Future of Domain Names
Choose the right domain name for the product that you sell.
Cramming a company name into a .com domain name can be tough. More to the point: .com doesn't really do much for any company. Wouldn't it be better to personalize a domain name? Well, in the future, that might actually be possible.
Starting next year, TLD (Top Level Domains) will be releasing 1,000 new possibilities. So, you may just wind up with .awesome after all. Really, though, if you want to help out your business, you will choose a domain name that sells what you are selling. These new domain names could be used to your advantage.
Future of Domain Names: Selling Through A Domain
People don't usually remember a website name. Not unless that name is really catchy. Something like sellsellsell.com might actually, well, sell. The current problem is that all the best domain names seem to have been taken already. That's one of the reasons why the TLD is putting some new domain endings out there.
These new domain names aren't just for businesses either. Hosting companies can definitely cash in on this change. If you currently run a hosting company, consider offering different domain names at different rates. Want a personalized domain name? Here's our rate! That kind of a deal will work wonders. Switching back to the consumer side of things, the same old rules will still apply next year when these domain names become available.
Future of Domain Names: Be Aware of What You Own
As I just mentioned, hosting companies will (and should) cash in on the new domain offerings. However, consumers should be aware, still, that domains generated by a hosting company might not be free. Often, those domain names are owned by a hosting company, and you can't take that name with you should you decide to move your website.
This brings me to another point: changing your website name. I've seen very few companies successfully change a website address. Sure, you can hand out business cards pointing to the new name, create a commercial, or try some kind of other ad, but once people get used to yourname.com, they will have a hard time switching to yourname.coffee or .tea. You see what I mean?
Future of Domain Names: Should You Switch?
It might all depend on how searches are conducted in the future. Adding a .boston or .nyc to the end of your site might mean more local traffic, and this is a good thing. My advice? Consider how long you've had your particular website domain name. Years? Months? If you've had it for more than five years, think hard and long before confusing clients with a name change — what if amazon.com became amazon.content?
If your website is relatively new, you might get away with a name change. Just pick something that will really sell your business. Don't choose .cheese because it sounds funny. Choose .glass because you sell glass. See what I'm getting at? The future of domain names is upon us, that's for certain. What's not certain is how these new names will play out — or if you should consider changing yours.
