.com vs .co vs .io. Consumer trust data, email deliverability, trademark implications.
.com = 52% of all domains. .co = 78% mistaken for .com. .io = tech credibility. Extension choice impacts trust, memorability, email deliverability.
US consumers type .com automatically. 67% assume .com if extension not specified. Your .co site? They land on competitor's .com.
.com = established. .biz/.info = spam associations. Banks, law firms, healthcare = 94% use .com. Industry credibility demands it.
Gmail/Outlook spam filters flag obscure TLDs harder. .xyz/.top = 43% higher spam folder rate vs .com. Your cold emails already fighting uphill.
Tech startups embrace .io. Developers recognize it. Dropbox.com, GitHub.com dominate, but Stripe started Stripe.io. Works IF audience = tech-savvy.
.io = British Indian Ocean Territory. .co = Colombia. .ai = Anguilla. Most users don't know. Risk: Geopolitical changes revoke TLD (happened .su Soviet Union).
Registering MyBrand.io? Still need MyBrand.com defensive registration. Competitors squat .com variants. USPTO doesn't distinguish TLDs in likelihood-of-confusion analysis.
Perfect name available on .io only? Launch .io, buy .com later when affordable. Redirect .com to .io immediately. Prevents squatting, captures typers.
Trademark Lens checks domain availability across 15 TLDs simultaneously - see which extensions clear before committing to non-.com strategy.
.uk becomes preferred over .co.uk. New geographic TLDs launch. Domain strategy shifts completely.
58% of UK searches now voice-activated. Names must be phonetically obvious or disappear from results.
Meta, Decentraland, Sandbox require separate brand registration. Virtual storefronts need virtual trademarks.