On November 21, “.blog” domains were released to the public. For the first time, you can buy a domain “my.blog” instead of “myblog.com”. But how does it work? Is it worth buying one domain “.blog”? Keep reading this article and you will know more about this “.blog” extension.
What is the ".blog" domain name?
“.Blog” is a brand new Top Level Domain (TLD), which might raise an entirely different question:
What is a top level domain name?
A top-level domain is essentially the part of a domain which appears directly to the right of the final “period” in your domain name. Originally there were six: .com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov, .mil.
But as the Internet has grown, so has the number of top-level domains. In the early 2000s, new TLDs started popping up after ICANN, the international body that oversees domains, began to open up the system.
In 2012, ICANN announced a new type of TLD: Generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). Through an auction process, businesses can purchase generic extensions like .store, .host, and… you guessed it, .blog.
Who controls the ".blog" domains?
In 2015, the rights to control “.blog” domains were auctioned off to a mysterious Panamanian buyer for $ 19 million, an amount three times the sale of other gTLDs at that time.
A year later, in 2016, it was revealed that this mysterious buyer was none other than WordPress Acutomattic (in partnership with another company).
By purchasing the rights to ".blog", Automattic gained the power to sell and supervise ".blog" domains. After giving brand owners first purchase rights and opening domains for premium apps, Automattic officially began selling ".blog" domains publicly on November 21, 2016.
What you need to know about ".blog" domains
When choosing to buy a ".blog" domain for a new or existing site, you must weigh the pros and cons. I'll consider the pros first and then consider a few potential negatives in the next section.
It's an open border for a wide range of available domains
With over 120 million domains “.com "Registered, it is difficult to find a domain".com »Quality that is always available. Unless you are willing to buy a domain name with awkward text, it is almost impossible to find a single "domain name."com »Available. Most combinations of two words are also taken these days.
This is not the case ".blog ", Because " .blog Is brand new, you can still find many areas available. For example, at the time of writing this article, it is still possible to purchase " perdredupoids.blog "&" petitplats.blog ».
It is important to note that Automattic will raise fees for some of these attractive areas. But if you're ready to be a bit flexible, you can always find a good domain name in one word without breaking the bank.
".Blog" is very Original
If you are using a blog, have a ".blog Obviously open up a ton of possibilities. Instead of something like " perdredupoidsblog.com ", You can now just use" perdupoids.blog ". The basic branding is the same, but your domain is shorter and more eye-catching.
Some sites have long enjoyed the same way with other TLDs. For example, Genius uses " geni.us " and " Anchor Hosting " is passed from " anchorhost.com " at " anchor.host " simpler.
Reasons not to buy a ".blog" domain
While the new possibilities coming from .blog domains are certainly exciting, there are a few reasons why you might want to consider going with something traditional.
.com is still the king
Although the scale has certainly diminished, it is still common for regular users to associate sites exclusively with .com. If you don't believe me, ask your old uncle the next time you see him!
Rand Fishkin also discussed what is called cognitive mastery in one of his speeches. Essentially, you choose the name that is easier for your users to remember. In most cases, this is still a .com.
If you have the opportunity to get a ".com "Versus a".blog ", You should probably use the".com ". If your domain name sounds better with “.blog ", Then you must choose" .blog ".
How to buy a .blog domain
Since the “.blog Are now public, you should be able to purchase them from most domain registrars. I tested it both at " Namecheap " and " GoDaddy "And both sell domains".blog ».
If you want to use the official WordPress system, you can purchase "get.blog". But, at the time of this article, " get.blog Is more expensive than " Namecheap " and " GoDaddy ". " Namecheap "Sells domains".blog For 24 $, " GoDaddy For 28 $, and " get.blog For 30 $.
Once you buy a ".blog It will work exactly the same as any other domain name you have purchased.
That's all for this article, I hope it will give you more information on the “.blog” domain name.
