With my current domain, luis.codes, set to expire next month, I was contemplating whether or not I should renew it. It is more on the expensive side ($72/mo), and it's not really perfect for what I want it to say about me. I don't just code, I design and create digital experiences. As much as I would have liked to have luis.dev, I unfortunately missed the boat on that, so I went out looking at what other options I have available to me.
My criteria is not too bad I don't think, I just want something short, not too expensive, and with a TLD that I can use personally and professionally.
Namecheap claims to have 479 different TLDs, which is pretty incredible! There are a ton of options at different price points, but as usual, the ones suited to a developer are mostly taken for (.dev, .io, .sh, etc).
After sifting through the options, I ended up securing luis.earth while I decide whether or not I would really like to use that. I thought it might be good for me because it stands out, and I could use a subdomain for my site (dev.luis.earth), I can setup an email such as dev@luis.earth, and as someone who is environmentally conscious it might signify that I care about the planet. Since it is generic enough, it doesn't shoehorn me into doing one thing (just codes, or just a dev, just designs, etc). I have been writing it out with email addresses and website urls to see if it looks good, and I think I am happy about it but just worried it doesn't fit how just about every other developer uses .dev or the like.
Maybe I am thinking about it too much. Do you think that a TLD is really important, or so long as it isn't too cheesy it doesn't really matter? Do you include that in your first impressions of a website?
Top comments (2)
The TLD that you choose is less important than your level of consistency. I would set an amount of money that you are willing to pay per year, pick the coolest domain that you can find for price, and stick with it. Something like a .dev, .codes, or .io makes more sense for a developer (even if half of your content is about ukuleles and hiking). I would just avoid something that make no sense for your context (like .irish or .nyc) and stuff that is excessively long (like .management or .solutions).
I guess you could always get something like .page or .site if it matters so much to you. :)
Yes and no.
In my experience, if the center of the bar is the most commonly used TLDs, it starts to matter less the further you get away from those.
There are also certain pockets that matter a lot.
Are you a business? Than a .org is likely inappropriate and sends the wrong message.
Do you do business exclusively in your country? Than a .ca or its equivalent is often more favourable to users than a generic .com.
But as you start getting further from these into the .ninjas and other offhand ones, it stops mattering so much.