When the internet was first taking shape, the idea of country-code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) was simple: give every nation its own digital space. What no one expected was that some countries would find themselves sitting on virtual gold mines — not from their native users, but from clever marketers and businesses around the world who saw these two-letter domains as branding shortcuts.
It’s one of those weird, serendipitous things in life – almost like winning a lottery. Two thousand years ago when the Polynesian language of Tuvaluan was formed, no one could have anticipated that one day, Pluto.TV would shell out a registration fee for a .TV domain, because of a chance coincidence in English. If someone had chosen a different consonant 2,000 years ago, Tuvalu would be out $7-$10 million a year – 1/6 of its GDP! That kind of blows my mind.
Here’s a look at the top countries that have truly cashed in on their TLDs
Tuvalu (.tv)
Tuvalu, a remote island nation in the Pacific, hit the jackpot with .tv. With “TV” universally recognized as shorthand for television, streaming services and video creators worldwide have adopted this ccTLD for their brands. Cost: Generally $25–50/year
Montenegro (.me)
Montenegro markets .me as the ultimate personal domain. I’d wager most people who sign up for a .me at GoDaddy have no idea that .me is a ccTLD and probably think it’s analogous to .info. Cost: Around $10–20/year
Colombia (.co)
.co is officially Colombia’s domain, but globally it’s recognized as an abbreviation for “company” or “corporation.” Given how congested .com is, it’s popular as a snappy alternative. Cost: About $25–40/year.
Libya (.ly)
.ly got worldwide attention for its use in URL shorteners and brand hacks. Despite Libya’s highly unstable political situation, it’s endured as a popular TLD hack. BTW, Libya doesn’t allow adult content. Cost: Around $75–100/year (premium pricing for short names).
Federated States of Micronesia (.fm)
Perfect for music and audio brands, .fm – as in FM radio – has become the go-to for radio stations, streaming services, and podcasts. It has a nice retro ring to it. Cost: Roughly $60–100/year
Anguilla (.ai)
Talk about having the right letters in the right place at the right time! This small East Caribbean country has struck it rich in this AI-fueled age. You can’t go anywhere on the Internet these days without bumping into a .ai domain. Cost: Generally $60–120/year
British Indian Ocean Territory (.io)
Before .ai became the current startup darling, .io was very popular (and still is). It’s another “tech-like sound alternative to .com” domain, evoking “input/output”. A little pricier than a typical .com registration but not as overpopulated. Cost: Typically $30–60/year.
Djibouti (.dj)
Djibouti is a nation near the horn of Africa. Are there any DJs in Djibouti? Undoubtedly, but there are a whole lot more of them in Western nations that are using .dj domains for their music enterprises. Cost: Around $40–80/year
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (.cc)
Marketed as “the next .com,” .cc is popular for churches, cricket clubs, and creative companies that like the alliteration. It’s probably never going to challenge .com, or even .co, but then, no one expected some of these other ccTLDs to take off, so why not? Cost: Around $20–40/year
Laos (.la)
.la has been adopted by Los Angeles businesses and creatives, even though it’s technically for Laos. You’ll find local LA enterprises using it for geographic branding. Geographically confusing, but a profitable sideline for the Laotians. Cost: About $30–50/year
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I enjoy writing technical articles here on LowEndBox to help people get more out of their systems. You can find me on LowEndTalk @raindog308
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Not sure about the other prices but .cc is surely one of the more afordable TLDs in general, you will find plenty registrars with renewal prices of less than $10/year. And it does support IDN names, so you can technically register single accented letter domain if you want to target those with the right keyboard installed.