A generic top-level domain, or gTLD, is a domain extension that isn't tied to any specific country, ".com", ".net", ".org", and a long list of newer additions like ".shop" or ".tech", as opposed to a ccTLD like ".fr" or ".tr" that signals a specific country or region.
".com" remains the default choice for most businesses, largely because it's the extension people expect and type from habit, which matters for a domain that has to be remembered and typed correctly. Newer gTLDs can work well when they add real, relevant meaning, "agency.marketing" reads clearly for a marketing agency, but they're worth weighing against the fact that they're less universally recognized and can occasionally get flagged by spam filters or looked at skeptically by users still more used to the classic extensions. For a business without a strong reason to target one specific country, a gTLD keeps the domain open to a global audience in a way a ccTLD doesn't.
