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Attention artists: .ART new domain available for registrations May 10

May 8, 2017 by Leslie Leave a Comment

.art a new domain option for artists' websites

After what seems like years of waiting, the .art gTLD (generic top-level domains) will be wide open for registrations May 10.* This is a new opportunity for artists to get a targeted and appropriate website domain name.

The price will be about $14.99, which makes it an affordable option. Some of the new gTLDs cost $40 or more to renew each year (.design for example). Some of the short and sweet .art domains have been snatched up in the presale (where prices are much higher), but it’s likely yourname.art is available.

Register yourname.art

So artists, go ahead and register yourname.art. This is a wise move for all artists whether you’re an emerging artist, or a seasoned professional artist. Stake your place on the internet with a clear message you offer ART right there in your URL. If you’re an artist that has a strong niche you could try for a domain name that includes your niche — like petportrait.art (well, not that one, as petportrait.art has been reserved during the land rush period that began in February.) Get creative and search for a domain that fits your work, and would be a Google search term used by your art buyers. (Relevant terms in your URL will help your search engine ranking.)

.art availability

I believe most domain registrars will have .art domain names available, but check with the registrar of your choice as soon a possible. I register and keep my domains at name.com. You may get discount there if you follow this name.com referral link. (And I might get a little credit too.) If you already have a domain registered it’s wise to keep them all with the same company. Moving registrars is a pain (but not impossible).

(May 11 UPDATE: .art is not available at name.com, it’s available at webnames.ca ($14.99), godaddy.com (12.99 1st year) and others, where the price varies.)

A new .art domain could be the inspiration you need to create a fresh new website to showcase your artwork, or you can just point your new .art domain to your existing website. Forwarding a domain can be done simply at your website registrar. When using and publicizing a your new .art URL, include “www” in front of your new domain so it’s clear it’s a website address. With a .com address you can get away without the www, but these new TLDs can be confusing to many folks.

Others options for creatives are .studio .gallery .photo and .pictures

New gTLDs, like (.design, .shop .guru) have are becoming widely used and more are coming online. These topic specific domain allow for better organization of the Web. A previous post covers more details about these new TLDs. Good luck!

* Availability date according to webnames.ca

Filed Under: Tips & How-tos, Websites Tagged With: artist websites, domain names, registrars, TLDs

Start or streamline online sales with the new .SHOP TLD (and what is a TLD anyway?)

September 29, 2016 by Leslie Leave a Comment

.shop domain is available

Make it easier for people to buy things from you by securing your .shop domain

Are you selling anything online? Or wish you were? Do you harbor a vague, semi-guilty, maybe-one-day-I’ll-get-to-that feeling anytime someone asks you about how to purchase your art/books/wares online? Are you already using a third-party service like Etsy, Big Cartel, Shopify, Society6, or Zazzle?

If any of this applies, we recommend you check out the .shop domain.

Get ahold of the one that goes with your site/brand while it’s available!

It’s release has been highly anticipated and it’s a pretty good deal. I could be a simple URL forward to your existing online shop, or become a fully branded eCommerce site for your business.

.shop is a sweet, simple new TLD that can help customers find your wares.

Wait, what’s a TLD?

Don’t worry, you are not the only person wondering. TLD stands for Top Level Domain. You’re probably familiar with the more common ones such as .com, .org, .net, .edu. It turns out there are about a thousand more (or as many as you can think of). New TLDs have gained steam the last couple of years and new ones are being released frequently. There are a lot of ins and out to the story, but basically, it allows for a lot more targeted organization of the interwebs.

New TLDs go a long way to solve the issue of domain names ‘already taken’

Many common names and/or businesses may deal with completely different subject matter but are competing for the same namespace online. Now there’s an opportunity to have a domain that is more specific. Think .guru, .accountant, .studio, and, the soon-to-be-seen-everywhere, .shop domain.

Using a new TLD can quickly identify the type of content you offer, and help with SEO if it contains a relevant keyword (like “shop”).

TLDs are the wave of the future – they are definitely here to stay. However they can still be confusing, and sometimes people don’t recognize them as valid website addresses at all. For that reason, it can be helpful to include the “www” in front of your new domain, i.e. www.leslienewman.design (yep, we jumped on the bandwagon with the launch of this site last year!).

Beyond useful, there’s a lot of entertainment to be garnered from the new domain possibilities: .ninja, .rocks, .coffee. You can see a comprehensive list here but before you get too enamored, note that not all are available yet and registration and renewal costs vary hugely.

We’re eagerly awaiting the day .ART becomes available, currently it’s listed as TBA. If you’re an artist and yourname.COM domain was snapped up 20 years ago by a real estate agent (true story) you’ll have a chance to get yourname.art.

A note about managing multiple domains

Multiple domains can have a great positive impact on your web presence, and they can also quickly become a headache to manage. On this front, the first rule of thumb is to register all your domains in one place. This doesn’t have to be the same place your website is hosted; many web hosts offer a free domain with your first website, which is okay. However, we recommend keeping your domain registration and website hosting separate, especially if you’re interested in eCommerce, intensive content marketing, or just have an addiction to side projects (like us).

Our favorite registrar is name.com, and another one we like is hover.com. Be warned, most registrars will try to sell you all kinds of other services, which you most likely don’t need. The two just mentioned keep things pretty well streamlined. Most registrars make it easy to set up a “forward” so you can make www.yourname.shop point to the place you sell online.

Back to .shop domain

So, to recap:

  • You can now register and use .shop domains
  • Consider having a simple (and memorable) URL forward to your existing online shop
  • Or plan for the future and grab your desired .shop domain before someone else does
  • Check the pricing and renewal costs (it can add up over time)
  • Include “www” in front of your new domain so it’s clear it’s a website address
  • For your sanity’s sake, keep all your domains at one registrar

We hope this is helpful information. Let us know by leaving a comment below. Sign up for our list to stay connected.

Filed Under: Tips & How-tos Tagged With: domain names, ecommerce, registrars, TLDs

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