Google has launched a new top-level domain (TLD) for app businesses and developers. According to The Verge, webmasters can register a .app domain name. The new TLD is currently available to users of Google’s Early Access Program but is expected to roll out to the public on May 8, 2018.
Although Google is just now launching .app, it has actually owned the TLD for several years. In 2015, Google purchased.app through an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) auction for $25 million. This made .app the most expensive TLD purchase at the time.
Shortly after acquiring .app, a Google spokesperson explained that it would be used to create a domain space for app developers. It appears that Google is now following up on that promise as .app is now officially available.
According to ICANN Research, there are approximately 1,543 TLD extensions. While some webmasters may assume that .app is just another fly-by-night extension that’s here today and gone tomorrow, it could prove groundbreaking for several reasons. First, the TLD is being promoted by Google, and Google has the resources to spread the word about it. Second, .app can be used for websites associated with mobile apps, desktop apps, cloud apps and other related software.
Perhaps the most attractive feature of Google’s new TLD, however, is its built-in security. Google says that .app is the first TLD extension that requires Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). Normally, TLDs allow webmasters to create websites using standard HTTP. The difference between HTTP and HTTPS is that only the latter encrypts data. With HTTPS, all data sent to and from a web server is encrypted, thus protecting against man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.
Google has emphasized the use of HTTPS in the past. Several years ago, it made HTTPS a ranking signal in its algorithm, giving HTTPS websites higher search rankings than HTTP websites. Google is also updating its Chrome browser to automatically mark HTTP websites as “not secure.” By requiring .app websites to use HTTPS, it will likely create a higher level of trust among visitors of .app websites.
Webmasters can check the availability of domain names with the .app extension by visiting Google’s get.app portal. Beginning May 8, 2018, third-party registrars like GoDaddy and Namecheap are expected to offer domains with Google’s new TLD.
Dil Bole Oberoi
