This is the book we’ve just completed. I spent almost 13 years immersed in the process of helping new Top-Level Domains come into existence and grow, first, working for a growing domain registry between 2007 to 2012. This was the first time that ICANN opened the process to the public en masse. Almost 2,000 applications were received, and today’s result is that domain registrants now have around 600 new choices for endings to their domain names. I worked on about 60 successful applications.
In 2013, I began working for 101domain. They were the first to offer all Top-Level Domains, a comprehensive source for researching and buying almost any Top-Level domain in the world. It was our philosophy to work with all registries and be the one-stop shop for purchasing any top-level domain name. We released from one to ten new gTLDs each month from 2013 to 2017. Then I joined Afilias (now part of Identity Digital) and worked on ccTLDs.
Well, ICANN is doing it again! In 2026, they will allow applicants to go for their own top-level domain once again. I decided to share what I learned from the last round and, together with Andrey Insarov, our CEO at it.com Domains, I’ve written, How to Get Your Own Top Level Domain.
