WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States government has begun directing Internet traffic from the long useed Defense.gov - the primary digital home of the Department of Defense for more than two decades - to a newly activated domain: WAR.gov. The change, now visible to the public, marks a major shift in federal branding and domain strategy, coinciding with the administration’s 2025 initiative to reintroduce the historical title “Department of War” into official … [Read more...]
Prime Loyalty Rebrands as URLs.com; Smartest Rebrand in Recent Memory
NEW YORK, NY – The domain industry saw a notable identity shift recently with the announcement that Prime Loyalty has officially rebranded to URLs.com, a move that, in my view, represents one of the clearest examples in years of a company adopting a brand that truly reflects what it does. The change was revealed by owner Jeff Garbutt, whom I’ve met at several domain conferences over the years. Garbutt announced the shift with the line: “We said loyalty must be … [Read more...]
AI Search May Be Biggest Shift in Domain Industry Since Fall of Exact-Match Boom
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - For more than two decades, the domain-name market has largely moved in step with Google’s search systems. Investors based valuations on keyword demand, search volume, and the longstanding assumption that visibility in Google ultimately dictated what made a digital asset valuable. But the rapid rise of AI-driven “answer engines” - including ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Claude (just saw first referral from it today), and others is creating a new reality. … [Read more...]
Domains, Not Hype: Insights from Andrew Rosener’s Conversation on Miss Understood
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - This week I took some time to watch an episode of Miss Understood hosted by Rachel Uchitel featuring Andrew Rosener, founder and CEO of MediaOptions, one of the best-known domain brokerages in the world. While I’ve been in this business for a long time, I thought the conversation offered a lot of good perspective — especially for people who may be newer to the industry or still wrapping their heads around digital asset value. The episode was titled … [Read more...]
From Domains to Handles: X.com Creates New Marketplace for Digital Identity
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - In a major policy shift that blurs the line between domain names and social-media identities, X (formerly Twitter) has officially launched a Handle Marketplace, allowing paid subscribers to purchase usernames from a pool of inactive accounts. The new feature, available to X Premium and Premium Plus subscribers, transforms social handles into a monetized form of digital real estate — something long familiar to domain investors. The marketplace opens … [Read more...]
Slipknot Files Lawsuit Over Two-Decade Battle for Slipknot.com Domain Name
RICHMOND, VA - Slipknot, one of heavy metal’s most commercially successful and enduring acts, has launched a new legal campaign to reclaim control of a domain name if it feels belongs to them more than twenty years after the web address was registered. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Slipknot, Inc. v. slipknot.com), targets the long-time registrant of Slipknot.com, a domain the band says has misled fans and profited from its … [Read more...]
Breaking Down the Q3 2025 Domain Name Industry Brief: What the Latest Data Means
RESTON, VA - Every quarter, Verisign releases its Domain Name Industry Brief (DNIB) - a data-packed snapshot of the global domain landscape. The Q3 2025 report just dropped, revealing how domain registrations, renewals, and growth trends are shifting across .com, .net, country-code extensions, and hundreds of new generic TLDs. For professionals running digital projects from startups and online stores to marketers, web developers, and SEO specialists, these numbers are more … [Read more...]
“Ultra-Premium” Invite-Only Domain Marketplace Unveiled by GoDaddy
TEMPE, AZ - GoDaddy has launched a new, invite-only marketplace for high-value domain names at the incredible web address: DomainNames.com, positioning it as a curated showroom for one-word .com and .ai domains, rare two-letter names, and short numerics typically valued in the six-figures and up. The rollout follows industry teasers earlier this month and formal launch coverage this past week. This is a distinct, curated tier within GoDaddy’s aftermarket universe-separate … [Read more...]
.HipHop Launches Equity Crowdfunding Campaign In “Testing the Waters” Phase
POMPANO BEACH, FL - Dot Hip Hop, LLC - the registry operator for the .hiphop top-level domain - has announced plans to raise capital through an equity crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder. The initiative, currently in the “Testing the Waters” phase allowed under U.S. securities law, is designed to measure investor interest before the company formally files its required Form C disclosure and begins accepting funds. .hiphop was first delegated in 2014 as part of ICANN’s new … [Read more...]
Premium Domain ‘iCall.com’ Hits Market; Rare Opportunity for Telecom, Tech, AI
PALM BEACH, FL - The premium domain name Icall.com, a short, memorable, and industry-relevant brand asset, is now available for purchase. This represents a rare opportunity for companies in the telecommunications, technology, and AI voice sectors to secure a digital identity that speaks directly to their core services. The name “iCall” is universally intuitive, instantly communicating the idea of connection and communication. With global demand for seamless … [Read more...]
Great Brand, Even Greater Domain: The Power of Owning Tommy.com
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Tommy Hilfiger is a global fashion icon - or how they describe themselves, "a leading global corporation" known for bold styles, timeless designs, and worldwide influence. But beyond the clothing racks and runway shows, the company also holds one of the cleanest, most powerful digital assets a brand can own: Tommy.com. In the world of domain names, this isn’t good branding - it’s the ultimate branding. Having a single, memorable, and perfectly aligned … [Read more...]
Talk About a Category Killer Domain Name: Fireworks.com, by Phantom Fireworks
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - In the world of online marketing, some web addresses aren’t just good — they’re priceless. One perfect example is Fireworks.com, owned by Phantom Fireworks, the largest consumer fireworks retailer in the United States. It’s short, memorable, impossible to misspell, and exactly describes the product they sell. This is the textbook definition of a “category killer” domain name. According to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, Phantom Fireworks … [Read more...]
Master of My Domain: The Power of the Publisher – Reality of Digital Journalism
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - There’s a power that comes with publishing that most people will never fully understand - unless they’ve had the experience of pushing the button and watching their words go live, not just on a website, but across a syndicated global news network. It’s a level of reach that turns an article into influence, a headline into a public perception, and a thought into a movement. I’ve experienced that firsthand. And I believe it’s time we start talking more … [Read more...]
Bluehost & HostGator Expired Domains to be Auctioned on NameJet, SnapNames
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - In a notable development within the domain name aftermarket industry, NameJet has announced that expired domain names from two major hosting providers - Bluehost.com and HostGator.com - will now be auctioned exclusively on its platform and that of its sister site, SnapNames. This move expands NameJet’s reach in the expired domain space by adding even more high-volume inventory from some of the internet's largest hosting brands. Bluehost and HostGator, … [Read more...]
Hidden Gems: Some Ultra-Premium Domains I Discovered at MediaOptions
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Earlier today, I found myself browsing the MediaOptions website after being referred there by a YouTube video that mentioned the company and spotlighted one of their domain names. That particular name immediately caught my attention because it’s an exact match - or a very close variation - of one of my client’s business names. I think it could be an ideal fit for them. As I continued exploring, I was struck by the impressive number of ultra-premium … [Read more...]