.de passing 18 million registrations is a good example of how much trust some country extensions still have. For SEO and domain resale, would you rather use a mature ccTLD for local intent, or a newer gTLD for broader branding? Which one has better long-term value?
True, it depends a lot on the country and the use case. Which ccTLDs would you personally put in the "strong enough to invest in" group?
Or maybe there are no good .com or .org names left, unless you're willing to pay through the roof to get one!
I think people sometimes treat all ccTLDs the same, but there is a huge difference between something like .de, .nl, .co.uk and smaller extensions with less adoption. For local businesses, I’d still prefer a strong country extension over a random new gTLD because users already understand and trust it. But for a global project I’d probably still try to get a good .com if possible. A ccTLD can be very valuable, but only when the market behind it is strong.
Yep, price is usually where the plan changes Yes, that's the difference. Some ccTLDs feel natural to local users.
Good thread. Building on MarkDon's point about not treating all ccTLDs the same, I'd add one practical check before buying into any ccTLD: read the registry's eligibility rules first. Some of the most trusted country extensions require local presence or specific business documentation, and I've seen a .com.au registration fail for an Australian client even with a valid ABN because the registry rejected the paperwork. So nicenic's "strong enough to invest in" group should really be split into open-registration ccTLDs and restricted ones, since that friction affects both usability and liquidity. For resale, the liquidity gap versus .com is also real, so I tend to treat a strong ccTLD as a use asset first (local trust is genuine) and an investment second.