Are new top level domains really a threat to Google?

[Whitey]

In a worldwide internet revolution to be announced next month, web addresses will expand beyond dot.com, with governments, businesses

and entrepreneurs expected to rush to apply for signature domain names.

The move will reduce confusion and cut reliance on search engines like Google, Australian expert Adrian Kinderis says.

Advertisement: Story continues below "Ultimately, this will be a new way we use the internet," said Mr Kinderis, CEO of the domain name registry services provider AusRegistry International.

"Rather than a dot.com boom, it's now a dot.anything boom."

The so-called Top-Level Domain program will be ratified by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) in Singapore on June 20, followed by a four-month global communication campaign.

After that will come a 60-day window to apply for a Top-Level Domain name, which will come at a cost of $US185,000 ($174,388) to discourage frivolous applications. [smh.com.au ]

[Andem]

The government of Melbourne, Florida, in the United States, could potentially be pitted against the Australian federal government for ownership of the domain name.

If this occurs, the domain name will most likely be auctioned to the highest bidder, Mr Kinderis said.

Ridiculous.
(This hardly belongs in the Google SEO forum).

[walkman]

Those selling the proverbial shovels will make all the money, along with greedy ICANN. Top names, like hotels.nyc will be sold at such a premium that you have to wonder if it's worth it.

What does this have to do with google? You mean confusion in SERPS, too many exact match domains or what? You can already rank .cctlds and you even get credit for the extension right now. These will be probably be treated as global names, if google even cares to distinguish now.

Sucks that .twoletters are off limits, US states could use them.

[tedster]

This hardly belongs in the Google SEO forum

The only thing worth discussing here is this claim: "The move will reduce confusion and cut reliance on search engines like Google, Australian expert Adrian Kinderis says."

All I can say is - NO, IT WON'T.

[Simsi]

Actually I disagree to an extent. The mere fact that certain types of website will have specific extensions leads to easier categorisation which has the potential to have a bg impact on search.

Categorisaton also makes it easer for politicians to enforce certain restrictions on search providers.

And don't think that can't happen/won't happen. We've already seen the US Government confiscate .com domains that threatened the viability of US businesses to compete in their home market, simply by issuing instructions to ICANN who handed them over.

There are other angles on this too, more consumer oriented. It obviously remains to be seen just what impact this has but I really do thnk it is a major development that sharp minds mght exploit, for better or for worse.

I'm no sharp mind but one thing that immediately occurred. If you could just type widgets into your address bar, the fact that a lot of widget sites will have the .widgets extension. Categoriation has the ability to simplify search algos and consequently level the playing field.

It needs to be properly controlled, gaming needs to be considered of course, but it could mean a lot more competition for Google if it's done right.

[Maurice]

agreed this is a way for ICAN to milk cash from gulible idiots why should a local govemnet spend $500,000 to $1,000,000 for a vanity TLD arn't there better things to spend your taxpayers money on.

walkman us states sould be under the .us heirachy

[scooterdude]

Kinda ironic if this signals the victory of the traditional directory :)

I don't thinkso tho

The thing is,IMHO, the reasons people use SE's extends well beyond an immediate need for goods and services,

Anyway, I imagine we'll find out soon enough

[Reno]

Can't see this hurting any search engine. However, using walkman's example above: "hotels.nyc"

If any search engine gives strong algo points to keyword domain names, then I guess we could argue that someone looking for "hotels in new york city" might see "hotels.nyc" near the top. So in that sense, it impacts Google et al.

....................

[piatkow]

From my personal point of view I would use a search engine more not less. I already have problems typing in domains when uk organisations register .com or .org instead of .co.uk or .org.uk and government departments use .com instead of .gov.uk