The domain name pool among .com, .net, and .org extensions is beginning to run dry. There are still websites for sale at Latonas and other brokerage companies, but finding unregistered domains is becoming difficult. These names are critical because they represent both the key name that pops up in a search engine result as well as the logical name to enter when looking for a particular subject or business via the HTML address of a web page. The resulting demand and limited supply has made website brokerage businesses profitable.
New Internet Real Estate
According to Forbes, in June 2012 the folks who regulate the Internet address system, ICANN, released its latest report on everyone who has applied for a new domain extension, essentially creating an entire new family of addresses within that ending.
The address application is not a simple endeavor, which is why the average small or medium business has never pursued it. Each domain extension application costs a $185,000 fee to apply, without even a guarantee of approval. Essentially, the big Fortune 500 players with millions of dollars to throw into marketing made up most of the applications.
The interesting aspect of the recently released report, however, was who applied. According to CNNMoney, big names like Apple, Google, and Amazon were all in the mix with the most applied titles. Over all, U.S. companies made up half of the total applications with a third going to Europe and the remainder in Asia.
Marketing Opportunity or Just Buzz?
So if the big players have all the new name addresses, then how is this a marketing opportunity for smaller players? Simple, those who work in particular industries have a great opening within which to establish a new piece of real estate associated with the major name that may dominate that industry. Just because a Fortune 500 company may own the title to .apple or .google doesn’t mean they will end up being the only ones to use that ending. In fact, each one of these big players operates a piece of their industry within which thousands of smaller businesses operate specifically.
For example, for all the business Apple does, there are thousands of app developers, repair businesses, accessory manufacturers, and independent software or hardware engineers who work on Apple related systems or equipment. They all represent independent businesses that work within the Apple “environment.” So grabbing a piece of .apple is a major opportunity for focused traffic that already wants Apple-related services or goods. It’s all in the name.
Additionally, many generic names are at stake as well. Potential addresses like .pizza or .docs are all included in the applications according to PCWorld.
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Availability Schedule
The new Internet websites for sale are not yet available and likely won’t be until 2013. So website brokerage dealers need to wait a bit. Each application made has to go through an ICANN review before it can be approved and made available. The first access involves a testing period to make sure it works with the rest of the Internet. Then, if passed, the new ending can be used as a domain address. Ultimately, how Internet users react to the new addresses will determine whether or not they are useful, but there is potential for small and big business alike, especially in the very crowded neighborhood that the Internet is right now.
The online marketplace has become excessively competitive amongst website owners. There are tons of sites in existence that offer nearly the same services and they are all competing for top spots on search engine results. Over ninety percent of people who use search engines do not go past the first page of returned results, so it is imperative that a website owner uses search engine optimization (SEO) to get their websites ranked as high as possible. Many people do not know it, but Pinterest is quickly becoming a fantastic tool in increasing someone’s search engine ranking. Knowing how Pinterest works and how to use it for search engine optimization will no doubt produce positive results for website owners.