.io is a country code TLD for the British Indian Ocean Territory. But over the past 15 years it has transformed completely — it has become the de facto premium TLD for technology and startups. The reason — "I/O" means "Input/Output" in tech, and developers have a strong association with it.
Why startups choose .io
Perfect branding — short, modern, technical. Immediately understood by tech-professional audiences. GitHub.io, repl.io, codepen.io, Trello.io (originally) — well-known examples.
Alternative when .com is taken — a startup's brand name is often unavailable on .com but free on .io.
Y Combinator and Silicon Valley standard — modern startups treat .io as the "default" pick.
.io pricing and registration
Pricing is high — $35-60/year (3-5x more expensive than .com). Premium .io names — short, well-known words — exceed $1,000-100,000+.
Via Sayt.uz 450,000 sum/year. Pay via Click/Payme.
No restrictions — anyone can register.
SEO and .io
Google formally treats .io as a country-code TLD (technically for British Indian Ocean Territory), but it's used like a generic in practice. No geo-targeting, which is good for international sites.
.io drawbacks
Price — $35-60/year is much higher than .com ($10-15).
User perception — a non-technical audience may ask "What's this?" and get confused.
Status uncertainty — if the British Indian Ocean Territory's government changes, .io's future is unclear.
.io vs .ai vs .com
.com — universal and most trusted. .io — technical startup, modern. .ai — AI and machine learning projects (which has surged in the last 3 years).
Order: for a new tech project: .com → .io → .ai → .dev.
Sayt.uz practice
7% of Sayt.uz clients register .io — mostly IT outsourcing companies and startups. SaaS projects often pick .io too. Tip: if you're building a technical startup or developer-oriented product, .io is a strong choice. For a local or ordinary business, .com is enough.