The .it Domain Explained

Domain names are the bits of text at the end of web addresses. The domain .com is the most famous example, used on countless sites. But there are lots of other ways to end a website address, including .it, which is less well-known around the world but still has many years of usage.

But what exactly is .it and why might you like to use it? Read on for all the answers.

An Overview of the .it Domain

The domain .it is part of a group of domain names known as ccTLDs, or country-code top-level domains. That might sound complicated, but it’s actually quite simple: ccTLDs are simply domain names designed specifically for different countries around the world, like:

• .fr for France
• .us for the United States
• .ru for Russia

In the case of .it, this is the ccTLD for the nation of Italy. Major Italian businesses, banks, government bodies, and organizations therefore have websites that end with .it. It ranks in the top 30 most-used domain names.

How Do You Get a .it Domain?

To obtain a .it domain, you’ll need to fulfill certain criteria. Specifically, this ccTLD is restricted to people or businesses that are citizens of or based in either Italy itself, San Marino, Vatican State, Switzerland, or the many countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), like France, Spain, and Greece.

However, even if you’re not based in one of these nations, you could still obtain a .it address via a trustee or registration service with ties to Italy or the EEA. You simply have to find a registration service, check your domain is available, and pay the relevant fee to create your name.

Why Choose a .it Domain?

At first glance, it seems like the .it domain only has one use: for businesses or organizations in Italy. However, that’s not quite true. As with other ccTLDs, .it isn’t only for Italians. It can have uses for people and organizations beyond the boundaries of this European nation.

Here are some reasons to pick .it as your TLD:

You’re Based in Italy

First, and most obviously, .it is the domain of choice among Italians and those based in Italy, in general. If you live and work in this country, it makes a lot of sense to get a .it address. The Italian population is used to this extension and will often naturally type “.it” at the end of website names by default.

You’re Expanding Into Italy

You don’t necessarily need to have your business based solely in Italy or headquartered in Italy to set up a .it address. Maybe you’re expanding there, for example, or want to run an online shop that sells to Italians. You could set up a subdomain with a .it ending to reach the Italian population.

You Want to Target the Italian Audience on Google

There are different versions of Google for countries around the globe, like Google.it for Italy. When you search on Google.it, other websites that end in .it tend to feature quite highly in the rankings. So, if you want to get good SEO results for Italy, it makes sense to have a .it address of your own.

You Want a Creative or Unusual Web Address

One of the fun things about certain ccTLDs is that they can be used for wordplay or to create unusual, standout web address names. This applies to the .it TLD, too, since it looks just like the English word “it.” You could use it to make clever website names like “gofor.it” or “try.it,” for example. It could also be used for IT specialists, with site names like “fivestar.it,” for instance.

You’re Looking for a Cheaper, More Available Alternative to .com

One of the first things many people notice when trying to make a website is that the .com extension is by far the most common, which also makes it most expensive. It can be hard to find a site name that’s still available with .com. You could use .it as a cheaper and more accessible option instead.

Register Your .it Domain

So, if any of the reasons or benefits above apply to you and your future website, .it could be the ideal domain name extension for you. All you have to do is find a trusted registration provider to help you, and in a matter of minutes, you can buy and create your .it website and start using it today.