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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Verisign Launches New Monthly Blog Series: Top 10 Keywords Registered in .com and .net

• By • • Domain Names

We have shown in the past that there is a correlation between domain name registrations and newsworthy and popular events, as well as anticipated trends. In 2014, we looked at Bitcoin as an example of how domain registrations could be an effective gauge of interest in a particular subject. Previously, we showed how domain buyers reacted to the U.S. government shutdown and how royal baby fever was reflected by domain registrations when Prince George was born in mid-2013 to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

With more than 220 million domain names registered globally, there are numerous examples of trends reflected by domain name registrations. In an effort to better illustrate .com and .net domain registration trends, Verisign is launching a new monthly blog post series that will identify the top 10 trending .com and .net keywords registered in English; our own zeitgeist of trending domain topics. The keywords from the preceding month will be published on the second Tuesday of each month on the Verisign blog.

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Meet our #InternetOfficial Contest Judge and Naming Expert Steve Manning

• By • Getting Online

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of .com in 2015, we are excited to partner with a stellar group of industry experts, who will serve as judges and help us select up to five monthly winners (for a total of 15) and the final, grand prize winner of our #InternetOfficial .com domain name contest.

Our panel would not have been complete without Steve Manning, naming expert and CEO of naming firm Igor. Steve is a prominent naming and branding authority and has spent the last 17 years leading naming projects for some of the most popular brands, including the Aria resort in Las Vegas, the “Cutthroat Kitchen” TV show, Gogo inflight Wi-Fi and TruTV. His clients also include some of the world’s most iconic brands, from Nike and Intel to Bank of America and one of Steve Wynn’s signature hotels, the Wynn Las Vegas.

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Get to Know #InternetOfficial Contest Judge and SMB Expert Anita Campbell

• By • Getting Online

It’s time to celebrate the Internet’s most recognized domain name – .com – and its 30th anniversary! Verisign recently launched the #InternetOfficial contest, where contestants can enter by registering an original, memorable and keyword-rich .com name through a participating registrar and then visiting either VerisignInternetOfficial.com to complete and submit the contest entry form for that newly registered .com domain name, all during the contest entry period.* Then, a panel of top industry influencers and celebrity judges, including Founder, CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends Anita Campbell, will help determine the five best .com domain names entered into the contest each month during the contest’s three-month entry period, as well as the winner of the $30,000 grand prize.

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Meet our #InternetOfficial Contest Judge and Domain Expert Michael Berkens

• By • Getting Online

We kicked off the #InternetOfficial contest on Monday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of .com and fuel up to 15 lucky entrepreneurs’ dreams to start their own business on a .com domain name. Now that you are well aware of how to enter the contest, we wanted to introduce you to the panel of judges who will be helping to choose up to five monthly winners (for a total of 15) and the final, grand prize winner over the course of the contest.

Meet domain expert Michael H. Berkens! Michael is one of the most well-known and prominent investors and bloggers in the domain industry. He was awarded Domainer of the Year in 2009 and is a member of the Domain Hall of Fame. Michael has been quoted on the domain industry in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and Bloomberg, TheRegister.co.uk as well as many other technology, domain and legal publications. His evaluation and development expertise has also been tapped in several of the highest profile domain sales and auction events in recent years.

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Internet Grows to 284 Million Domain Names in the Third 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 third quarter of 2014. The total number of domain names across all top-level domains (TLDs) is now 284 million. This is a 1.6 percent increase over the second quarter of 2014. [1]

Largest TLDs by Zone Size

TLD by Zone Size Q3 2014
Source: Zooknic, Q3 2014; Verisign, Q3 2014; Centralized Zone Data Service, Q3 2014

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