In the early days of the Internet, if a company wanted to create a website, it could simply register a domain with its brand name. For example, HP got their own with www.hp.com, Intel went with www.intel.com, and so on. Those were simpler times. However, times have changed.
In the last few years, branding and technology have changed significantly. Even the smallest aspects of your business, such as website hosting and registering a domain name and domain extension, are now branding opportunities. Once considered an ordinary IT expense, today it is an important branding opportunity.
With that said, there are still many start-ups out there that see domain names and domain extensions as just another chore and don’t understand the strategic significance of it. But learning what are the new domain extensions, for instance, can bring about a lot of opportunities for a business or organization.
Importance of a Good Domain Name
Building a great website is one way to get good-quality incremental traffic. Failure to do this will prevent you from achieving the success you want. The domain name is one of the most crucial aspects of a website. It is the website’s identity. It is the colors, images, and navigation that are most important in determining identity.
A great domain name offer should include three key strategic elements:
Strong Brand Positioning
A domain name can add a lot of value to branding efforts. It identifies what you are and what you offer. For example, with a website such as www.homeoffice.store, users will be able to see what the offer offers by using the descriptive domain extension (.store). This domain clearly provides context for users. This domain is a standout against the generalist Google competitors.
Relevant Marketing Touchpoints
Marketing efforts can be significantly enhanced by descriptive domain names. These domain names can be used as touchpoints to engage and attract your target audience. Consider the website www.learnhealth.online. The name itself provides a greater context and a clear indication to the audience of the site’s offerings.
Good First Impression
Your business name is your introduction to the market. This is the first impression you’ll be making on your target audience, and it should be memorable. Consider the website www.flutelessons.site and you’ll know you’ll be learning how to play the flute on this website. It is a way to help users manage their expectations.
What Makes for Good Domain Names?
Each online business needs a good domain name. What makes one domain name more valuable than the others? The right domain name will:
- Add to the credibility of your company – On the other hand, dubious domain names can be seen as suspicious and spammy.
- Allow people to easily find you. Thereby, it can also potentially boost your business.
- Is short, creative, and simple, thus it’s easier to remember and less likely to be misspelled.
- Resonates with your branding and your audience, helping organizations make a great first impression and establish a lasting relationship.
Registering a domain name on a brandable, contextual domain extension is one of the best ways you can ensure it meets all the above qualities.
Over the last few years, there have been hundreds of new domain extensions like .tech, .store, and .online. Those domain extensions are brandable, keyword-rich, relevant, and memorable.
Kinds of Top-Level Domains
The most popular TLDs are generic TLDs (gTLDs). There are new gTLDs available, including .store or .casino. Sponsored TLDs (sTLDs) are available for certain organizations, including governments (www.gov) and educational institutions (www.edu). Country code TLDs (ccTLDs) are used to identify specific countries. They include .cn for China and .uk for the United Kingdom.
It can be confusing to navigate the world of domain names. You can learn more about domain extensions meanings and improve your domain management. Many people simply want to use.com as their website address and call it quits. It’s important to think about the best domain for you if your work is extensive in another country.
Most popular domain extensions
- .com (short form for commercial)
- .net (short for network)
- .org (short for organization)
- .co (short for Colombia. It’s also often used to refer to a company.)
- .us (short for for United States)
It is not surprising that there are so many TLDs in use. However, as more websites are registered each day, your company will need to select a new domain extension.
What Are The New Domain Extensions?
Domain extensions now have new TLDs (or custom TLDs) options. Examples include:
- .clothing
- .blog
- .tech
- .store
- .online
ICANN manages the domain system that connects domain names with IP addresses. There were 22 generic top-level domains. This was only a few years back. 2013 was the year that ICANN began releasing new TLDs.
There are currently over 1,200 custom domain extension options. Some keywords are general, while others are specific to brands such as .Macys and .Toshiba.
Although the list is growing, it’s moving at a slower pace than in the previous years. The only additions to 2019 were .cpa and .gay.
Advantages of Using New Domain Extensions
It is important to check if the first one you have chosen is already taken. Custom TLDs offer more options and are easier to obtain. You have many options to choose from when it comes to a domain extension. This will give your company a unique domain name.
You can also use a descriptive domain extension to help your company. A custom TLD such as .attorney .dentist can be used to enhance your company’s branding. A customer can understand your service by simply looking at your URL. You can also use a custom extension to guide people to other sections of your site.
Domain names can impact search engine optimization, while domain extensions can also play an important role in SEO. Although Google claims that new TLDs are not ranked higher by Google, there are still benefits to custom TLDs. A custom TLD allows you to add keywords to your URL, and a custom domain name can create long-tail keywords, which can be helpful for SEO.
Benefits of New Domain Extensions to Your Business
It can help you establish your niche.
Domain extensions can be indicative or industry-specific. You can get a new domain name that reflects your expertise and area of interest by choosing the one that is most appropriate for your company. The .tech extension works well for a new domain that is related to technology. Similar to .store, .space is specifically for eCommerce and retail businesses. However, anyone can use .space, from creative professionals to real estate companies.
It can position your brand more strongly in the market.
Your new domain name can be more than just a web address. If chosen carefully, your domain name can help you position and build your branding in the best way possible. Companies have this chance, and domain extensions make domain names more easily understood and meaningful. For instance, from a domain name like www.codingclasses.online, you can get the idea that this website teaches coding online.
The website www.breakinto.tech is another excellent example of the smart use of domain extensions. It provides courses and other content to help people from different backgrounds get jobs in tech. It’s creative enough to make you want to visit it. Also, the website communicates very literally that it can help you get into tech.
It can boost your company’s marketing efforts.
You can create significant, branded links with a new domain extension that you can use for your online and offline marketing campaigns. When you publish a new post on social media and want to add links to specific pages of your website, it is common for the link to look long and complicated with many numbers and special characters.
These links do not communicate anything about your company or the products you are trying to promote. You can make brandable links with a new domain extension that will help you highlight your branding and content.
It initiates more word-of-mouth promotions.
Domain names that are created for new extensions are often relevant, descriptive, meaningful, and simple. This makes them easier to type and remember. Because they are short and easy to understand, they are easier to communicate with and comprehend.
A shorter domain will reduce the chance that your domain name is misunderstood or misheard. This can improve your chances of word-of-mouth marketing.
You could, for example, use healthcheck.site if you’re a doctor looking to open an online clinic. You can rest assured that your customers will find you easily if you email or call them about your new service.
It ensures exact match opportunities.
It may seem impossible to find a domain name that matches your organization’s exact requirements, given the increasing number of websites. A new domain extension makes it possible, simply because it’s new and easier to get. Businesses nowadays have more options than ever thanks to the new breed of domains.
Conclusion
The new domain extensions offer an alternative to paying a high price just to obtain a traditional domain name such as .co, .uk, and .com or becoming involved in long-running trademark disputes.
They can help you to create domain names that will serve as strong platforms for your online identity. They can also inject creativity, relevance, and meaning into your branding and digital marketing efforts. If you have been having trouble finding the right domain name to suit your business, then it is time to consider getting a new domain extension.