In the early days of the Internet, the domain name landscape was not nearly as varied as it is today. When domain names first became available for registration in 1986, customers could only choose from a mere six different extensions: .com, .net, .org, .gov, .edu, and .mil. Over the years, more extensions were gradually added to the domain name system, such as individual ccTLDs (country code top-level domains) for each country in the world.
In 2012, the speed of new domain releases accelerated when ICANN, the authority for the domain name system, opened up applications for “new” gTLDs (generic top-level domains). This ambitious project led to the release of over 1,000 new domain extensions to the Internet. One particularly interesting subset of these new domain extensions are so-called cityTLDs, such as .amsterdam and .tokyo. A growing number of cities and regions around the world are now using their own cityTLD – not just for local government websites, but also for use by local businesses, organizations, and media outlets who want to attract visitors from their city.
Are you interested in learning more about cityTLDs? In this article, we discuss the ten most popular cityTLDs on the Internet, based on this 2023 report by DOTZON.
The ranking below is based on each cityTLD’s performance on eight KPIs: number of registered domain names, annual sales volume, number of active domain names, number of pages per TLD listed at Google, number of domains listed in the Alexa and Majestic rankings (rankings that show the one million most popular websites on the Internet), number of domain names per 1,000 inhabitants, gross domestic product per domain name, and comparison between the cityTLD and the country’s national ccTLD.
10. .london
The British capital takes the tenth place on DOTZON’s list, after finishing in ninth place in the 2022 ranking. .london performs particularly well in terms of quantity. 35,000 domains were registered under .london by June 2023, which corresponds to the fourth-best value in the city ranking. On top of that, this domain extension achieved a high turnover of approximately $875.000 in domain registrations over the last year.
9. .vegas
In ninth place, .vegas is one of two North American cityTLDs and one of four non-European entries on this list. .vegas has reached ninth place because of its high number of domains on the Alexa and Majestic rankings, as well as a high score when it comes to the number of domains per 1000 inhabitants.
8. .koeln
.koeln, the cityTLD of Cologne, stands out on this list as the only TLD that uses a city’s local name, rather than the name it is internationally better known by. Thanks to high registration numbers and spotting the highest gross domestic product per domain name, .koeln has earned a respectable eighth place on this list.
7. .paris
The city of love takes up the seventh spot on this list, scoring particularly high on turnover, number of registered domains, and the number of domains on the Alexa and Majestic rankings. Fun fact: the website of the .paris registry is located on the lovely URL of bienvenue.paris.
6. .hamburg
Germany has always been at the forefront of developments when it comes to the Internet industry, and the country’s ccTLD is consistently one of the most popular ones in the world. It is therefore no surprise there are not just one, but three German cityTLDs on this list. Of those three, .hamburg comes in at sixth place, excelling particularly in turnover and gross national product per domain.
5. .okinawa
While most cityTLDs belong to Western European cities, Japan is also doing well with two TLDs on the list, with .okinawa coming in fifth. This outstanding result is due to over 51% active domains, as well as over 32 domains per 1,000 inhabitants. The fact that .okinawa is more than twice as popular as the Japanese ccTLD, .jp, also contributes to this ranking.
4. .nyc
The fourth place on this list is taken up by the city that never sleeps. .nyc is one of two American cityTLDs on this list. The Big Apple owes its fourth place to its high number of active domains, its positive score on the Alexa and Majestic rankings, and its high popularity compared to the American ccTLD, .us.
3. .tokyo
With over 100,000 domains registered in 2023, .tokyo is the cityTLD with the highest number of domains in total. .tokyo’s high popularity is further reflected in its high score compared to the Japanese ccTLD, .jp. The two TLDs are almost equally as popular! All of these factors come together to earn .tokyo a solid third place on this list.
2. .berlin
.berlin was the first ever cityTLD to become publicly available on the Internet. Ever since its launch, it has consistently been popular and successful with the local public. This cityTLD saw a turnover of around $1.900.000 last year, achieved partially by almost 50,000 newly registered domain names.
1. .amsterdam
When you think of Amsterdam, you might think of canals and stroopwafels, but from now on, you will also be thinking about the city’s exceptionally well-performing cityTLD. .amsterdam takes a deserved first spot on this list. The decisive factor here is that you can find a whopping 16,8 million websites with a .amsterdam URL on Google, coupled with a high number of registered domains per 1,000 inhabitants.
Register your own cityTLD domain name
Are you running a local business or do you want to create a website with content specifically about one city? In that case, a domain with a cityTLD could be a great choice for you! Using a cityTLD helps you create a unique and memorable URL that will help you expand your online presence. On top of that, it may even help you with your local SEO strategy.
Openprovider offers over 30 distinct cityTLDs for cities across six different continents. You can take your pick from metropolitan cities across Europe (.amsterdam, .barcelona, .berlin, .brussels, .cologne, .gent, .hamburg, .ist, .istanbul, .koeln, .london, .madrid, .paris, .wien), Africa (.capetown, .durban, .joburg), Asia (.abudhabi, .kyoto, .moscow, .nagoya, .okinawa, .osaka, .taipei, .tokyo, .yokohama), North America (.boston, .miami, .nyc, .quebec, .vegas), South America (.rio) and Oceania (.melbourne, .sydney).
Do you want your very own cityTLD domain name? Register yours today!
