Ever since the first registration of a dot .io domain in 1997, the ccTLD that Google treats as “generic” has grown to more than 1,100,000 domains.
Seen as a reference to “input/output” and thus attracting the computer crowd, the popular extension carries several characteristics, making it appealing to tech companies, gaming and e-sports websites, and even cryptocurrency and blockchain businesses.
Here are some facts about .io domain names:
- According to WHOIS information in IANA, the first domain name under .io was registered in 1997, when Levi Strauss & Co. registered the domain levi.io.
- The unique branding opportunities provided by the .io TLD, which has strong ties to input/output (I/O) technology.
- The .io TLD’s history, which dates back to its assignment to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1997.
- The impressive growth of .io, boasting 1,089,147 registered domain names as of March 2023 and a 32% YoY growth.
- Most .io domains are hosted in the USA, India and Germany.
- Just over 40% of websites with a .io domain name are available for indexing by search engine spiders.
Want to know more facts and figures about .io domains?
Simone Catania, Global Content & Communications Manager at InterNetX, has written an extensive article that covers just that.
