Is .pro dying or will it only get more valuable in the future?

[brandnow]

Of course value depends on the individual name. But I have been thinking about this recently.

On one hand, I like .pro because it rings a bell of credibility. This extension shouts "professional." Yet obviously with the stupid policies from the registry and the dwindling number of registrars offering .pro as well as the .whatevs arriving more and more I wonder about the survival of .pro.

There seems to be two options.. either the .pro registry will realize they need to get rid of the outdated restrictions.. so .pro can grow in popularly as being a genuinely good gtld OR the .pro registry will keep the restrictions and nobody will hear about .pro and over the next year or two it will completely fall out of the public's perception more than it already has.

I'm curious about your thoughts on this?

 

[Edward Smeu]

Just a heads-up, when I first started these .pro domains were my favourite ones, got some nice keywords and flipped a couple to get back in green but it is very very hard to sell .pro domains.

When Afilias bought it back then it created a frenzy among the extension fans but they had no intention whatsoever to invest more as I understood from their replies, nor should they now.

With top premium keywords you can flip a domain on almost any extension, incl. dot pro but in the long run you can't stay in the game investing in this extension.

I'm sure most newcomers to domaining already seen here and there 'stick to .com' assuming they made a minimum research but here is my advice as someone who invested money and time in this extension: stick to dot com for fluidity.

 

[asset.domains]

already saw a real pro in France i know using .pro ; )

 

[Kate]

.pro is carried by at least two large registrars in France, in Russia too.
So you are bound to see .pro used by French people more often.

But as long as .pro is not offered by mainstream registrars elsewhere, it's going to suffer from the lack of exposure.

 

[asset.domains]

the effect of pro is when your email address ends with .pro after conference presentation in contacts !

 

[Archangel]

What 'effect'? When I see anything ending in .pro, I think of a loser who tries too hard to look legit yet he couldn't afford a good .com.

I know for a fact I'm not the only one. .pro looks better than, say, .guru. But it still doesn't look like something a real professional would use. I'd trust my business on business.com, but I wouldn't even consider trusting business.pro.

the effect of pro is when your email address ends with .pro after conference presentation in contacts !

 

[asset.domains]

i lol'd. the .pro guy done one of the best conferences of the course, it's like he put butter on the .pro , it was no .pro that decorated him..., it was like a google alphabet effect, but more focused in one very specialised field.... now the question about looser or not , he works hard and is definitely not a looser and i did't ask from where he got .pro idea, i've just said it was bright at the same degree as his communication.

if you trust the business on their name and not their financial statements and customer service it's up to you, i mean a multidimentional approach is needed... if 2 same great businesses want the same name, it will be impossible for one of them to get it physically....

i've just transmitted my feeling after attending the conference , that maybe could help other domainers...

about the .pro name, i feel it is too narrow to use, but the meaning is different compared to .org or even .com

 

[Archangel]

To each his own. I understand the general concept--after all, what if 2 entities wanted business.com?--but there are better extensions. Most consider net & org to be acceptable substitutes. Using an extension pretty much no one had ever heard of (ie .pro) only makes a person look desperate.

This is a bit old, but the general idea surely isn't antiquated: www.thedomains.com/wp-content/NCC-Group-Internet-Trust-Survey.pptx

 

[asset.domains]

it's seems we are in different dimensions, one word net org are almost all taken (game changing names for key industry) the same as the first extention, that doesn't mean that people will select org or net if they can register or will find new gtlds more suitable for their needs, time is working against old habits and traditions, more businesses are coming and more new domainers are coming too, if tons of newgtlds will be dropped, others will get them... so the market will perform self control, good names are taken in ngtlds from the start, so this is a sign.

 

[Archangel]

The vast majority of the businesses using these new TLDs are struggling in the online sectors. Most ppl don't even know .pro exists and shy away from ANY link that contains them. Really, your argument has no legs. And your argument about the good .com's being taken is the EXACT REASON I trust them. If a company could afford business.com, then I know they have serious pockets. I know they're real. But if I see a business that couldn't afford a great domain and settled with the poor .pro (or .guru or .top etc), I'd think too lowly of them to take them seriously.

Again,, I'm not the only one. Statistics show that many don't trust these new extensions. You are going on opinion. I'm going on fact. Fact always wins.

 

[asset.domains]

And your argument about the good .com's being taken is the EXACT REASON I trust them. If a company could afford business.com, then I know they have serious pockets. I know they're real. But if I see a business that couldn't afford a great domain and settled with the poor .pro (or .guru or .top etc), I'd think too lowly of them to take them seriously.

so after that logic, ABC.XYZ is not a company that you can trust ?

ps: i saw that survey back in 2014, surveys are interesting things, especially if we ask questions the way we want, and it is interesting to do information surveys, with questions before and after the information about ngtls market entry , you are not going to ask an average joe what is the most secure Fund to put money in..., right, you will ask someone in the finance field....., it didn't change anything, people are keeping registering ngtlds, if the registrations were 0's , here we can say something is going wrong, but there we are, there is no ngtld with 0 registration, and it seems many want to see big fig in numbers of ngtlds sold, they don't need to be big numbers, they are 'channelized' domains, look for an article about comparing ngtlds with tv channels, you are not going to show an adult movie to a kid, comme on....

