New Top Level Domains to Personalize Your Website

What's in a name?  That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.

When we updated Hanne Undlien’s website, one of the major tasks was to come up with a new name. We recommended either a .com or. jewelry extension (Top-Level Domain), making her brand more recognizable abroad.  However, the .jewelry extension, based on the American spelling, could confuse buyers who are accustomed to the British “jewellery” spelling.  (In a previous article we discuss the differences between the two). On the first pass, we chose and went with undliendesign.com. However, after learning about other options through a Google Ad, we settled on Undlien.design, matching her brand name perfectly!

Hence, just like with consumer items, it’s now possible to more accurately personalize your digital presence. Domain names are an important consideration in the overall brand identity and marketing strategy. Therefore, the names should be intuitive and easy to recall both in total or in part where Google can fill in the rest.

As discussed earlier, the most common extension (Top-Level Domains) for jewelry designers are the .com and .jewelry extensions. In Norway, we most often see a .no extension, which is not that recognizable abroad, especially outside Europe. However, jewelers may want to consider: .gold, .design, and, .moda. 

In addition to branding, the new type of domains benefit in the following ways:

Memorability: The specialized domain extensions may help you stand out by being unique, making a more memorable impression. However, many people are not aware of these new domain extensions and may not recognize them as website addresses. Therefore, we advise adding a www, the equivalent icon, or stating that it's domain in your marketing material.

Perception: Many prominent businesses started to adopt these new extensions. Eventually, these extensions will be as recognized as the .com, offering the same amount of brand equity. (Organizations have paid millions of dollars for the right .com name).

Brand Protection: Even if you already own an established .com (or .no in Norway), it may be beneficial to buy the custom extension, redirecting it to the original one. That not only protects the brand but also offers an additional option for future marketing.

According to Google, the new domain extensions do not affect search results one way or another. You still have to do the work: posting relevant content and building brand awareness that leads to backlinks. Currently, awareness of the new top-level domains is relatively low, making it a great time to get one before they become ubiquitous with .com, .net, and .org. 

If you are a Norwegian jewelry designer or goldsmith, still not online or only partially, you may want to consider our “no website” solution.  This service-based solution costs less while allowing you more time to create. We can direct your domain to your part of our marketplace (yourname.Norwegian.Jewelry) where you will have your own biographical profile, directory listing, and an online store, offering some or all of your merchandise. Please contact us if you are interested.