One controlled test.
The click and cost figures come from a single test across four local service sectors, with 152 clicks in total. Click-through rose in three sectors; in fencing the two domains performed alike.
.Best vs .com
Same footing in Google.More clicks for .Best.
Google ranks .Best and .com sites by the same rules. The difference shows up in the click: in the only controlled test, identical ads won 20% more clicks on .Best and paid 8% less per click.
Side by side
What changes, and what does not.
| .Best | .com | |
|---|---|---|
| Technical standingIANA, ICANN | Generic top-level domain in the internet's root zone since 2014, run on CentralNic's registry platform. | Generic top-level domain in the root zone since 1985. |
| Google rankingsGoogle Search Central | Equal footing: Google treats new generic TLDs like .com and says keywords in a TLD give no advantage or disadvantage. | Equal footing. |
| Clicks on identical adsGlobeRunner, controlled Google Ads test | +20% click-through rate: 80 clicks from 5,398 impressions, from the same average position. | 72 clicks from 5,854 impressions. |
| Cost per clickSame test | −8% average cost per click, and −21% in the movers campaign. | Baseline. |
| What the name saysPeec, 5M fan-out queries, April 2026 | Carries “best”, the word ChatGPT adds to 24.3% of its hidden searches for advice questions. | Says the site is commercial, not what it offers. |
| Where to buyRegistry figure; TLD-List | 300+ accredited registrars; first-year prices from about $1 at entry level. | Accredited registrars. |
Sources and method in the white paper. You don't have to choose: a .Best name can run campaigns or a category site alongside an existing .com.
Read the fine print
What the evidence does not say.
No ranking bonus.
A .Best name does not rank higher by itself. Its advantage is the click: Google's systems learn from interaction data, so more clicks at the same position can help over time.
Your market may differ.
Run your own split test: identical ads to identical pages on .Best and on your current domain show the difference in your market.