.DE is the most popular country code top-level domain (ccTLD) in the world and is second only to .COM as the most popular TLD. As of April 2012, .DE domains surpassed 15 million registrations! Establish your online presence in Germany and reach over 82 million people with one domain. Registering your .DE domain gives your website instant credibility in Germany. It is also a great way to get into the German market by letting people know you're open for business there right in your URL.

But .DE isn't just for Germans, it's also used around the world! "DE" is similar to the English "of" in many of the Romance languages such as Spanish and French. Websites with customized sites have found this to be useful, for example espace.de/michael or "space of Michael." It is also similar to the romanization of the Japanese word for "by," which can be great for sites like train.de/kyoto or "by train in Kyoto."

The .DE domain is a great option for a fun domain hack. Just imagine the possibilities of links like Tra.de, GetMa.de, or even YourGra.de. There are lots of words that end in de that allow you to get creative with your .DE domain! It's also a great option for a custom short link. A .DE custom short link is a great way to build a personal or business brand. See our blog post on the benefits of a custom short link and how to get your own.