The 5 Most Popular TLDs in South America and Why They’re Popular

There are many different top-level domains (TLDs) you can use at the end of web addresses, from the ever popular .com to more niche and geographically-specific alternatives, like .shop and .fr. The popularity of different TLDs varies greatly from region to region, and in this guide, we’ll take a look at the top options for site owners in South America.

.br – The No. 1 ccTLD in South America

Out of all the TLDs specific to South America, .br ranks the highest. And, as you might guess from its letters, .br is the ccTLD (country-code TLD) for the nation of Brazil. Brazil is the biggest country in South America in terms of both physical size and population, so it’s easy to understand why this TLD is so widely used.

In fact, on the global charts, .br is the fifth-biggest TLD of them all, only ranking behind .com, .org, .de, and .ru. It accounts for close to 3% of all websites in existence today, and large numbers of new .br domain names are registered each year. This TLD doesn’t have much traction beyond Brazil’s borders due to its status as a ccTLD, but for Brazilian businesses and individuals, it’s an obvious go-to choice.

.co – A TLD With Global Appeal

The next entry on our list is also a ccTLD. We’re talking about .co, the ccTLD for Colombia. Colombia has the second-largest population in South America, which partially explains why .co is the TLD of choice for so many Colombian websites.

But unlike most other ccTLDs, which are only relevant in their country of origin, .co has a much broader global appeal due to its close similarity to .com. In fact, many people today view it as the modern, more accessible alternative to .com.

.com – Always a Popular Choice

Speaking of .com, it’s the next TLD in our list. .com is by far the most popular TLD everywhere in the world today, including throughout this vast continent. Close to half of all websites end in .com.

There are many reasons why .com is so popular, starting with the fact that .com was one of the original set of TLDs ever released. That gave it a head-start over all the domain names that followed, and it’s never really been challenged as the undisputed king of TLDs ever since.

People around the world know and understand .com. For most, it’s the de facto domain name, and the first TLD they try if they’re not sure about whether a website exists or what exactly the web address is. That makes it ideal for South American websites that want to appeal to a global audience, rather than the country-specific targeting offered by a niche ccTLD.

.org – Ideal for Organizations

.org is a hugely popular TLD all over the world, regularly appearing in the top five or even the top two TLDs for many regions and countries. More than 4% of all websites use it, which is partly down to the fact that .org also has a long history. It was actually one of the first set of TLDs released for general use, alongside .com.

.org is a perfect TLD for organizations and non-profits, so many of these entities in South America opt for .org when setting up their websites. It’s a particularly good fit in South America because the two dominant languages on the continent – Spanish and Portuguese – both use words beginning with “org” to describe organizations (organización in Spanish and organização in Portuguese).

.lat – An Emerging Alternative

The previous four TLDs are well-established and very popular in South America already. But the TLD landscape is always changing, with new players entering the arena and fresh trends providing new opportunities. geoTLDs are TLDs tied to cities and regions, rather than countries, and their emergence is one such trend that could shape the future of South American web addresses.

One of the big emerging geoTLDs at the moment is .lat, which was designed for use across all of Latin America. It’s becoming increasingly popular for South American-focused websites that don’t want to restrict themselves to a specific ccTLD like .br or .ar, but also want something a little different from the usual .com or .net addresses.

Register Your South American TLD Today

So, if you’re looking to set up a site targeting South America, all of the TLDs we’ve listed above are good options to help you reach the biggest possible audience. Of course, you’ll have to think carefully about your target audience and other factors to make the right call between .br domain registration, a .com site, or something more niche.