If you were a little late to the website grab, you may have discovered that the name of your business had already been taken. Sometimes it's possible to purchase that name but other times a website already exists with your business’ name. Obviously, this is not ideal for your branding. But as the internet expands and more businesses come online .com and .net endings are no longer enough to meet demand.

There are several new types of domain names that are coming online that may work well for your business. Even if you're happy with your current URL, you may want to consider grabbing some of these others if they fit a business or product of yours.
 
But before you do, it's important to know these things for making the most of the new domain naming conventions.
 

What Are the New Domain Naming Conventions?

 
There are several options to choose from including:

• .online
• .tech
• .store
• .press
• .fun

 
These new domains, besides opening up more naming conventions, also speak to a much more specific audience or need. Here are some other reasons why you might want to consider them for your business.
 

Name Availability

 
If you have a common name for your business it's likely that when you looked for a domain with that name it was already taken. Having a domain that is easily identifiable as your company is key to getting people to remember it. It's the 2019 version of having a good phone number.
 
Common business names and overlapping names can cause real problems when trying to secure a domain. Take the last name Green, for instance.  Not only is the name itself common but it's also associated with the environmental movement. So if you’re name is Green and you're trying to secure a domain, you'll be fighting with all the other Greens out there as well as people and businesses who want to be known for their green environmental efforts. These new domains open up some more real estate from a naming convention perspective.
 

Being Memorable

A memorable domain name passes the conversation test. The conversation test is when someone wants to refer you to a business during a conversation where neither one of them has a writing utensil. If your domain name is memorable, they can mention it in passing in the conversation and the person being referred will remember it. If it's not memorable, the person hearing it for the first time may have a very difficult time finding you after the conversation is over when they're back in front of their computers.
 
Even though mobile phones have made the conversation test slightly irrelevant, there are still times where someone is referring you to a domain. The easier it is to remember the more likely it is that they find it without getting lost in a Google search that yields a competitor.
 
Since these domains are relatively new, there's also a likelihood that the listener will remember them because the naming convention is so novel.
 

Shorter Names

Since the new domain naming conventions are more targeted (for instance, .press for publishers), they require fewer characters. Shorter URLs with fewer characters will be more visible on more platforms. For instance, freedom.press is shorter than freedomofthepress.com.
 
After users get over the initial learning curve of getting used to domains like .press for the first time, they should be very memorable and make an impression.
 

Drawing Conclusions

Have you ever heard a business name and wondered what they do? With these new domain names, it's a lot easier to understand as they are more distinctive. For example, there's no questioning that a business with .online  in its URL does its business online. Nor is there any wondering what industry a .tech company works in. This is very helpful for customers trying to differentiate between two businesses with the same name.
 
With redirects, you needn’t worry about selecting a new domain and losing your current traffic. Consider these new domain names and what they might do for your business. Do they make more sense for your operation or are you launching a new offering that may benefit from one of these new domain options? The internet requires that business owners constantly reinvent themselves. It might be time to revisit your URL.