Computers

Dot us refers to a United States website designation. A dot us website ends with .us and is suitable for a business that plans to operate primarily in the United States.

Dot US: Whats That?
Youve never heard of a dot us address? Given the history of the internet, its not surprising. When the United States pioneered the internet long long ago, there was simply the assumption that all websites were American. Dot com websites referred to American organizations, dot edu websites referred to American universities, and dot gov websites referred to the United States government. Other countries were required to use national designations, such as .co.uk for British businesses, .ac.uk for British universities, or else .ir for Irish websites in general, and so on.

The result of the assumption that most websites were American meant that the dot us designation has not taken off until quite recently (since dot us addresses were formerly limited to government). While dot com is the designation of choice for just about any website, dot us is appropriate in a way similar to the designation .de for Germany. As the internet becomes more and more international, the dot us designation will likely become more desirable among American businesses.

But as for today, a dot us designation will likely appear to an American as strange. That is, unless your website deals with something uniquely American, such as a selling bobble-head dolls of Abraham Lincoln. If your business has a distinctly American flavor, you should seriously consider a dot us designation as it sends a very American message to the viewer.