Domain Name Trends for 2024

The need for a domain name is paramount in the digital-first world. Today, without an established website, it’s like you don’t exist, and a carefully chosen domain name can be a powerful branding tool. In Q3 2023, according to research by Verisign, 359.3 million new domains were registered.

Domain names are constantly evolving, and new trends always come up. In this article, we’ll review the latest trends in the domain name sphere and some expert predictions for the future.

What Domain Names Are Trending?

The list of domains is growing constantly, with over 1,500 gTLDs available. Some of the trending extensions include: 

• .ai,
• .live,
• .life,
• .info,
• .world,
• .productions, 
• .digital,
• .ltd.

6 Domain Name Trends and Predictions

1. The .com Domain Is Still the King

The .com domain has reigned supreme since the beginning of domain names. It continues to do so and is by far the most popular domain type. In 2022, over 50% of all domain names had the .com extension.

In 2023, that number has dropped slightly, but it’s still the most popular domain. The following top-level domains (TLDs) are the top 10 most used ones:

One of the reasons people (and businesses) stick with .com is its recognizability and the fact that users are accustomed to it. If a potential customer has heard about your business, say, JakeCars, they’ll assume your website is JakeCars.com.

While .com domains don’t have a preferential status for an SEO ranking, users find them more memorable and trustworthy, making them more likely to click on a .com domain than on a more obscure one. According to GrowthBadger, .com domains are 33% more memorable than other types, while it also receives the highest grade (3.5/5) on a trust rating.

People still prefer popular domain types, such as .com, .net, .org, and .co. In fact, .com and .net domains combined for 174 million new registrations in Q3 2023.

2. New TLDs Are on the Rise

Despite the undisputed superiority of .com domains, choosing a domain name that’s short, easy to spell, and, most importantly, available to buy with a .com extension is increasingly more difficult.

According to nTLDStats, there were 25 million registered domains with a new TLD in 2021, compared to over 35 million in December 2023, with the number expected to rise more rapidly.

This has left room for more inventive use of domain types. Many country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) became generic as industries and businesses started using them for their abbreviations. 

For example, many SaaS and technology-based companies use the .io domain (represents British Indian Ocean Territory) as it reminds people of I/O (short for input/output).

Google released a list of ccTLDs that no longer use geotargeting, and the search engine treats them as generic domains (so-called gccTLDs). Some examples include:

• .ad,
• .as,
• .ai,
• .cc,
• .cd,
• .fm,
• .la,
• .ms,
• .nu.

As ccTLDs’ use continues to grow, more and more websites crop up with these extensions. Check out what the most popular ccTLDs are by registration.

3. Domain Hacking Will Grow in 2024

Domain hacking is the practice of including the extension as part of the name. Famous examples of domain hacking include goo.gl, blo.gs, instagr.am, and ma.tt.

Domain hacking is nothing new or groundbreaking, but many experts believe it will pick up steam in 2024, especially as it’s hard to find a short domain name that’s still available.

Domain hacks allow businesses to get creative with domain names and still accurately represent their brand. For instance, if you’re selling metal bars and MetalBars.com is not vacant, you can register the domain MetalBa.rs.

4. New gTLDs Will Help With Branding

In line with the slow but steady move away from regular gTLDs, businesses are no longer shying away from using new gTLDs for their company websites. There are over 1,500 TLDs available, and new ones are getting added all the time. For instance, in May 2023, Google added the following gTLDs to its registry:

• .nexus,
• .foo,
• .zip,
• .mov,
• .dad,
• .phd,
• .prof,
• .esq.

In Q4 2023, they also introduced .meme and .ing.

With so many different domain types on offer, you have more space to maneuver, especially if you’re interested in domain hacking. African company Wrap Life reported doubling their sales in just two months after switching to a new domain name, thewrap.life.

5. .ai Domains Are Getting Increasingly Popular

As artificial intelligence (AI) is sweeping the world by storm, new AI-driven companies are popping up on a daily basis. In 2023, the global AI market stood at $207.9 million, with experts predicting it will go over $1.8 trillion in 2030.

This prompted the ccTLD for Anguilla (.ai) to become a generic one, and hundreds of new domain names get registered daily. Research from Domain Name Stat found that the number of .ai domain name registrations went over 260,000 in December 2023.

Getting a .ai domain will make you instantly recognizable in the AI space, but the domain is expensive to register due to its massive (and relatively sudden) popularity.

6. Speech Recognition Will Play a Part in Domain Name Choice

Many experts believe users will increasingly use Siri, Alexa, and other assistant tools to search the internet. According to Demand Sage, in 2023, there were 4.2 billion voice assistants in use, with that number expected to grow to 8.4 billion by 2024.

Bearing in mind that more than 1 billion voice searches occur each month, you may want to consider choosing a domain name that speech recognition software can recognize with ease.

One great example of such a domain is cash.app. The company has incorporated the extension in its name, the domain matches the brand perfectly, and it’s easy to pronounce.

Trending Domain Name Extensions 

If you’re looking to secure a premium domain name, you should find a name that’s a buzzword (such as vacation rentals and insurance, as seen above) and comes with a popular domain extension. 

Top 10 Top-Level Domain Names 

The most popular extensions in 2024 include:

• .com,
• .cn,
• .de,
• .net,
• .uk,
• .org,
• .nl,
• .ru,
• .br,
• .au.

If you’re struggling to develop a catchy and memorable name for your domain (to resell or use), you can use our AI-powered domain name generator for free and get 1,000+ ready-to-use domain name ideas instantly.

Takeaway Points

While .com domains are still superior (and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future), current domain trends show us that more and more businesses are willing to get creative and choose alternative domain names. A catchy and easy-to-spell name is essential, which isn’t always easy to find if you’re adamant about using a .com domain.

New TLDs and generic ccTLDs are on the rise, with the .ai domain being especially popular due to the rise of artificial intelligence. If you’re trying to find a domain name now, consider domain hacking to get creative and make sure your website is easy for a speech recognition tool to read.