Google launched the new .day generic TLD (top level domain) that has the potential for building a useful web presence. Top brands and smart marketers are rushing in to claim related domains right now, like BlackFri.day, CyberMon.day and Valentines.day (registered by FTD). Landrush early access registration is open right now with general registration opening up on February 1, 2022.
Benefit of a Generic TLD
The difference between a Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) and a country code top level domain (ccTLD) is that a ccTLD is associated with a country. Search engines in general tend to use ccTLDs as a signal for what country that domain name should be ranked for.
a gTLD is freed of those constraints and can rank in any language when published in that language with the appropriate language and/or country signals, just like any other gTLD.
Examples of popular gTLDs are .com, .net, .org, .edu, and .gov.
Now .day is a member of the list of generic top level domains.
How Much Does .Day Cost?
As is often the case with the launch of a new TLD will likely be professional speculators who will go out and scoop up highly marketable domains, but at this point the early-access fees range from $190.00 – $16,520.00 for premium domains.
The cost of domain name registration becomes lower the closer it is to February 2022, when the general registration period is open.
Once the early registration period is over on February 1, 2022 the .day registration are as low as $20/year.
Many Remarkable .Day Domains Still Available
According to Google’s blog announcement:
“Starting today, you can register your own .day domain as part of our Early Access Program for an additional one-time fee. This fee decreases according to a daily schedule through the end of January. On February 1 at 8:00 am Pacific time, .day domains will be publicly available at a base annual price through your registrar of choice.”
How Can .Day Be Useful?
Google’s announcement mentions using it in conjunction with holidays and mentions how FTD registered Valentines.day.
The holiday celebration angle is actually an old-timer SEO link building approach. It’s a far-out and ambitious approach but one that has worked in the past. It consists of creating an awareness day related to a product or service and then promoting that “day” to get links to the site. Yes, entrepreneurs will do just about anything to turn a buck!
.Day is positioned by Google as useful for marking special days and events or for promoting a cause.
For example, the NAACP registered MLK.day and the World Wildlife Fund registered Wildlife.day.
The new .day gTLD is also promoted as a way to amplify a brand, which might be more useful for some brands than others.
Google also promotes .day as way to build community, like in Yoga.day and HolocaustRemembrance.day.
Nevertheless, there are many ways to make .day financially useful, from affiliate, ecommerce to advertising and even link building purposes.
So it may be worthwhile to give the .day TLD some consideration to see how the new gTLD can fit into your current marketing strategy or become a part of new strategy.