Unlike country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) like .uk or .ca, generic top-level domains (gTLDs) do not necessarily refer to a particular country. Instead, gTLDs offer website owners the opportunity to highlight the genre of their website; for example, .gov indicates that the website is affiliated with a government, and .edu is for educational institutions.
gTLDs can also be divided into two different types: some domain endings have existed for many years (such as .com, .net, .org and .biz), and have become well-established in the process. In addition to the classic gTLDs, there are also new generic top-level domains (new gTLDs or nTLDs). These include all the domain endings that have gradually been introduced since 2013, such as .online, .web, .page and .info. Many new top-level domains are already available, but in the long term, the number will tally well over 1,000.
Many of the nTLDs refer to a specific genre of website. For example, .shop, .sport, .club, and .hotel can be used to emphasize the type of web presence and its purpose. Regional endings like .nyc, .quebec, .london and .capetown are also now available. These nTLDs present interesting new options for website owners to make their domain more relevant to their website. However there are also more abstract nTLDs that don’t have a solid context, such as .xyz and .now.