Do domain names matter?

There’s been a recent surge in the number of domain names available. UK2.net have well over 100 options and that excludes the .co.uk or .com variety.

Website owners now have a choice that ranges from the prosaic (.farm  .florist or .clothing); via the general (.management and .biz  or .institute) to the indulgent (.ninja .luxury and .guru).

Now is clearly the time to grab your domain of choice, because once they have gone, they’re gone…  And it does give businesses who missed having the URL of their choice first time round lots more opportunity.

Of course, having a website is now crucial, so this raft of new names can only be good news for businesses, which are now given more scope for flair and innovation. But there is still a trust issue, and I believe “traditional” domains will have more kudos for the time being.

Even though almost all domains are available to anyone for a price, which would you prefer:-

• tigerfishpr.co.uk or tigerfishpr.agency?
• bmstores.co.uk or bmstores.cheap ?
• Shoe shop clarks.co.uk or clarks.shoes?

However, I do like the .uk domain — tigerfishpr.uk … yes, that will do nicely.

But the real winners are the companies selling these domains. Whilst a .co.uk domain cost £2.50, and a .com domain £6.99, there is premium for these new names. For example these are the prices on UK2.net website:

.today domain costs £19.99; the .ceo is £64.99 and the .luxury costs a staggering £399.99

So I guess you pays your money and takes your chances. But then, if you’re selling dreams, then perhaps £400 a small price to pay to make your website a reality.

Which domains do you expect to become most popular over the coming decade?