One of the best known domain extensions is the .com. And you probably know the .be and .nl as well. Have you always dreamed of having your own domain name extension like e.g. .yourcompany or .yourname? Perhaps this dream is about to come true. In fact, ICANN, the organization that manages domain names worldwide, has modified its rules. Owing to this modification, from 2012, it will be possible to purchase your own domain extension and possibly even sell domain names with your extension. Many already publicly showed their interest.
The new extensions can be divided into 4 different types.
- Regions, such as .eng or .scot.
- Cities, such as .berlin or .paris.
- Keywords, such as .shop or .eco.
- Companies, such as .nike or .canon.
Why choose a custom extension?
- Professional image;
- Protection of your trademark, company name or governmental name;
- Rank higher in search engine results;
- An extra income when you will sell domain names;
- You are completely independent from third parties, such as .be or .com;
- Unlimited combinations of domain names.
Building a separate island on the Internet is not easy for everyone.
- First of all, ICANN integrated a financial barrier. Submitting an application file costs 130,000 EUR, on top of the juridical and technical consultancy costs. Managing your own zone internationally costs at least 200,000 EUR per year.
- In addition, very strict technical conditions are in force. Completing and submitting an application file not only requires much specialised knowledge of international server management, but you also need to own approved registration software (or a partner to make this possible).
Applicants can thoroughly prepare their application file until May 2011, which does not leave them much time. ICANN also announced that in the first round, only 500 new zones will be allowed. The number of places will be smaller than the number of applicants.
Would you like to know if (and how) this evolution of the Internet can maximise the impact of your company online? Contact us for a free audit.
