.us Domain Names: Exploring the US country code extension
by Webfusion in Domains on February 12th, 2009
3 Comments
Both in terms of mind share and exiting registrations .com remains the king of domain extensions. As a core part of American culture “.com” has become synonymous with the web: many people tend to type in .com into their browser navigation as a reflex, and the extension is inexorably linked with the growth of web-based startups in recent years. While .com continues to grow, other extensions, such as .us, are beginning to emerge as a great alternative for individuals looking for available names that are taken in other extensions.
Often times, the domain name you want is registered in .com and the alternatives are less than ideal; rather than settling for a sub-par domain, consider registering your idea in the .us extension, which will help you brand a unique web presence. Originally designated for use by the government, .us opened up to registration for individuals and companies in 2002 and has grown rapidly over the past few years. In order to register a .us domain you must be a US citizen, resident or have a presence in the country While each state government maintains an active .us site, a number of prominent active sites including del.icio.us, one of the largest social bookmarking sites. The .us extension allows you to get creative with your domain through “domain hacks” like de.icio.us or to establish your domestic brand on the web. While other country code domains (such as .co.uk and .de) are already popular, the .us extension is beginning to emerge, making registration a good opportunity for development as well as a long-term investment in your brand.
Currently, Webfusion is running a limited-time $0.99 .us domain name registration offer. We recommend that you pick up a few great names for your business or web development ideas because this offer won’t last long. Happy .us domain name searching – leave a comment to let us know what great domain finds you register.
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Is it possible for a company to register their name using a state-level .us domain, such as business.ny.us (or .az.us or .fl.us or whatever state is of interest)?
I don’t seem to be able to do this through any of the registrars but I don’t know if that’s a real restriction or just a side-effect of how their sites are built.
@Mac,
.Us was first introduced in 1985 and remained private until 2002 when Neustar became the commercial registrar. Each state and territory in the US has their own two letter domains which are restricted for government use, along with fed.us, nsn.us, isa.us and dni.us.
2 letter (state) domains are restricted for official government use. In fact, before .us domains were open to public registration, the country code was utilized for public purposes. Many cities, counties and public organizations use .us as an alternative to .gov or .org addresses.
Additionally, the registrar restricts the use of certain 3 number domains along with zip codes and phone numbers. US citizens and corporations are free to register other domains as long as they don’t violate trademarks.
Based on my observation,most people were intact to the domain name .com rather than other domain names.It is one advantage in marketing and probably a good start to sale.