When you think about your business’s digital identity, how much time do you spend thinking about your website’s domain name?
When you originally purchased your domain name you probably selected the best .com name you could find. Regardless of its length or consistency, with your type of business, you registered it because you knew that you had to.
We all recognize that having a website is critical in today’s world. But have you truly given significant thought about how easy or difficult it is for people to find your business online? Are there any bars or restaurants with similar names that are just one or two letters away from your business’s online name? Do you agree that a shorter and yet descriptive domain name would help your customers find you easier on the web? That a shorter domain name is also easier to print on your stationary, your menus, your promotional items?
Take the .bar/.rest survey and tell us what you think!
Make your domain short & memorable with .bar & .rest
Some years ago, you were only able to register a domain name that ended in .com, .net or .org; or a two-character country domain name such as .co or .us (You can call these “domain name extensions” or “top level domains”). Nowadays, new domain extensions are emerging, and some of them are quite specific to your business. In particular, bars can get a domain name ending with .bar (such as keystone.bar) and restaurants can register a domain name ending with .rest (such as ramblers.rest)
I get it. You’re probably telling yourself, “I already have a domain name. I don’t have time for all of this.” But, truly ask yourself, “Would you switch to a new domain name if it expressed exactly who you are, what you do, what you offer?”
A unique name under an appropriate domain name extension gives you the ability to brand your online business anew. It could be a launch pad to an entirely new website or it could serve as a targeted microsite for unique promotions, a landing page to drive email newsletter sign ups, or a place to feature your bar or restaurant’s top social media posts or events.
The verge of a new web-revolution
Thanks to the .bar and .rest domain extensions, your business also has the ability to hold a valuable piece of digital real estate. When .com appeared for the first time on the Internet, thousands of people registered domain names for profit, thus creating a network of digital assets. You now have the opportunity to benefit right at the beginning of this new revolution, again.
And because .rest and .bar domain names are tailored specifically for the restaurant and bar industry, they become valuable assets within the sector. Other businesses are slowly but steadily transitioning to different non-.com domain names to make their web addresses shorter and easier to remember. Consumers are becoming increasingly more comfortable with extensions such as .media or .club, because a domain name like BlacksmithRedwoodCity.com is far less appealing than Blacksmith.bar.
That’s the beauty of these new domain extensions. You can leverage them and use them in any way you choose to better serve your market. Maybe it becomes your new web destination, or perhaps it’s a URL that serves as a testing ground for different business ideas and promotions. Either way, it’s a simple and memorable way to brand your bar or restaurant, so despite how you choose to leverage such a domain name, its long-term value is undeniable.