Google’s John Mueller recently responded to a question about whether generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) that contain keywords provide any SEO advantage. Although the conversation centered around a specific keyword-based TLD, the topic naturally raises broader questions about how Google treats gTLDs overall.
Understanding Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)
Generic Top-Level Domains are domain extensions that typically describe a theme, purpose, or category. Common examples include .com, which is widely used for businesses, and .org, often associated with nonprofit organizations.
In 2013, the number of available gTLDs expanded dramatically. Today, hundreds of keyword-focused and niche TLDs exist, giving website owners new ways to brand themselves and differentiate their online presence.
Do gTLDs Have SEO Benefits?
A Reddit user recently wondered whether registering a .music domain offers any SEO value—especially since the .com version of the name they wanted was already taken.
Their question was:
“I noticed .music domains available and I’m curious if they matter for SEO or popularity. Are they growing, or does the industry not care? Should I register one just so someone else doesn’t get it, in case they become important later?”
Google’s Response
John Mueller responded clearly: keyword-based gTLDs do not provide any SEO advantage.
He stated:
“There’s absolutely no SEO advantage from using a .music domain.”
This highlights a long-standing disconnect in SEO thinking. Google’s algorithm is optimized based on human behavior, while many SEOs optimize primarily for what they assume Google wants. Google is essentially watching how real users search, interact, trust, and respond—while SEOs often focus on keyword manipulation and technical tweaks.
The Human Side of Optimization
While a TLD alone doesn’t influence Google rankings, it can influence human perception, and that matters more than many SEOs realize.
A website must be optimized for real people. Certain TLDs—especially spam-associated ones—can negatively influence trust. Meanwhile, other TLD choices can boost credibility, branding, or perceived relevance to users.
And since Google uses massive datasets of user behavior signals, anything that positively affects user trust, engagement, or brand searches can indirectly help SEO.
For example, branded searches (users searching for your site or brand name) send strong signals of trust and relevance to Google.
Why a gTLD Can Still Be Useful
From personal experimentation, I’ve found that certain gTLDs can influence how easily users trust a website. For instance, I’ve had an easier time getting backlinks to .org domains than to .com or .net versions of the same sites. Visitors also seemed to trust these .org sites more—even when they were affiliate projects.
The gTLD didn’t directly improve rankings, but it made the human response more favorable, which in turn supported SEO performance.
That’s why thinking in terms of Human Optimization is more practical than vague notions of “branding.”
Keyword-Based gTLDs and Human Optimization
While I haven’t personally used keyword-specific gTLDs like .music, it’s reasonable to assume similar dynamics could apply. A meaningful, topic-related extension might help users instantly understand what the site is about, making it feel more relevant or trustworthy.
And when humans respond positively—better engagement, more clicks, easier link-building—search engines eventually notice.
Many SEOs obsess over what Google considers “relevant,” often focusing on entities, keywords, or technical signals. But focusing only on pleasing Google is a limited strategy. Sometimes the best SEO wins come from focusing on what humans understand, trust, and respond to.
Final Thoughts
Success online isn’t just about technical SEO or chasing Google’s algorithm. It’s about being relevant to real people. If your domain name, website content, design, and messaging resonate with users, Google’s algorithm naturally picks up on the resulting positive signals.
So instead of treating gTLD decisions as purely technical SEO choices, it may be time to adopt a more human-focused perspective. When you optimize for humans first, you often end up being more relevant to search engines as well.
