What Is The .IO Domain and Is It Right For Your Business? - EDGE Creative (2024)

Domain names are the addresses and URLs that are typed into web browsers when people want to visit a website. With over 350 million domain names currently registered, choosing the right one for your business is crucial.

You’ve probably heard of Top-Level Domains (TLDs) before – these are generic domain extensions (such as .com and .co.uk) that are listed by search engines as the highest level, so they are used most frequently.

While the .com and .co.uk domains are common knowledge, a large number of new businesses, including SaaS start-ups and emerging tech companies, are utilising the .io domain.

In this blog, we cover what the .io domain is and how your business could best utilise it.

Why are domains important?

Domain names are more commonly being incorporated into business’ brand identities. A variety of companies are crafting unique brands for themselves based on a single word and adding .ly – for example persona.ly.

While Google has confirmed that these unique domain names have no bearing on search engine rankings, this strategy has been adopted by many businesses. Companies in creative industries adopt this URL frequently, as they create the appearance of a removed TLD.

What does .io mean?

Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLD) are country specific domain names which end with a country code – for example: .co.uk. You may have already guessed, but these names are used by websites that only want to target audiences in specific countries.

The .io domain is assigned to the British Indian Ocean Territory, covering a vast area, notably including Diego Garcia atoll, home to a powerful US military base.

Why then, is this domain being used more frequently by start-ups and tech companies, when it’s a country specific TLD?

Why do so many businesses use .io?

For many businesses, the coveted .com is often already owned by someone else. If this is the case, the .io domain may be something you should consider.

One reason so many like the .io domain is because it’s easy. It’s short, simple, and memorable.

In addition to this, companies in the tech industry like the .io domain is because it is reminiscent of the abbreviation ‘input/output,’ used commonly in computer processing environments.

While it is technically a country domain, .io is not usually connected to its host territory, and so it is used by companies globally.

Another benefit of the .io domain, and perhaps one of its biggest advantages, is that Google considers it to be a generic top-level domain, and doesn’t consider it to be country specific. This may result in websites with this domain ranking higher in search engines across the globe.

How can EDGE help?

As an integrated digital marketing agency, our skilled team of web developers have experience in bespoke software development, web design, conversion rate optimisation, hosting and security.

Every type of communication, piece of content or advertisem*nt that you put out online will drive traffic back to your website, so it’s important that it reflects your business’s needs.

Whether you’re searching for a website to act as a portfolio and illustrate your brand, or you’re looking for a bespoke web-build to reflect your company’s critical business processes, EDGE Creative can help.

To speak to one of our web designers, call 0121 355 8092 or email info@edge-creative.com.