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.ing doing way better than .meme

Kevin Murphy, January 16, 2024, Domain Registries

Google Registry launched two new gTLDs in December, and just over a month later one is doing way better than the other.

As of the latest zone files, .ing has over 16,000 domains, while .meme has just 2,700. Both went to general availability on December 5.

This might seem surprising, given that .ing is intended purely for domain hacks, but memes are of course ephemeral things where registering a matching domain might not be a sound long-term investment strategy.

Both Google launches pale in comparison to the registry’s most successful gTLD, .app, which sold over 250,000 names in its first month, May 2018.

Google to launch two fun new gTLDs next month

Kevin Murphy, August 31, 2023, Domain Registries

Google Registry is continuing its piecemeal rollout of new gTLDs with the launch of .ing and .meme this September.

Both TLDs will go to sunrise for a month from September 20, with general availability from December 5.

While both will have more-expensive Early Access Period phases, .meme is also getting a Limited Registration Period where “only content creation platforms specializing in the creation and distribution of internet memes may apply”.

While .meme is a pretty self-explanatory regular TLD with standard amount of long-tail potential, I think .ing might be the first TLD ever to launch with domain hacks as the primary envisaged use case.

Google gave “design.ing or writ.ing, ink.ing or row.ing” as potential domains.

There are a finite number of English verbs that would work well with a .ing suffix, potentially limiting registrations. I doubt the TLD will pass the 50,000 name threshold at which ICANN starts charging transaction fees, unless some other use cases are found.