.App is a shining example of a healthy and stable top level domain.
One thing that has become clear since new top level domains came onto the scene nearly a decade ago is that you can’t judge a TLD by the number of registrations. Registries have played all sorts of games to make themselves look more successful than they really are. Some gave domains away for free, and nearly all TLDs in the top 10 by registrations continue to offer first-year registrations for next to nothing.
There’s one TLD in the top ten that stands out from the rest: .app.
Google paid $25 million for the rights to the .app domain in 2015. It then observed the market and deliberately launched the domain in 2018.
It priced domains affordably but not cheap. Current prices are about $15-$20 per year. It also required sites using the domain to install an SSL certificate, which adds legitimacy to the namespace and cuts down on people using the domains for nefarious purposes because of the extra hoop they have to jump through.
According to nTLDStats, there are about 750,000 .app domains registered today. The shape of the growth chart is healthy:
There was only a small dip during the “junk drop” anniversary. Growth was particularly strong in late 2019, and I seem to recall some promotions, but certainly not anything like the dollar sales that other registries offer. Regardless, there wasn’t a commensurate drop one year later.
The distribution between registrars is also healthy. GoDaddy has 57% of the namespace. This is a positive sign because you should expect the biggest registrar to have the most registrations, and GoDaddy hasn’t done deep discounting of domains (for the most part). Google, NameCheap, Key-Systems and Name.com round out the top 5.
Aftermarket sales for .app haven’t been particularly strong. Shopify paid $200,000 for shop.app and launched a shopping and payments service through it. 8 other domains have sold for at least $15,000. That’s just public sales, of course. But an aftermarket isn’t the primary sign of a healthy top level domain.
Few companies have the financial wherewithal to plunk down $25 million for a top level domain and then be patient and deliberate in launching and marketing it. But Google deserves credit for how it has managed .app, and it should be held out as an example for the next round of top level domain expansion.
jtb83 says
New domains get WAY more clicks. I can’t even stand domaining community.
I tested about 1 dozen new domains with EMD search volume (5k-1m monthly searches). I built 1-5 page mini site and added google search console.
After a few months, all the domains ranked about page 2. The click-though rates ranged from 7% to 35% FROM PAGE #2!
The AVG domain gets something like 2%-3% from page 2. 35% is what a position #1 result normally gets!
The only reason they didn’t rank higher (page 1) is because content was lacking. Google weighs more than CTR!
NEW domains do the job up to 10x better than most .coms! Get the clicks BIG time. Soon as more awareness / trust comes (and it’s coming fast) then the conversion rates will be up there too.
Anyone that thinks newTLD isn’t better has absolutely no data. Only their feelings. Users click them A LOT more. You’ll all see! Wait until the companies get the next batch and start promoting these like crazy. Everyone will want the perfect span the dot new top level domain for good reason!
DNS_Geek says
I have been trying my best to point this out for several years.
However there are few domainers that are also savvy developers — and so many stopped following search technology closely as soon as the parking checks stopped coming in the mail.
Google has spent the last 5 years making search much more equitable — machine learning puts a premium on content and relevancy — and cant help but not take the URL into account. (Hint : schema)
Its hard to do any search now without seeing at least a couple new G’s pop up.
The most amusing thing to happen in the last 6 months — is to watch the same people that said new TLDs were too confusing — too future forward — not safe to invest in or build on… wont pass the “radio test” — OVERNIGHT become NFT evangelists, (or even more delicious — proponents of .eth / blockchain domains.)
I don’t think the TLD value prop requires anywhere near the leap of faith.
Good names still matter — but if every business needed a generic .com to be successful, it would be huge deterrent to real innovation.
Ethan Taylor says
.app’s requiring SSL certificate makes it safer and more likely to be used by professional business entities. My first domain sale was a one-word .app domain 🙂
iğneli epilasyon fiyatları says
When these .app domains start working, there are 10 domains to be evaluated with this subject.
oret says
You just need to site:*.app search in google vs other new tlds, then do relative time on market vs the search hits to realise that .app is by far the most successful top level domain on the market in terms of sites online and active with real content