The domain name market has grown and matured in recent years. Globally, there were roughly 360 million registered domain names at the end of last year. The number of websites linked to those domain names is even greater, running into billions.
While it's impossible to be sure quite where the market is heading, I expect four key developments to be influential:
1. Domain names will become increasingly valuable assets
In a world where deposit interest rates offer savers a meagre return, people are looking for alternative investments: vintage wines, designer accessories, real estate and sometimes domain names. Back in the day, it was common for receivers and heirs to cancel valuable domain names, not realising their worth. Recently, however, we have seen an increasing number of high-profile attempts to claim control of desirable domains. The French state has locked horns with a US travel firm in a squabble over france.com, for example. Meanwhile the heirs of Pablo Escobar have asserted their right to the domains registered to the infamous Colombian drug lord. Domain names are worth good money.
2. Disaffection with social media will make domain names more desirable
In the Netherlands, very few businesses have shunned domain names in favour of social media. In many other countries, though, cost considerations have driven considerable migration to Facebook and other platforms. Latterly, however, that trend has stalled at the global level.
read more (SIDN .nl Registry)
While it's impossible to be sure quite where the market is heading, I expect four key developments to be influential:
1. Domain names will become increasingly valuable assets
In a world where deposit interest rates offer savers a meagre return, people are looking for alternative investments: vintage wines, designer accessories, real estate and sometimes domain names. Back in the day, it was common for receivers and heirs to cancel valuable domain names, not realising their worth. Recently, however, we have seen an increasing number of high-profile attempts to claim control of desirable domains. The French state has locked horns with a US travel firm in a squabble over france.com, for example. Meanwhile the heirs of Pablo Escobar have asserted their right to the domains registered to the infamous Colombian drug lord. Domain names are worth good money.
2. Disaffection with social media will make domain names more desirable
In the Netherlands, very few businesses have shunned domain names in favour of social media. In many other countries, though, cost considerations have driven considerable migration to Facebook and other platforms. Latterly, however, that trend has stalled at the global level.
read more (SIDN .nl Registry)
