Do Domain Extensions Still Matter for SEO in 2025?

[nicenicnicenic is verified member.]

Some say a .com still holds the crown, others claim Google doesn't care. What's your take?

Have you seen certain extensions perform better (or worse) in real SEO battles?

 

[accurate]

Yes. If you want to rank locally in a country use the ccTLD extension.

 

[nicenicnicenic is verified member.]

Yes. If you want to rank locally in a country use the ccTLD extension.

That's true. ccTLDs can be great for showing local identity. Which ones do you like best, accurate?

 

[accurate]

I prefer .US since the renewal cost is reasonable.

America is the best.

 

[nicenicnicenic is verified member.]

I prefer .US since the renewal cost is reasonable.

America is the best.

For businesses targeting U.S. audiences, that local angle can make a real difference.

 

[LucM]

I think relevance is starting to matter more. A great keyword in a new gTLD can sometimes outperform a mediocre .com. It all comes down to the quality of the site itself

 

[nicenicnicenic is verified member.]

I think relevance is starting to matter more. A great keyword in a new gTLD can sometimes outperform a mediocre .com. It all comes down to the quality of the site itself

New gTLDs with strong keywords can really shine, but solid, quality content still wins in the end.

 

[ms007]

Domain extensions (TLDs) matter far less for SEO today than they used to. Google has repeatedly stated that the choice of .com, .net, .io, or even newer extensions like .tech or .ai doesn’t directly impact rankings. What matters more are content quality, user experience, site structure, and backlinks.


That said, domain extensions can still influence user trust and click-through rates. For example, .com is widely recognized and trusted, while some newer or unusual TLDs might feel less credible to users. Also, country-code TLDs (like .ca or .uk) can help with geo-targeting if you’re focusing on a specific market.


So for 2025, focus on brandable, memorable domains and great content rather than worrying too much about the extension.