The Internet is about to get complicated. You’re probably familiar with standard domain suffixes that denote websites belonging to specific countries and governments. .ca, .gov, .uk, and .com are just a few commonly recognized domain suffixes in existence today. I.T. specialists had to configure all these domains to work with e-mail servers, operating systems, Internet browsers such as Firefox and Google Chrome, as well as popular computer security applications.
It has been over a year since the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) created the possibility for a potentially infinite number of domain suffixes — .pizza anyone? What about .baby? and perhaps online reputation management companies might want to grab .reputation.
Those are some of the more innocent potential new domains. For business owners, the fear is seeing their business’s name connected to a ‘.gripe’ or ‘.sucks’ site. The potential for lost market share and consumer confidence is staggering. The creation of such domain suffixes has the potential to cause individuals and companies reputation problems, and even legal troubles. What’s even more infuriating is that many of the newly created domain suffixes will not be recognized by Internet browsers, email servers, and a host of other software that is intimately entwined with the Internet, and crucial to making everything work smoothly. Google’s Brent London had this to say about new domain suffixes that are about to start popping up like grass in spring: “New types of domains and email addresses break stuff. Just to send an email from one person to another, you’d find yourself in a situation where an operating system, mail servers, routers, mail service providers, security software, all need to work properly.”
Corporate giants such as Apple have already snapped up .mac. Johnson & Johnson has paid for .baby. But that option isn’t available to small businesses with tight budgets and private individuals. Which brings us to how these new domain suffixes could negatively affect Online Reputations.
Competitors could easily purchase the ‘.sucks’ domain of one of their rivals, and then go about pushing it to Page 1 of Google’s search results. In today’s highly competitive business climate that’s a real possibility.
What can you do to combat this?
The bottom line is making sure your company’s online reputation is an accurate reflection of who it really is. Having a proactive Marketing Manager helps, but if you have cause to be concerned – whether because of a rival company, consumer complaints, or because of a story in the media, it may be time to hire a Reverse SEO Specialist.
Happy reputation building.