How Businesses Use Domains Creatively In 2023 & Beyond

Descriptive domains, like .studio and .life, are rising in popularity and empowering brands to get even more out of their digital identities. By using keywords on both sides of the dot, businesses can create unique and impactful web addresses that help them stand out in the competitive market.

As more businesses adopt this strategy, B2B and SaaS providers are developing innovative ways to incorporate custom domain services into their customer acquisition and branding strategies. 

The Evolution of Descriptive Domains

In the early days of the Internet, businesses had limited options for choosing a domain. There were 7 original generic top-level domains (TLDs): .com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov, .int, and .mil. However, several of these have registration requirements that limit their use. For example, only U.S.-based government entities may register .gov domain names. In the early 2000s, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) introduced 13 more TLDs. 

A decade later, ICANN started a process that resulted in the introduction of more than 1,200 new TLDs^.1 These TLDs are keyword rich and are therefore referred to as descriptive domains. Examples include .bio, .software, .events, and .life. Now, virtually any type of business has a wealth of descriptive TLD options to create a memorable web address, like sushidojonyc.restaurant and getaway.house.

With the rising popularity of these descriptive domains, brands have more power than ever to leverage web addresses as branding tools.

Domain Name Branding

Initially, web addresses were just that—online addresses that connected customers to a website. Today, web addresses are a key tool businesses can use to communicate their brand, mission, products, and projects. When businesses use descriptive domains as their web addresses, they enjoy several benefits:

• More options – The large number of keyword-rich TLDs gives brands more options to create descriptive domains that match their branding and customer acquisition strategies. Osawild.travel and Melbourneice.hockey are great examples of businesses that use descriptive domains to communicate their brands online. Another is Invest.gold—a business that uses the most valuable search terms in its domain to drive traffic. By claiming valuable keywords on both sides of the dot, brands can more clearly and effectively communicate their digital identity.

• Shareability – Descriptive domains are more memorable, which also makes them easier to share. Canvas.church, a congregation of roughly 4,000 people with four locations across Montana, chose .church for its searchability and memorability features. This decision to open their digital front doors with an inviting, memorable .church domain name has given them a new way to connect with communities across Montana, expanding their reach. “The biggest impact is the shareability of Canvas.church,” explains Justin of Canvas. “It’s easy for staff and regular attenders to say check us out at canvas.church.”

• Personalization – By utilizing multiple descriptive domains, businesses can infinitely personalize and customize their web addresses. The same brand could use .bio, .news, .email, and .chat TLDs to communicate multiple functions to customers. A real-life example of this is seen with Amazon.jobs and Amazon.science—two sites that serve as subsets of the Amazon brand offering customers a look into Amazon’s career openings and latest scientific research. 

• Promotional value – Businesses can leverage the memorable nature of descriptive domains to create short, meaningful web addresses for promotional campaigns that redirect to a page on their main website. For example, Vogue uses Vogue.world to promote its Vogue World event, which redirects to https://www.vogue.com/article/vogue-world-london-announcement. 

Another example is Ikea using Ikea.today to redirect customers to about.ikea.com/en/behind-scenes. This site gives customers a behind-the-scenes look at how Ikea’s developers, designers, and engineers innovate and create products.

• Simplicity – With a two-word descriptive domain, businesses can more easily discuss and promote their sites in a simple and memorable way. 

The Future of Descriptive Domains

There are about 26.3 million² generic TLD (gTLD) domains around the world, and according to Straits Research, the domain name registrar market is expected to reach ~USD 1025 million by 2027, growing at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of ~4.7%.² While a few standard gTLDs have been the default choice for years, businesses are now realizing just how many options they have at their disposal when they consider descriptive domains.  

To stand out against the competition and set themselves apart, businesses are taking advantage of descriptive domains to create unique, branded web addresses, like butter.shoes or edit.video. These domains can: 

• Align with a brand’s relevant industry and interests 
• Foster a stronger brand identity
• Inspire memorability through their uniqueness or the use of clever wordplay or puns 
• Showcase a brand’s creativity and innovation
• Promote individual brand campaigns, products, or services 

And the future of descriptive domains is bright—they’ve already grown by 11.8% from January 2022 to January 2023.³ As more and more businesses realize the value of descriptive domains in communicating their brand's unique identity and value proposition, it’s expected that adoption will continue to rise.

Incorporate Custom Domain Services into Your Business Strategy

If you’re interested in incorporating custom domain services into your business strategy to offer your customers the advantage of this innovative branding tool, Identity Digital can provide the expertise and guidance you need. 

For businesses new to domain name resale, Identity Digital can help you select the right reselling option for you. By partnering with Identity Digital, you gain access to three flexible reseller solutions and hundreds of descriptive TLDs. 

If you already offer domain name resale services, Identity Digital has reseller solutions that make it easy to improve your service offering and better meet your customers’ needs. Domain Engine is a registry-neutral domain search solution that generates dynamic TLD suggestions based on customer search inputs. There are also a variety of features to provide a tailored experience for your customers, including flexible architecture so you can add it to your search setup, customizable controls like geotargeting and a vast breadth of relevant TLD options.

With nearly 300 descriptive domain options, you can offer your customers the largest portfolio of custom domains to enhance their business strategy—and enhance your own in the process. Reach out today to get started.

¹ ICANN. List of Top-Level Domains.

² Straits Research. The Domain Name Registrar Market in 2022: New Trends and Strategies.

³ nTLDStats. New gTLD Overview.