 

[Archangel]

Bingo. You can't trust it by just looking at the domain. If you even try, you're a fool. I'm talking about getting vibes from domains--that's what your entire rant is about--not precisely who the company is. Google could have EggFart3000.top and ppl would trust it, if they knew it was a Google property. You're not talking about businesses, only images you believe .pro gives. It reeks desperation, radiating nothing that resembles professionalism. It's a failed extension, my compatriot. Move on.

so after that logic, ABC.XYZ is not a company that you can trust ?

 

[RU]

Afilias decided to drop the restrictions instead: https://www.namepros.com/threads/the-pro-discussion.522420/page-197#post-5068990

They are also looking for new gTLDs to buy if you have some to sell.

it's too late...
now we have: .expert, .guru and .ninja

 

[alien51]

When I see anything ending in .pro, I think of a loser who tries too hard to look legit yet he couldn't afford a good .com.

To my mind, someone who uses a .pro extension in his calling card, is more likely just a freelancer "one-man army" who is running his business from home.

Not exactly bad, if you're deliberately looking to get the services of a pest-control guy in your neighborhood, or some plumber to fix your broken toilet.

But then again, such tag is now diluted by the emergence of various other TLDs, like say .PLUMBING or say .ENGINEER.

 

[Archangel]

You hit the nail right on the friggin' head.

To my mind, someone who uses a .pro extension in his calling card, is more likely just a freelancer "one-man army" who is running his business from home.

Not exactly bad, if you're deliberately looking to get the services of a pest-control guy in your neighborhood, or some plumber to fix your broken toilet.

But then again, such tag is now diluted by the emergence of various other TLDs, like say .PLUMBING or say .ENGINEER.

 

[brandnow]

I love .pro because it's short and has practical and universal meaning. It's pretty affordable too at around $10 / year and no "premium" names or any non-sense.

 

[mwzd]

.PRO is exactly 3 letters, a number end users are comfortable with when it comes to domain extensions.

It has clear meaning in English and translates effortlessly into a lot of other languages.

It doesn't have premium pricing and renewals cost $15 at most registrars.

With the upcoming changes, anyone will be able to register a .PRO and given that it is one of the oldest 'new gtlds' it is already poised for massive growth.

I see it as being a clear market leader and since the registry doesn't charge premiums this leaves a lot of upside for investors unlike new gtlds that charge $625 - $6250 per year.

 

[Archangel]

Who cares about growth?? It isn't developed much as it is, already..

 

[mwzd]

No development?

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:*.pro

 

[Archangel]

It's a generalization.

No development?

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:*.pro

 

[mwzd]

"Is .pro dying?"

I never knew it had life, to begin with.

The others you cite are new. They can't be factored in. .pro's been here long enough to have had an impact (which it hadn't made)

What 'effect'? When I see anything ending in .pro, I think of a loser who tries too hard to look legit yet he couldn't afford a good .com.

I know for a fact I'm not the only one. .pro looks better than, say, .guru. But it still doesn't look like something a real professional would use. I'd trust my business on business.com, but I wouldn't even consider trusting business.pro.

To each his own. I understand the general concept--after all, what if 2 entities wanted business.com?--but there are better extensions. Most consider net & org to be acceptable substitutes. Using an extension pretty much no one had ever heard of (ie .pro) only makes a person look desperate.

This is a bit old, but the general idea surely isn't antiquated: www.thedomains.com/wp-content/NCC-Group-Internet-Trust-Survey.pptx

The vast majority of the businesses using these new TLDs are struggling in the online sectors. Most ppl don't even know .pro exists and shy away from ANY link that contains them. Really, your argument has no legs. And your argument about the good .com's being taken is the EXACT REASON I trust them. If a company could afford business.com, then I know they have serious pockets. I know they're real. But if I see a business that couldn't afford a great domain and settled with the poor .pro (or .guru or .top etc), I'd think too lowly of them to take them seriously.

Again,, I'm not the only one. Statistics show that many don't trust these new extensions. You are going on opinion. I'm going on fact. Fact always wins.

Bingo. You can't trust it by just looking at the domain. If you even try, you're a fool. I'm talking about getting vibes from domains--that's what your entire rant is about--not precisely who the company is. Google could have EggFart3000.top and ppl would trust it, if they knew it was a Google property. You're not talking about businesses, only images you believe .pro gives. It reeks desperation, radiating nothing that resembles professionalism. It's a failed extension, my compatriot. Move on.

You hit the nail right on the friggin' head.

Who cares about growth?? It isn't developed much as it is, already..

It's a generalization.

Yes, I agree, too much generalization, quite a bit too I see.

Just for my info, how many .pro do you own?