
br	2525	452022	281052	1.530
gov	2504	315088	285240	1.591
ua	2342	527194	278496	1.490
tw	2317	461709	286289	1.511
ir	2226	546134	306193	1.475
ro	2120	509271	281321	1.479
za	2048	526686	278744	1.467
gr	2026	493189	279226	1.477
top	1982	526254	269713	1.462
mx	1976	503295	276887	1.469
tv	1938	491903	287172	1.469
ie	1825	473944	280266	1.465
sk	1825	507739	279787	1.453
pt	1736	482969	284798	1.453
cf	1699	801754	149729	1.363
co.nz	1698	524598	279189	1.435
ai	1676	498080	286356	1.442
app	1521	531926	291636	1.414
vip	1517	509785	273782	1.421
biz	1496	536967	279265	1.409
il	1491	503150	285508	1.420
ar	1378	513885	283597	1.402
cl	1331	493944	286895	1.403
online	1251	553428	268077	1.373
pro	1149	544124	277079	1.361
nz	1137	462968	289405	1.387
hk	1128	477828	289290	1.380
sg	1121	458966	296577	1.386
shop	1087	592419	264111	1.337
site	1010	547009	269353	1.338
my	987	485195	292055	1.354
lt	948	520119	276102	1.336
club	837	599690	253784	1.289
bg	811	482324	291802	1.321
th	810	427747	281840	1.342
gq	781	788715	144389	1.231
dev	763	488382	301411	1.309
ee	743	484765	287918	1.305
hr	723	491964	282390	1.298
si	675	513904	274033	1.279
is	650	472887	289425	1.286
to	633	422389	292887	1.301
ae	632	510229	285845	1.268
live	626	538340	272779	1.258
by	618	499789	277448	1.268
kz	616	511369	275546	1.264
ph	612	500356	291749	1.266
ml	590	811228	136006	1.178
rs	585	498330	292162	1.259
lv	583	502412	293046	1.257
pe	578	479385	285346	1.264
pk	568	490210	270472	1.257
link	526	445800	296876	1.260
tech	514	528255	295198	1.226
nu	441	525510	280972	1.201
bd	440	455734	291790	1.225

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

We also provide the full data on Google Sheets:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HNULJ9AJUXX0H0yF6P6EmSblomzHvODqMZypeJs308U/edit?usp=sharing

It has both data for the top 100k and top 1M websites showing the best TLDs for SEO.

If you can’t access these for some reason, contact us!

Ahrefs rank data available her: https://app.ahrefs.com/ahrefs-top

Conclusions

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.

Best Domain Extensions: 1M+ Sites Ranked By TLDs 2024

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