A Top Level Domain is Coming for New York City Businesses – .NYC

ICANN has been putting a lot of attention on the effects of top level domains on brands. However, there is a new buzz about TLDs based on the literal geographic location of an online website. These are known as geo-TLDs. Nyc is one of the new TLDs getting ready to set sail in the market and will be available for those residing in New York City.
There are several reasons of why a .nyc TLD can be advantageous. New York is an iconic city, full of significance and growth. Businesses and organizations located in the city get to show their homage to the Big Apple. It varies from ad agencies to your local grocery store to non-profitable organizations. New York residents will be able to see right off the bat that you are a local business that they can be honored to associate.

Another huge benefit of the new geo-TLDs is SEO. Because of the clear indication of location, it would be of no surprise if Google and other search engines start to pay more attention to websites with a .nyc domain in New York related searches. People searching for a place to eat or some sort of a supplier within the New York area will be guided to those businesses, planning to attract a clear, easily-detectable domain name based out of New York.
Once ICANN approves the city’s application, these domains should become accessible. In the beginning, they will only be available to organizations officially affiliated with New York City itself such as government agencies. Then come the different phases. First comes the Sunrise phase which will begin in 2014. This is when the domains will be open to trademark holders. Next comes the Landrush phase which lets businesses and organizations with a New York City address register domains before the General Availability phase, which should start around May 2014.
With the new TLDs on the rise, the .nyc domain is going to be some of the most prime online real estate to be a part of. Stay on your toes to ensure you’re one of the first to catch this wave.