Is the .COM Era Over?

Since the birth of the Internet, .com has been the top choice  of “top level domains” (TLDs).  And good dot coms are hard to come by. Verisign recently reported that the number of registered dot-com domain names exceeded 128 million for the first time.

Enter the new gTLDs or generic Top-Level Domains. They are now available and there are tons to choose from. Thanks to these new domains, your website address can now describe who you are or what you do. For example, .PHOTOGRAPHY, .BUILD and .ATTORNEY all tell visitors something about what you offer. With a gTLD, you get a web address that’s specific to you and easy to remember so you can find more customers online. Anyone can now apply to create their own new TLD extensions. Dozens of brands have begun to register their own trademarked names (including .aaa, .aetna, .aol, .chrome, .chrysler, and many more).

While changing your domain name is a big step and can mean re-branding and updating of additional marketing collateral, if a change is something you are considering, or if you are beginning a new endeavor, a new gTLD is worth considering. Here are just a handful of some of the new extensions available:

• .buzz
• .expert
• .insure
• .marketing
• .news
• .rocks
• .services
• .solutions
• .works

For a complete list, check out GoDaddy’s gTLD registration.