Claim Your Domain

A few years ago, the most complicated part of choosing a website address (or domain name) was the first part. The ending part was fairly simple because there were only a handful of options available to choose from. Of course .com is the most popular, default generic top level domain (gTLD) closely followed by .org and .net. There were even other options that fit specific industries and niches, including .biz or .info.

In late October of 2013, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN) began delegating the first of several (thousands of) new gTLDs and- as can be expected—nobody has specifically rushed to the table yet. But that doesn’t mean it won’t start happening over the next few years.

Aside from a few branded gTLDs that have been reserved for private use, many new options are becoming available. One can only guess at this point over the impact this will make but one thing is certain: the new options allow you to claim a domain that will differentiate your brand.

According to an article (Domains of Interest) published by Peter Prestipino in the February 2014 issue of Website Magazine, the following gTLDs are anticipated to be the most popular in each industry.

Business

There are generic options (.company and .services) that may be as popular as .biz but then there are options such as .studio or .agency that could be a great way for digital consulting groups to stand out from competition.

Commerce

According to the article in Website Magazine, “there are many domains that fit within the commerce category but few will likely see much interest from retailers. The exceptions apply to particular campaigns that a merchant may be running. For example, .blackfriday could be an interesting extension to watch during the 2014 holiday shopping season.”

Education

For those looking who feel restricted by the .edu extension, new options include .degree, .mba, .phd and less formal .academyor .training.

Food & Drink

The new domain extensions are especially appealing for the food and drink industry, with options like .beer or .coffeeanticipated to draw immediate interest.

Geographic

This is where the domain extensions could be sought after most aggressively. With options like .boston or .vegas the benefits of a specialized geographic gTLD are rather obvious, but even a .world domain could imply an international significance.

Health

While there aren’t many options available in this industry, and the extensions .health or .medical aren’t particularly special, options such as .diet are sure to be appealing.

Lifestyle

If you are categorized generically into this general “catch-all”, now you can find a way to stand out in one of the most diverse industries with a specialized domain extension such as .club or .guide.

Money & Finance

With the new gTLDs, specific namespaces can have greater security controls that would be ideal for an extension such as .creditcard and can be adopted uniformly across the finance industry.

Professional

The benefits here are fairly obvious with extensions including .attorney, .doctor or .accountant. No explanation needed.

Technology

Naturally, we can anticipate this industry would be the first to take advantage and adopt new generic TLDs. A few of the best options include .tech, .download, .hosting, and .codes.