You have likely seen ads for buying vanity domain extensions, those .xxx commercials, and have asked yourself, is this something I need? My answer in short is “NO”.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) used 2011 to encourage customized (and very expensive) extensions for top-level domains (i.e. Volkswagon buying .vw or Wells Fargo buying .bank). This wasn’t a popular idea, partially because they cost companies around $185,000 apiece and partially because no one wants to do the work of rebranding and trying to direct users to .car or .music when they have already established themselves with a .com domain. The result? A few companies bought up vanity domain extensions so that their brands wouldn’t be in danger and then didn’t even use them.
That being said, yes, you can get a .xxx brand domain for a relatively inexpensive price, if desired. GoDaddy is charging $99.99/yr., and the other domain name companies are generally charging more, though some have discounts so shop around. But, like noted above, I would avoid changing your domain name extension is you have an established website since it will take time for any new domain to catch on, both with the public and the search engines.
As for GoDaddy, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with them. I do use them to purchase my domain names and SSL certificates since they are generally the least expensive of the options available, and they do have good administrative tools and quick/effective tech support (always important), but I hate that they push so many “addons” during checkout. Basically I find that GoDaddy to be a bit full on themself.
Ok, so I had to smile when I heard about GoDaddy’s SOPA Opera drama. As you may have heard, earlier this year some politicians had decided it was a good idea to push legislation that would stop online privacy – Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA). The reaction, as to be expected, was that most Web companies and communities resoundingly opposed the bill. In an ironic twist, domain registrar GoDaddy apparently didn’t get the memo and came out in support of the proposed legislation. This led to massive outrage from customers and other concerned Internet users who quickly created GoDaddyBoycott.com. Even after GoDaddy reversed its decision and claimed to oppose the bill, the company saw a notable spike in domain name transfers in late December.
The long and short is, avoid taking stands that will antagonize your customers!
