Generic top-level domain extensions, the industry behind them, and how they affect businesses choosing a domain.
A gTLD, or generic top-level domain, is the bit after the final dot that isn't a country code. .com, .org, .shop, .app, .food, and hundreds of others all sit in this category. The ones on sale today were handed out in two main waves: the original handful from the 1980s and 1990s, and the 1,200-odd extensions that emerged from the 2012 ICANN expansion round.
These articles cover the gTLD landscape from a UK registrar's perspective: what the new rounds mean for small businesses, which of the 2012 extensions actually got used, which dormant vanity TLDs to avoid, and how to think about gTLD choice when you're registering a domain for your own company rather than applying to operate one.
ICANN opens its first major new domain extension round in 14 years on 30 April 2026. The USD 227,000 application fee is aimed at global brands, cities, and industry bodies. For UK small businesses, the real action is already in the existing 458-TLD catalogue.
