Google considers many ccTLDs as generic.
There are more country code top level domains (ccTLD‘s) than actual countries in the world.
In fact, there are several active ones for obsolete countries, such as dot .SU for the former Soviet Union.
When it comes down to search engine visibility of ccTLD domains, not all are created equal.
Google, the quintessential search engine, has rules in place that set certain ccTLDs aside, treating them as “generic.”
These ccTLDs – or, gccTLDs if you prefer – have acquired a secondary use as brands, becoming a shorthand version of a longer word.
With that in mind, what are the country code top level domains that Google considers as “generic?”
The list below will hopefully help clarify that to domain investors around the world:
.ad – Andorra
.as – American Samoa
.bz – Belize
.cc – Cocos (Keeling) Islands
.cd – Democratic Republic of Congo
.co – Colombia
.dj – Djibouti
.fm – Micronesia
.io – British Indian Ocean Territory
.la – Laos
.me – Montenegro
.ms – Micronesia
.nu – Niue
.sc – Seychelles
.sr – Suriname
.su – Soviet Union
.tv – Tuvalu
.tk – Tokelau
.ws – Samoa
Whether it’s worth investing in those “generic” ccTLD extensions that’s another story altogether.
Two of them definitely stand out: .CO and .ME and they are being used commercially by many registrants around the world.
The bottom line is, that when it comes to registering a ccTLD for your business venture, go for the one that belongs to your country.
