ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is expected to meet in Singapore in a few weeks’ time to finalise the rules governing the web’s newest top level domains (TLDs). They will discuss whether companies can register dot-anything suffixes, varying from generic to company specific extensions.

The .com extension has been around for about 25 years and since then 95 million .coms have been registered (Whois.sc) and this is making competition for a good name extremely tight. It is widely known throughout the domain industry that a .com extension is more prestigious than any of the other TLDs. Companies that are based in local countries such as the UK may well own the .co.uk extension, but most savvy companies will buy up the .com also. There is a lot of competition for 3-letter and 4-letter domains and since the extension has been around for so long, we are finding that much more money is exchanging hands for the better names.

The change that ICANN will introduce will allow people to register a dot-something extension which will be specfic to their brand. There are lots of benefits to doing this. Security for example will be increased if banks were allowed to register .hsbc / .bank. Visitors to the site will know that the content on the website is safe and there will be far less fraud if the visitor can see the extension at the end of the domain. There is obviously added value to the companies that are applying for these extensions, including brand awareness and being able to create more personalised domains for the company.

These extensions will not be available for everyone, unfortunately. The cost for your company to register a dot-anything suffix is around £113,000 ($185,000) and this will require an annual maintenance fee. That is pricey to most of us and it will mean the market leaders will be able to differentiate themselves from their competition. It’s a lot of money to part with, but it could be the winning ingredient to finding more customers.

It is believed that companies will be able to apply for their extensions towards the end of 2011 and ICANN will individually review which companies are to receive their dot-anything suffix.  Hopefully we will start seeing the names come into effect in early 2012.

There are still plenty of opportunities to register .com domains, or acquire existing ones, so if you are having trouble getting hold of the right domain please let us know!

As avid “domainers” we have seen the domain name industry grow and mature over the years as even large multinational companies realize the power of owning the right virtual real-estate. Now, more than ever, it makes sense to have the right web presence supported by a name that clearly communicates credibility and knowledge of your market place.

In addition, we believe that the current financial conditions have injected increased fluidity into the domain names market place for three reasons:

1) With the more limited availability of credit, individuals with strong domain name portfolios are looking to sell premium domain   names to generate funds.

2) As established global businesses look to cut costs and get more return from marketing spend they are increasingly looking to the internet as a cost-effective way to promote themselves.

3) There is a definite resurgence of new online businesses emerging as part of the dot com boom 2.0 as the general public becomes more familiar with the new online commercial reality.

All of this told us that the time was right for a new service to support the buying and selling of premium domain names. A service that could provide more than just an auction listing that may or may not ensure that the right buyer notice the name or recognize its value.

Our vision is to intelligently match up domain name buyers and sellers through our network, working proactively to secure the domain name sale or purchase at the right price. In addition, we can ensure complete confidentiality on both sides and manage the often difficult process of negotiation to close.

That’s where our aims at DNBrokers.com are focused – we aspire to be the best proactive domain brokers in the industry and to provide a first-class service to our clients, whether you are interested in selling premium domain names or acquiring a premium domain name for a new venture or an existing business.

If you want to hear more, please get in touch. You can also sign up to our newsletter and we will keep you up to date on a monthly basis with developments at DNBrokers.com and current activity in the domain names market.
We are excited about the way in which DNBrokers.com can help domain buyers and sellers and look forward to working with you.

All the best,
Pat and Paul
Founders, DNBrokers.com