Dive Brief:
- According to a new survey, nearly half (46%) of Internet users are familiar with the new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) -- compared to 98% familiar with legacy domains like .com, .net and .org.
- The survey, which is sponsored by ICANN and conducted by Nielsen, focused on the top seven most popular new gTLDs: .email, .photography, .link, .guru, .realtor, .club and .xyz.
- Respondents also revealed that the new gTLDs still need to gain users trust -- only 49% marked the new gTLDS as very/somewhat trustworthy.
Dive Insight:
The survey shows it might take a while for the new gTLDs to really get a foothold in the World Wide Web. As much uproar as the industry has made (with debates over domains like .suck) it doesn't seem like Internet users are paying as much attention.
The takeaway for marketers is it may be an uphill battle to get users to remember new gTLDS, particularly since this study only focused on the most popular -- there were over 300 in the first rollout alone.
Google purchased the most expensive domain buy so far, .app, for $25 million and it's not even in the most popular group. For marketers, understanding the value or strategy behind new domain names will be crucial for deciding whether to take that route and how, if they do, they will foster user loyalty.
