Now that the governing body of the Internet has declared that “.anything” is possible, don’t expect the unique website extensions to get much use, domain industry leaders say.
Starting next year, companies that don’t mind forking over $185,000 can apply to create their own domain suffix, whether it’s a generic name such as .hotel or .blue, or something specific to a brand, like .coke. If accepted, the owner has to pay an additional $25,000 annually.
It’s possible Disney could buy .mickey, .espn or .magic. Rand McNally could buy .map – unless Google snags that suffix first. All requests must be approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which announced the new domain possibilities Monday.
Some experts in the domain name industry are calling this a pointless service created by ICANN to profit off companies who will pay just to secure a brand identity. In turn, it also means more business for marketing agencies charged with giving a useful purpose to the costly extensions.
ICANN, a non-profit that regulates Internet registries and domain names, oversees more than 300 generic and country-specific extension codes, such as .fr for France, .biz and .travel. In March this year, ICANN approved the domain .xxx to be purchased by pornographic websites.
“It’s a big game for ICANN and the registrars to make more money,” said Mike “Zappy” Zapolin, an Internet domain entrepreneur out of Aventura whose claim to fame is making millions by selling computer.com, beer.com and creditcards.com. “It’s going to be a big waste of money,’’ Zapolin said, “and ICANN is going to be rubbing their hands rapidly. For every extension made, there’s a sucker born.”
Zapolin points to those already less-popular domains, like .biz and .tv, which lack large support and struggle in Google searches. So how can thousands of generic words and brands do any better?
Danielle Leitch, executive vice president at MoreVisibility in Boca Raton, consults firms looking to appear higher in search results. She agrees that any new corporate or generic extension word – even a well-known one – will likely not appear high in search results. What the system algorithms show first is the trusted .com, .net or .org addresses, and those that have been around longer, she said.
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Even if Coca-Cola makes a .coke name, Leitch said, “The engine doesn’t deduce the content is from a trusted source and provider.” Time will also tell if corporations would even care to fork over fees to own their already-protected trademarks.
So why will any company even want this? It’s an opportunity to get creative with customers.
“There’s definitely an advantage to be one of the first ones there to do something super cool and innovative with it,” said Chris Renz, agency director at marketing firm The BRPR Group in Miami Beach. Renz and his team are just beginning to brainstorm on ways his client, Kraft Foods, can make use out of it.
“Really, it’s not necessary. But if you want to gain additional buzz, you will when the first marketers come out with it,” Renz said.
ICANN won’t necessarily approve every application. That’s a big risk for a small business, Renz says, such as a palm tree nursery trying to be on the creative edge by spending $185,000 for .tree or .palm.
ICANN didn’t return requests for comment. In a statement, ICANN board chair Peter Dengate said, “Today’s decision will usher in a new Internet age. We have provided a platform for the next generation of creativity and inspiration.
[Courtesy:http://www.miamiherald.com]
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