Google Registry, operating under the name Charleston Road Registry to adhere to ICANN requirements, has unveiled its latest venture: the sale of .ing domains, a new top-level domain (TLD). Registrations for this fresh domain extension have officially opened, but early adopters should be prepared to make a substantial financial commitment to gain early access to this unique suffix.
Google is collaborating with partner companies, including GoDaddy, to facilitate these domain registrations, acting as an intermediary in the process.
To celebrate the launch of .ing domains, Google has teamed up with select companies to demonstrate creative ways of utilizing these new web addresses. Canva has successfully registered draw.ing and design.ing, while Adobe has secured edit.ing and sign.ing for Acrobat.
For the period spanning all of November and part of December, Google has introduced an Early Access Period (EAP). During this window, customers can secure their desired domain by paying a one-time fee, which starts at over $1 million in the first week and gradually decreases in the following weeks to $340,000, $115,000, $35,000, and $11,999. Beyond this initial phase, daily reductions will further lower the fee to $3,599, $1,299, $399, $379, $169, and $149.
The general availability of .ing domains, without the high fees, will commence on December 5. However, by this time, some of the most sought-after domain names are likely to have already been claimed.
It’s worth noting that earlier this year, Google announced its plans to merge its Google Domains business, selling it to SquareSpace, with the majority of customers now transferred to the new platform. Under the SquareSpace Domains business, more conventional top-level domains begin at an affordable rate of $12 per year.
This move by Google opens up exciting opportunities for businesses and individuals looking to secure unique .ing domain names, but the early access period comes at a premium price. Be prepared to act swiftly if you have your eye on a specific .ing domain during this exclusive period.
