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So what are GTLDs?
A GTLD (generic top level domain name) is a recently introduced new internet address, similar to top level domain names (TLDs) like .com and .net. The difference between TLD and GTLD is that GTLDs can be “dot anything”.
Generic top level domain names were rolled out at the beginning of 2014. Examples include .guru, .directory, .plumber, .cheap and the list goes on and on. There are close to 2000 of them (source: icann.org)
Proponents of “dot anything” said that GTLDs would be the best thing since sliced bread.
Akram Atallah, ICANN’s president of Generic Domains Division, said that GTLDs is “the biggest change to the Internet since its inception.” And, that these will be “bringing people, communities and businesses together in ways we never imagined. It’s this type of innovation that will continue to drive our global society.”
Proponents of GTLDs have also claimed that businesses were no longer restricted to only .com – giving businesses the opportunity to be more creative with their website addresses.
So, is GTLD a success?
The short answer is no. Businesses or individuals are not widely registering generic top level domain names. Have you registered one? It seems like the proponents of GTLDs were too optimistic. With 4 months in GTLDs haven’t been widely adopted.
To give a bit of perspective, here below are the top 3 registered TLDs:
|
#1 |
.com |
113,762,138 |
1985 |
|
#2 |
.net |
15,261,523 |
1985 |
|
#3 |
.de |
13,719,525 |
1986 |
That’s 113 million .com registered, and ticking. To GTLDs defense it should be mentioned that it’s still early days. Plus many of the (assumed) popular ones like .shop, .blog, .buy, .video and so on haven’t rolled out the general public yet.
Top 10 registered GTLDs
|
#1 |
.guru |
54,370 |
Jan 26, 2014 |
|
#2 |
.berlin |
46,580 |
Mar 17, 2014 |
|
#3 |
.photography |
34,257 |
Feb 02, 2014 |
|
#4 |
.在线 (xn--3ds443g) |
30,795 |
Mar 18, 2014 |
|
#5 |
|
27,574 |
Mar 16, 2014 |
|
#6 |
.link |
23,644 |
Mar 29, 2014 |
|
#7 |
.today |
22,319 |
Feb 09, 2014 |
|
#8 |
.tips |
21,183 |
Feb 16, 2014 |
|
#9 |
.company |
17,253 |
Mar 09, 2014 |
|
#10 |
.中文网 (xn--fiq228c5hs) |
14,605 |
Mar 18, 2014 |
Bottom 10 registered GTLDs
|
#1 |
.consulting |
1 |
Apr 26, 2014 |
|
#2 |
.expert |
2 |
May 04, 2014 |
|
#3 |
.tienda |
2 |
Apr 27, 2014 |
|
#4 |
.works |
2 |
Apr 27, 2014 |
|
#5 |
.сайт (xn--80aswg) |
3 |
Mar 19, 2014 |
|
#6 |
.онлайн (xn--80asehdb) |
3 |
Mar 19, 2014 |
|
#7 |
.wien |
7 |
May 01, 2014 |
|
#8 |
.wiki |
10 |
May 06, 2014 |
|
#9 |
.democrat |
26 |
Apr 08, 2014 |
|
#10 |
.dance |
33 |
Apr 08, 2014 |
Source: https://www.domaintools.com/statistics/
What do you think? Have you registered one, or is thinking about getting one? Then leave a comment below. We would love you know what you think!
If you want to have a look at what GTLDs are available to register, then you can head over to namecheap.com or godaddy.com and have a look
Matt
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