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Domain extensions, or top-level domains (TLDs), have been around for decades. As the internet continues its rapid expansion, traditional TLDs have been claimed with increasing frequency, making it difficult for businesses to find available, appropriate and memorable online addresses.
That’s why domain strategy is becoming a core component of brand identity and a key point of differentiation to help marketers stand out.
“Your domain is your first impression,” said Rachel Sterling, CMO at Identity Digital, the domain registry operator that owns the registrar name.com. “People judge your entire business from the minute they hear your domain name. Fortunately, with the massive increase in available domain extensions, it’s now simple to find an address that perfectly reflects your brand and stands out.”
New domain extensions featuring descriptive keyword text, like .studio, came into use over a decade ago, enabling businesses to differentiate themselves further. They can convey a brand’s personality or mission and even improve prominence in AI-generated search results.
“Domain strategy leverages the real estate on both the right and the left side of the dot,” Sterling said. “That right-side extension is no longer just a suffix. It’s prime digital real estate that can actively tell the story of a brand or business, conveying expertise, artistic endeavors or consultancy right from the start.”
New domain extensions are key to effective brand marketing
Domain extensions are powerful marketing tools that can signal industry relevance and innovation to audiences from the outset. Because these TLDs look and sound different from traditional options, they are particularly useful in creating a lasting impact with consumers.
While TLDs like .studio are often intended for creatives such as artists, marketing agencies and wellness professionals, many businesses choose descriptive TLDs for the ability to promote individual brand campaigns, products or services with personalized web addresses.
Businesses can leverage the memorable nature of new domains to create short, meaningful web addresses for promotional campaigns. For example, Buzzfeed.bio serves as a hub for the publication’s different entities across social media. Similarly, Amazon.jobs and Amazon.science are two sites that serve as clear, targeted subsets of the main Amazon brand.Technology startups, in particular, are turning to new TLDs like .ai, .pro and .world to secure memorable, relevant digital identities. Startups using a new TLD are able to secure their exact brand name 88% of the time.
Custom domains help brands stand out in AI-generated search
With the rise of AI-powered search summary tools, like Google’s AI Overviews, which serve summarized answers instead of traditional links, and younger consumers using social media as their primary search channels, traditional SEO tactics are proving insufficient.
“The old way of getting discovered is over,” Sterling said. “Buying your way into the top of Google via AdWords is no longer the solution; those ads are now pushed down by AI search results. Simultaneously, younger generations are running searches on TikTok and Instagram, where those platforms actively avoid pushing users to a website. This shift demands a completely new discovery mechanism for brands.”
One of the easiest ways for brands to stand out in this new era of AI-generated search is by leveraging a strategic domain name. A new TLD allows search engines and audiences to quickly understand a website’s purpose, improving both AI-powered search results and consumer click-through rates.
New TLDs also signal credibility, specialization and relevance to algorithms and prospective customers alike. Domain relevance is critical to SEO results. Keyword-driven TLDs like .studio are especially useful for brands, marketers and creators who want to present themselves with professional authority and clarity.
“If a consumer is looking for a design firm and uses the word ‘studio’ in their search, and ‘.studio’ is in a company’s domain, that company’s information will be highly relevant in the search results,” Sterling explained. “For example, vicinity.studio is a Singapore-based agency. A search for a ‘marketing studio in Singapore,’ leveraging the .studio TLD, means Vicinity will appear as a highly relevant choice and a precise answer to that query.”
The future of new TLDs as a core piece of brand identity
The success of new TLDs like vicinity.studio clearly demonstrates the value of making domain strategy a core component of brand identity. Brands that thrive in the AI-powered search era will be those that make their digital identities crystal clear with descriptive TLDs.
“We’re seeing innovative people, people on the cutting edge, leaning into newer extensions because they accurately describe the value of the business that they’re bringing to market,” Sterling said. “We see that trend continuing year over year, especially as newer extensions join the market and cultural elements change.”
Identity Digital’s analysis of over 4,000 startups from Y Combinator and Techstars found that tech startups’ usage of new TLDs has grown 50% in the past five years.
As more businesses realize the value of descriptive domains for communicating a brand’s unique identity and value proposition, that adoption is only expected to increase.
Partner insights from name.com
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