The dot-com is the global gold standard for domain names. The extension was created in 1985. The first website to claim the dot-com was Symbolics.com. Since then, millions of dot-coms have been registered worldwide. Of course, the number of new top-level domains (TLDs) has exploded. Extensions such as .app and .ninja have their place, but a company with the dot-com commands authority on the web, appears legitimate and is easily remembered, which adds to retention in brands. One of the most famous moments in history was the dot-com bubble and the inevitable crash that followed, from which the dot-com TLD emerged stronger. Amazon.com, which is arguably one of the most successful brands, survived and innovated, today it dominates the online world. When the majority of customers search for a business in any search engine, they assume that a dot-com TLD is used; no one thinks of .app, as brands gain market share they can build their brand and may be recognised through alternative TLDs, but for now dot-com is still king.
Whether it is one or two words, two letters or four, the prices for premium domains using dot-com keep rising and are always more expensive than other TLDs. The tech sector has warmed to the TLD .io (Indian Ocean) but as the companies scale up from start-up stage, some may be searching for the dot-com domain as they navigate the highly competitive online space. The market is now being flooded by new TLDs every year, so the future is less certain, but dilution of TLDs may actually help dot-com stand out from the crowd. An ageing demographic population across the globe may connect to the dot-com, but they connect and recognise less to the .dev.
