What Is a .io Domain and Why Should You Consider it?

Your online identity begins with a domain name—your digital address and a key element that helps people find you on the web. Selecting the right top-level domain (TLD) plays an important role in shaping your online presence. One TLD that has grown in popularity is .io.  

This article will provide an in-depth look at what a .io domain is, where it’s commonly used, and who can register it. It will also guide you in choosing the right domain name for your business or personal brand.  

What is a .io TLD?

You may have already heard of websites that use this extension. The .io domain name is mostly used by tech companies because it’s associated with I/O, which means input and output in computer science. Choosing a website address with a .io extension means that your business belongs in the tech world.  

However, initially, the .io domain was meant to be an extension for British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Domains associated with a country or territory are called country code top-level domain (ccTLD) (e.g., .uk (United Kingdom), .au (Australia), and .be (Belgium). The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority entrusted it to Paul Kane, an entrepreneur who then operated the .io domain together with other ccTLDs for private benefit. He named the enterprise Internet Computer Bureau.  

Shortly after, .io was used for commercial purposes by a popular clothing company Levi’s Strauss when the company claimed levi.io. Since then, the extension has been used by enterprises outside of their intended country and has been considered as a generic domain, like .com and .net, by search engines.  

Nowadays, booming startups in the tech industry predominantly use the .io domain. You may have encountered some of them already: github.io, a popular platform for developers, and etherscan.io which is a platform that provides blockchain data. The domain extension is also increasing in popularity even for non-tech businesses due to reasons we will talk about shortly.  

Why is .io so popular?

The tech industry leads the widespread use of the .io domain for commercial purposes. Since the .io extension is associated with a computer term, people began identifying web addresses with .io TLDs as tech businesses.  

However, this doesn’t mean only technological ventures can benefit from this trending domain extension. Several non-tech startups are now using this because with .io, there are more web address names to choose from, and it’s catchy and memorable, especially if used carefully.  

The most popular example of this is the US presidential candidate Marco Rubio’s use of the rub.io domain for his campaign.   

You can also apply this to your own website to increase its memorability. If you’re a musician, you can name your website arpegg.io, or if you’re a coffee-lover, you can use dopp.io.  

Considering the extension while picking a name for your site can significantly boost brand recognition if used the right way. A recognizable yet less widely used TLD like .io can help distinguish your site.  

Who can use a .io domain?  

Generally, only residents of a specific territory can register its assigned ccTLDs. For example, .ca domains require a Canadian presence, and .eu domain require an EU presence or citizenship.  

However, some ccTLDs, such as .io, don’t have this restriction. Anyone can register this extension even if they’re outside the British Indian Ocean Territory. Due to its rising popularity, search engines treat .io as a general TLD, where these domains are available publicly and not tied to any country or territory. This is why .io’s benefits also extend to search engine optimization (SEO).

How does .io domain compare to other domain extensions?

Since .io functions as a generic top level domain, how does it compare to other generic TLDs?  

A research done by Growth Badger measured eight common domain endings (.com, .co, .net, .org, .biz, .us, and .blog, and. io) according to memorability, trust, and likelihood of being used in place of a misremembered domain extension.    

They found out that internet users trust and remember sites more with .com endings than with any of the other popular extensions. But even though .io is far from the top spots, it still faired well against .biz in trust and surprisingly, .blog and .net in memorability ratings.  

As for the likelihood of being used instead of a misremembered domain extension (which one was used instead), unsurprisingly, .com still claimed the top spot while .io came in last with a very significant margin. This shows how dominant the .com TLD is compared to other top level domains.   

With a result such as the study above, does it mean that getting a .io domain is a bad idea? It still ultimately depends on how you’re going to use it and what you’re going to use it for. There are some points to consider when choosing a domain extension. Even if we compare the .io to the .com domain based on the study, .io still has a few advantages over .com, such as uniqueness, availability, and SEO benefits.

.io: Pros and cons

Let’s examine further the io domain’s advantages along with several of its disadvantages.  

Pros

Trendy and modern association with tech

The .io extension is now seen as a trendy domain TLD as it’s mostly associated with tech companies mostly used in gaming, software, web development, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Since the web is less saturated with its usage, you are more likely to have a site that is viewed as unique, which can boost its memorability.  

Availability of short, memorable domain names

Speaking of saturation, domains with .com extensions are often taken, so it would be hard for you to pick a good name for your website. Since few people are using .io, it’s easier to come up with a website name that best fits your brand.   

It’s also easier to employ domain hacking on your website name with unique extensions like .io. Domain hacks are naming a domain in a way where it forms a word when combined with its extension. Examples of this are arpegg.io, dopp.io, and the more famous rub.io.  

Global recognition despite being a ccTLD

Google treats .io domain names as a generic top-level domain despite being a country code domain, which provides them with SEO advantages. Since there’s less competition in keyword ranking unlike .com sites, you have more room to execute your content strategy and increase your site’s SEO ranking.

Cons

Higher cost compared to .com or other TLDs

Domain service providers have taken advantage of the increasing popularity of the .io domain and have ramped up their prices. Not only is it more expensive than .tech, .dev, and .online — other tech-related domains, but it’s also more expensive than .com domain.  

Potential association with a geographic region (Indian Ocean Territory)

We have established that despite being a country code TLD for BIOT, search engines consider the domain extension to be a generic TLD. However, there’s still a possibility that .io will become a casualty of political disputes over the Chagos Archipelago, resulting in the deactivation or removal of the .io domain extension.

Limited recognition outside of tech circles

Outside of the tech industry, the .io domain is not a well-known extension. So even though anybody can create .io websites, web visitors may not have heard of the sites if the products or services they are selling are non-tech-related.

