By 2026, the next round of new top-level domains (TLDS) opens up. This gives fire owners an opportunity to secure their own “.brand” extension. In the Google Register we have believed in the benefits and security of branded TLDs for years – and we have used them ourselves since 2016. Here is how we use .Google and what we have learned in the process.
1 … Fire domains can be a safer option.
Google has owned .Google and .youtube since 2012 but did not start using .Google until 2016. As many companies we strongly used our primary domain, Google.com. As our product offerings grew, our marketing sites also made. There are security risks associated with hosting marketing sites and more services on the same domain as your key product, especially if the site is built by an external agency (which is often the case for many companies).
An example of security considerations, our editorial team could not launch our blog on Google.com. Enter blog.google (the site you’re on now!) – A short, memorable domain name that was the best possible home for such an important site. Plus, nobody can detect a domain of .Google besides Google.
Unlike “open” top -level domains, such as .com or .App, where anyone can buy another domain is one. Fire unique because only the fire owner can detect domains during the extension. This provides a brand with ultimate control over what kind of URLs they communicate to the world (see AI.GOOGLE AND CURRINGA.YOUTUBE as additional examples) and allows a level of security that is not possible with open name areas. You may also consider adding your. Brand to the HSTS Preload list, which is something we did for .Google and many of our other TLDs.
2. You can migrate to a .brand without sacrificing SEO.
The biggest question that comes up is how moving an existing site to a new domain will affect search engine optimization (SEO). In 2019, Google moved our company’s by Google.com/about to around.google. This site had 20 years of SEO built -in and the team was able to successfully perform migration without losing any search capital in the process.
To make the process smooth, perform a revision prior to migration to make sure your SEO foundations are covered, like a proper place card and metadata. Make sure all old links continue to direct through 302 and 301 redirections, and monitor error reports on the old domain for a while. Be aware of updating the canics, Hreflang tags (if applicable), XML Sitemaps and Robot File.
And remember to create similar URLs: We made sure that around.google and around.google.com both worked because some people will make the mistake of adding .com.
3. Et. Fire can help with your trademark.
When we launched blog.google, was a question that came up: why not launch on Googleblog.com? It is a best practice to avoid using domains on the second level with your trademark in it. Everyone can detect this type of domain to emulate your brand for phishing, so it’s important not to train people to trust this kind of construction. There are many well-known examples of brand-implication using similar domain structures. We create Googleblog.com to redirect to blog.google, but it’s not a domain we ever promote.
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The opportunity to apply for new extensions is rare (it’s been 14 years since the last round). If you are a brand that is thinking about applying for a top -level domain in 2026, we hope some of the lessons Google learned can help you.