From Cyberspace to your place: The new gTLD real estate that you need to be ready to move into

Written on 17 December, 2014 by Jessica O'Brien
Categories Domains Tags domain names
gTLD-WHAT?
gTLD stands for Generic Top-Level Domain. You can find gTLDs at the end of a URL string. The most well-known gTLD is .com, although you are likely familiar with others such as .net and .org.
 
gTLD-WHY?
The internet’s domain-name real estate portfolio has been exponentially boosted by the introduction of new gTLD extensions, which are giving a whole new meaning to businesses that want a more unique and personalised presence online. Examples of these include .club, .rentals and .guru. Now, with the release of  .melbourne and .sydney, it’s time to get the low-down on the new gTLD’s and what they mean for your current or future business.
 
THE LOVERS SAY
  • More targeted advertising opportunities
  • More opportunities to establish cultural and community identity
  • More opportunities to leverage a personalised identity
  • Possibly better SEO rankings from highly relevant URLs
 
THE HATERS SAY
  • Less impact with new gTLD links likely to divert to your original .com anyway
  • Less trustworthy and established profile than .com
  • Less cost effective to have to purchase another domain on top of your existing
 
OUR EXPERTS SAY
As the founder of Australia’s largest digital agency DT DigitalBSchool Co-Founder and BFaculty Member David Trewern is well placed to comment on the impact that the new gTLDs may have for new and small business owners. According to David, it’s all fair in the risk of buying new real estate.
 
Unexplored terrain
“It’s hard to know how the introduction of these new domain names will unfold. Releasing new top-level domains is like releasing new land for development. Initially it will be a wasteland and people will want to hang out in the established suburbs, but over time demand will grow, behaviour will change, and gentrification will take place. But where it ends up and how long it takes is something we cannot truly forecast.”
 
The high-end suburbs
“Presently, people are familiar with .com.au and .com – the known prime real-estate. Some early adopters will need to prove that these new gTLD domains can offer ‘ease of use’ and ‘relevance’ in order for them to catch-on and become part of our web vernacular.”
 
Marking your territory
“Many small and new business owners will be able to testify to the struggle of finding domain names – so many combinations of words, terms and brands are already taken. This is particularly true for short URLs. So these new real estate releases such as .melbourne and .sydney will solve a big problem for many small businesses, giving them an opportunity to be creative and register new domains that otherwise would not be possible.”
 
Building blocks for the future
“10 years from now, the 20-something year old audience that many brands target might have long forgotten the .com.au and .com heritage. For a child that will be 20 years old in 10 years, .com.au may not mean anything. But if they are part of a club, for example, a whole lot of sites that finish with .club will be meaningful today and in a decade. For reasons other than .com nostalgia, there is nothing to say that .club is any less usable than .com.au for the next generation. At the end of the day, being unique, having a vision and good, strategic marketing and branding will be equally responsible for whether your new gTLD is successful.”
 
Get in before the auction:
Want to register a .melbourne domain name? Securing a new .melbourne or .sydney domain name through Netregistry is simple, affordable and safe. Click here for more information.
 
Always the early adopters, the BSchool online Diploma of Business has been created to teach the skills necessary to take your business dreams from ideation to commercialisation, as taught by those who have succeeded. The 12-month online course offers full VET FEE-HELP, which means that aspiring business leaders can study now & pay later as they learn business from, and enjoy networking with, the schools BFaculty, made up of eight of Australia’s top entrepreneurs. To be the best, you need to learn from the best – and at BSchool that’s exactly what you do.

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