How to Register a .io Domain

Ready to own a .io website after learning its upsides and downsides? Below are the steps on how to register your first .io domain.  

1. Choose the right provider

Setting up a .io domain starts with choosing the right provider. Look for a service provider that’s an accredited registrar. Registrars that are accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) operate under exceptional standards. You can rest assured you get the best services from them. 

Many reputable registrars offer an accredited experience. For example, Domain.com is an accredited registrar that provides a user-friendly platform to check domain availability, suggest variations of your desired name, and complete the registration process seamlessly. 

Here’s a tip: To verify if a provider is accredited, you can use a handy online lookup tool provided by ICANN itself. This ensures you have peace of mind knowing your domain is in good hands. 

By choosing an accredited registrar, you get the confidence of secure and professional domain management. This allows you to focus on building your online presence with a .io domain that perfectly represents your brand.

2. Choose a good domain name

Once you have chosen your provider, populate your domain name on their domain lookup tool to check its availability. If you still haven’t come up with a good domain name, don’t worry, you may try Domain.com’s AI domain name generator, or read on to discover some tips on choosing the right domain name.

3. Order the domain and verify your ownership

Once you have settled on a domain name, add it to your cart, fill out your personal detail, and choose your payment method. Complete the purchase, and you will be almost ready to go.  

Check your registered email address for an email prompting you to verify your domain ownership. Simply follow the instructions in the email (usually by just clicking a button), and then you’re finally done.

Pro tip: Make sure to remember the email address you used when registering your domain. Why? This is the email address your service provider uses when sending you important emails such as owner change verification and domain transfer codes if you ever decide to transfer the ownership of the domain or move it to a different provider. Not doing so will cost you time and other valuable resources.

How to pick the right domain name for your business or personal brand

So, you’re interested in building a website to promote your business online but are unsure about what to name your domain. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

Keep it simple and memorable.

Make sure to choose a name that deeply resembles your brand. The simpler it is, the more your visitors can easily remember. Also, double-check how your domain reads when combined. You want to ensure that it doesn’t create any unintended or awkward meanings. 

Incorporate keywords (if relevant).

If you can get a domain with a keyword relevant to your business or industry, it will be great for SEO. For example, the site hotels.com ranks number one on Google for hotel-related searches, even if it’s not necessarily the largest or most popular hotel website site. Just make sure to keep it short, memorable, and relevant to your brand or company.   

Choose the right TLD.

While TLDs don’t directly impact SEO, they influence how users view the site and affect the click-through rates, depending on how much they trust the site’s extension. Users tend to trust some TLDs than others so you need to be careful which extension to use for your website.   

Use a domain name generator.

If you’re having trouble coming up for a name for your website, use an AI domain name generator. A domain name generator gives you possible domain names relevant to the keyword you give it.   

Avoid numbers and hyphens.

While hyphens and numbers can be used on a domain name, it’s generally not recommended. You may lose potential visitors just because they forgot to add the hyphen or forgot the correct number. It’s also prone to typosquatting, a form of cybercrime where hackers take advantage of commonly misspelled domain names to lure your customers to their own domain name (a misspelling of your domain). They can get information from your customers to bombard them with spam advertising or, worse, use the information on fraudulent activities, which can affect your brand’s credibility.  

Check for trademark issues. 

Before you claim a domain name as your own, check if the name or a slight variation (misspelling) of that name is already a trademarked domain. Trademarked domain names are usually distinct and unique and can easily be associated with the goods or services they represent.  

Add Domain Privacy Protection.

When you register a domain, your registrar collects your contact details for record-keeping. This information is typically stored in publicly accessible databases like Whois.com. Domain Privacy Protection is a service that many registrar offer to protect your personal information.  

Here’s how it works: Domain Privacy Protection hides your personal information, such as your name, address, and phone number, from public view.  Instead, it displays generic contact details on the Whois record. This helps shield your personal information from spammers, telemarketers, and anyone else who might misuse it. 

Many domain registrars offer Domain Privacy Protection as an add-on service. With Domain.com, it’s even simpler. You can choose to add Domain Privacy Protection directly during the registration process, ensuring your contact details are automatically concealed from the public domain database. This way, you can register your domain and safeguard your privacy in a single, convenient step. 

Consider Domain Expiration Protection 

What if you cannot afford to renew the domain but still want to keep it? Domain Expiration Protection shields you from unplanned or unwanted domain expiration. For a one-time fee, you are guaranteed to have the domain registered to your name for a year after its expiration.   

Think long-term

Consider how you want to use the domain. If you have a grand vision for your brand and want to grow it further, protect it ahead of time from your competitors or bad actors by purchasing similar variants of your domain. These variants may have slightly different spelling or extensions. Securing them ahead of time may protect your brand from typosquatting and other malicious activities.  

Check social media availability.

We all know the significance of social media to a business marketing strategy. As you claim your own domain name, make sure the same name is not yet used as a handle on a social media platform such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. This is important for businesses that also want to gain exposure through social media. For memorability and credibility, it helps if you have the same name across all platforms, including your website.  

Explore the possibilities of .io.

Even if the .io extension is tied to a specific country as a ccTLD, anybody can still register a .io web name. It’s popularized by tech startups due to its association with the computer science term I/O. However, many businesses outside of the tech industry are now using .io for their websites, taking advantage of its uniqueness and availability.  

If you’re looking to establish a strong online presence for your business—whether you’re in tech or another field—consider exploring the possibilities with a .io domain. It might be the perfect fit for your brand. To get started, choose a reputable and trustworthy registrar like Domain.com. We offer a user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, and reliable customer support to help you through the registration process. 

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