The Top-Level Domain (TLD) .GOLD is a beneficial and unique web extension that’s primarily associated with businesses and individuals in the gold industry, whether they’re manufacturers, distributors, retailers, or even investors. It is one of the many new TLDs introduced by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2012, along with many others that cater to specific industries, interests, and locations (ICANN, 2020).
The .GOLD TLD is managed and sponsored by Donuts Inc., a company that specializes in providing domain registration services. This new TLD was officially delegated and released to the public on April 29, 2015, as per the ICANN’s New gTLD Program (Archive of New gTLDs, 2015).
As a unique identifier, .GOLD emphasizes the owner’s association with the gold industry. This specific link can help improve the brand image, making it easier for consumers and investors to identify the nature of the business, thereby giving them better accessibility and increasing the chance of attracting more traffic to the website. A prominent business using the .GOLD TLD is Goldcorp, a gold production company. They utilize this TLD on their primary website (www.goldcorp.gold) to emphasize their particular industry and increase their online visibility.
However, it should be noted that like most TLDs, there are risks associated with using a specialty TLD like .GOLD. These risks include the higher costs compared to traditional TLDs like .COM or .ORG, the lack of consumer familiarity, and even potential legal concerns if domains are registered in bad faith. These potential issues should be considered before deciding to use a specialized TLD like .GOLD.
In conclusion, the .GOLD TLD is a specific web extension that can be beneficial for businesses, individuals, and enterprises involved in the gold industry. It is a useful tool that can help improve the visibility and branding of a business in this particular domain. As with any domain registration, potential users should weigh the benefits and risks before deciding to register their website with this TLD (ICANN, 2020).
Sources:
1. Archive of New gTLDs. (2015). GOLD. Retrieved from https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/delegated-strings
2. ICANN. (2020). About The Program. Retrieved from https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/program
3. Donuts Inc. Delegated Strings. Retrieved from https://donuts.domains/services/registry-services/delegated-strings
4. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. (2020). Potential Benefits and Challenges of New gTLDs. Retrieved from https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/benefits-challenges-2013-05-22-en.
