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.

 

[Discover]

Based on Google’s official 2015 announcement titled "Google’s handling of new top-level domains", here are the key statements:

"Google treats all generic top-level domains (gTLDs), including new gTLDs like .guru, .club, or .xyz the same as traditional gTLDs like .com and .org. Keywords in a TLD do not give any advantage or disadvantage in search rankings."

"Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs), such as .uk or .de, are treated as a strong signal for geotargeting, meaning they’re associated with a specific country but this does not provide a ranking boost. It only helps Google understand which region the website is likely intended for."

"In essence, Google’s algorithms do not favor .com over .uk, .shop, .app, or any other new TLD. What matters is the content, user experience, and relevance, not the domain extension."

In short: No TLD whether a ccTLD like .uk or a new gTLD like .club is inherently better for SEO. Google evaluates all TLDs equally, only geotargeting behavior differs for ccTLDs.