Google have paid £16.2 million to have control over the much sought-after new .app domain name suffix, winning out over twelve other bidders including Amazon. This was reportedly the highest price ever paid for a top level domain at an ICANN auction, with the previous record holder, .tech, selling for around £4.4 million in 2014.
The intention of the .app suffix is to provide online spaces for app developers and makers from all over the world, but will be universally available for any company or individual to purchase. As practically every technology company in the world has a huge interest in apps and their vast potential, this is one of the most valuable and wanted domain suffixes in the world at the moment. With such a fantastic domain, the high price paid by Google actually seems like a great bargain.
With the emergence of new domain names such as these, it’s clear that the internet is becoming more focused, organised and specific than ever before, and businesses need to make sure they stay ahead of the competition by investing in appropriate, interesting and memorable domains. Your domain name is a vital part of your brand and your online identity, which means it needs to be carefully considered. You may wish to consider investing in domains with suffixes that specify your product or service, or ones that inform people of your location, such as the .wales suffixes which became available earlier this month.
We have a wealth of great domain names available, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you would like further information about them or would like to discuss how the right domain name can give your company website a lift.