This comprehensive workbook and ebook combination offers a complete solution for simplifying your auditing process and enhancing your technical and on-page SEO strategies. Uncover five vital performance marketing trends that are crucial for captivating your audience in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Google's Gary Illyes recently shared an interesting insight regarding how Google handles . AI domains in terms of SEO during a Google SEO Office Hours session. He addressed concerns about potential drawbacks of using the . AI domain, given its association with the Caribbean island of Anguilla. Illyes clarified that there are two types of domain names: gTLD and ccTLD. A gTLD (Generic Top Level Domain) is not tied to any specific country and can be used worldwide, such as . com, . net, . org, . biz, and . xyz. On the other hand, a ccTLD (Country Code Top Level Domain) is associated with a particular country, like . uk for the United Kingdom or . in for India. Google utilizes ccTLDs to localize websites according to the countries associated with those TLDs. For example, if a website uses the . in TLD, Google recognizes it as relevant to people in India and tailors search results accordingly. This aligns with users' expectations of regional relevance. However, some ccTLDs have meanings that extend beyond their associated countries. The . TV ccTLD from the island of Tuvalu is useful for websites related to television, for instance.

Similarly, the . AI ccTLD is tied to the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean. The question posed to Illyes concerned the suitability of using a ccTLD like . AI for a global company. Namely, would it inadvertently localize the website to Anguilla, potentially hindering its ranking in other countries?Illyes surprising response was that Google now treats . AI as a gTLD in Google Search since early June 2023. Therefore, using . AI for a global presence is permissible. This clarification holds significance because . AI domains are widely used by various companies. It may have previously been assumed that Google already treated . AI domains as gTLDs, but that change only occurred recently. Hence, it is essential to verify whether a chosen domain extension is treated as a ccTLD or a gTLD by Google, as it can impact a website's ability to rank globally. Google provides a list of ccTLDs treated as gTLDs, which includes . eu, . asia, . ad, . co, . fm, . tv, and of course, . ai. There are numerous other ccTLDs listed that Google treats similarly to gTLDs. Stay up to date with daily search marketing news to conquer your day.