Startups now prefer descriptive domain endings like .games, .technology and .fund that describe the business.
Over the past decade, startups have avoided using the .com domain, with usage dropping to 56% from 78%. Instead, early-stage businesses prefer two-word, hyphenated .com domains, or those with prefixes like “get”, “buy”, and “meet”.
Country code domains like .io and .so, and one-word descriptive domains with TLDs like .world, .life and .finance are also popular. The .io country code TLD claimed close to 10% of the market share in 2021.
Data on preferred domains also defies the widely held belief that startups replace their descriptive domains with .com once Series A funding or equally sufficient capital comes their way. In contrast, newcomers today believe they can establish themselves as modern and authentic brands by opting for descriptive domains instead of an expensive rebranding with a .com domain.
[4 minute read]
