Top 10 Trending Keywords in .Com & .Net Registrations in May

• By • Domain Names

The top 10 trending keywords registered in .com and .net during the month of May 2015 are below. Any surprises?

Top 10 Keyword Registration Trends for .COM and .NET in May 2015
Top 10 Keyword Registration Trends for .COM and .NET in May 2015

Click here to see other domain trends blog posts and make sure you check back on the second Tuesday of each month to see the latest keyword registration trends in .com and .net. Better yet, subscribe to Verisign Blog  to have the posts delivered directly to your inbox.

If you’d like to do your own domain name keyword research, check out Verisign Domain View, a tool that allows you to enter keywords to see registration trends in .com and .net.

Note: Each list was developed by examining keyword registration growth relative to the preceding month, such that those keywords with the highest percentage of registration growth are being reported on. This method is used to eliminate commonly registered keywords such as “online” and “shop” to provide a true look at monthly trends.

Verisign Announces Second Round of #InternetOfficial Contest First Prize Winners

• By • Getting Online

To help celebrate National Small Business Week, today we’re excited to announce the second round of our #InternetOfficial contest First Prize Winners!

As we previously noted on our blog, up to 15 monthly First Prize Winners will receive $5,000 each, and are eligible to compete to win the #InternetOfficial contest grand prize of $30,000 (the First Prize Winners who submit a video will proceed to the final round for an opportunity to win the grand prize).

Our renowned panel of top industry experts and celebrity judges has determined the five best .com domain names entered into the #InternetOfficial contest during the second monthly entry period.

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Verisign Announces First Round of #InternetOfficial Contest First Prize Winners

• By • Getting Online

The results are in and today we’re excited to announce the first round of monthly First Prize Winners from our #InternetOfficial contest celebrating #30YearsofCOM!

Our First Prize Winners will receive $5,000 each, and are eligible to compete to win the #InternetOfficial contest grand prize of $30,000.

As we previously noted on our blog, the #InternetOfficial contest, which is open to U.S. residents only, will feature up to five monthly First Prize Winners during the contest’s entry period (for a total of up to 15 monthly First Prize Winners) and one Grand Prize Winner. Each First Prize Winner will receive $5,000 and the opportunity to submit a video explaining the beauty of their entry. The First Prize Winners who submit a video will proceed to the final round for an opportunity to win the grand prize.

Our illustrious panel of top industry experts and celebrity judges has determined the five best .com domain names entered into the #InternetOfficial contest during the first monthly entry period.

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Verisign Celebrates #30YearsofCOM

• By • Domain Names

This year marks 30 years since the first .com domain name – Symbolics.com – was registered, and the internet and world as we knew it changed forever. Verisign, the authoritative registry operator of .com, is celebrating its 30th anniversary and the remarkable impact .com has had on the economy and culture.

In the last 30 years, the internet has evolved from an unknown phenomenon used primarily by academics and researchers to a global communication, commerce and information sharing channel that few could imagine life without; in fact, nearly three billion people around the world are online today, and more than $300 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales and over $1.3 trillion in global e-commerce sales rely on the internet.

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Internet Grows to 288 Million Domain Names in the Fourth Quarter of 2014

• By • Domain Names

Today, we released the latest issue of the Domain Name Industry Brief, which showed that the Internet grew by four million domain names in the fourth quarter of 2014. The total number of domain names across all top-level domains (TLDs) is now 288 million. This is a 1.3 percent increase over the third quarter of 2014. [1]

TLD by Zone Size Q4 2014

.com and .net Breakdown

New .COM and .net registrations totaled 8.2 million, bringing the combined number of .COM and .net TLDs to 130.6 million domain names in the domain name base by the end of the fourth quarter of 2014.

gTLD Breakdown

At the end of the fourth quarter of 2014, 478 new gTLDs were delegated into the root; with 65 new gTLDs delegated during the fourth quarter of 2014. [2]

The chart below captures the initial 60-day registration volume rank for those new gTLDs reaching 60 days of General Availability (GA) during the quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2014, 78 new gTLDs reached 60 days of GA and of those, the 10 largest new gTLDs, as measured by zone size at the end of the quarter, were: [3]

10 largest new gTLDs by zone size Q4 2014

ccTLD Breakdown

Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) reached 134.0 million domain names. The top 10 ccTLD registries by domain name base were:

ccTLDs by Zone Size Q4 2014

DNS Query Load

Verisign’s average daily Domain Name System (DNS) query load during the fourth quarter of 2014 was 110 billion across all TLDs operated by Verisign, with a peak of 146 billion. Year over year, the daily average increased 33.5 percent and the peak increased 47.1 percent.

DNS Query Load Q4 2014

For more domain stats from the fourth quarter of 2014, check out the infographic below and the latest issue of the Domain Name Industry Brief.

[1] The gTLD and ccTLD data cited in this report are estimates as of the time this report was developed, and is subject to change as more complete data is received. Totals include ccTLD Internationalized Domain Names.

[2] The total number of gTLDs and their registrations is published through the Centralized Zone Data Service: https://czds.icann.org/en

[3] The new gTLDs that reached 60 days of General Availability during the fourth quarter was determined using: ntld stats

Top 10 Trending Keywords in .COM & .NET Registrations in February

• By • Domain Names

This Sunday, March 15, marks the 30th anniversary of the first .com domain name registration, Symbolics.com. Today, there are more than 116 million .com domain names registered globally, and more being registered every day. Below is a list of the top 10 trending keywords registered in .com and .net during the month of February 2015. Any surprises?

Top 10 Keyword Registration Trends for .COM and .NET in February 2015
Top 10 Keyword Registration Trends for .com and .net in February 2015

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Can’t Decide Which .Com Domain Name to Register? Our Internet Official Contest Judges Are Here to Help!

• By • • Getting Online

As you may have seen, the #InternetOfficial contest celebrating #30YearsofCOM, is well underway. Choosing a domain name is an important step when building your business or startup, so we’ve enlisted the help of our #InternetOfficial industry experts— domain investor and blogger Michael Berkens, SMB authority Anita Campbell and naming expert Steve Manning— to offer business branding and domain naming tips.

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The “Queen of QVC” Lori Greiner Joins Panel of Judges for the #InternetOfficial Contest

• By • Getting Online

Lori GreinerWe’re honored to announce that star investor, inventor and entrepreneur Lori Greiner is one of our celebrity judges on the #InternetOfficial contest judging panel! She is ready to judge your .com domain name in celebration of 30 years of .com. But, before we get into the details, have you registered your .com domain and entered our #InternetOfficial contest yet?

We can’t wait to hear Lori’s perspective on the entries and .com ideas you submit. Lori truly embodies the spirit of this contest. She was able to cultivate her great business idea—an innovative earring organizer—into what is now a multi-million dollar international brand with hundreds of new products which she sells on QVC, QVC.com and at other retailers. Additionally, Lori has her own show on QVC called Clever & Unique Creations. Her successful journey demonstrates how one idea can create opportunities for you, so make it #InternetOfficial: Register your .com and start your business journey today.

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