Because first impressions count, but last impressions are forever.
How many times in your life have you been told to “make a good first impression”? Your first day at law school. Your first day at court. Your first client meeting. While it is important to make an excellent first impression, creating a lasting impact is even more crucial. A .LAW domain establishes a professional first impression with potential clients. It gives them confidence in knowing they choose a verified and trusted legal resource.
In 2015, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced the introduction of hundreds of new generic TLDs (gTLDs). One reason for this development was the rising amount of internet users. As of 2019, the number has grown to 4.4 billion people. Normally, people distrust new things and are suspicious at first when new concepts are introduced, but the figures show a clear difference for the domain industry. More than 23 million domain names have been registered since 2013 and around 380 websites are being created per minute.
New gTLDs provide you with more available domain name choices and present you with the unique opportunity to stand out from the competition in the most crucial area of your business—trust. The momentum is stronger than ever with dozens of new registrations coming in every month. Many companies decide for a domain name extension that unmistakably describes the business they are operating in and matches their brand as well as possible. The domain landscape is continuously changing, and industry-specific reserved domains can help a business to stay ahead of the curve. According to registers like 101domain, your domain name is an essential part of your online branding because the letters at the end of a domain name can say a lot about the website before a user even enters it.
We cannot always control how we are perceived at every moment, but having a careful, thoughtful strategy for domain registration and management is critical in securing your business and creating an impression that lasts.
gTLDs for the legal sector
The number of people using online resources to find legal support has increased over the last few years. If you work in the legal field, you want your clients to easily be able to find you in the ever-growing global community that is the Internet. When you market your law firm successfully online, you’re putting yourself in the center of new clients. With the right domain name, you can generate new business and identify which online marketing strategies work best for you.
Let us take a closer look at the .LAW domain extension and why licensed professionals and corporations have registered over 12,000 verified domain names in the legal community over the last few years. You can choose from a number of different domain extensions exclusive to the legal community, like .LEGAL or .LAWYER, but only .LAW, as well as its Spanish pendent .ABOGADO, are restricted.
“.LAW and .ABOGADO are restricted top-level domains that aim to promote trust in the professional legal community by creating exclusive online spaces in which lawyers can present themselves in a distinctive and memorable manner. Only qualified lawyers are eligible to secure a .LAW and/or .ABOGADO domain name. A qualified lawyer is a professional who is licensed to practice law by an approved regulator of legal services in a given jurisdiction,” says Minds + Machines (LSE:MMX), the domain operator, about the gTLDs.
A restricted domain extension serves as the first line of defense for safeguarding valuable digital assets. Therefore, only a certain number of selected domain registrars even offers the registration. That being said, almost 6,000 lawyers and law firms trusted Join.LAW.
We could go on and on and give you a long spiel about why you cannot afford to miss out on registering the gTLD for the legal world, but as the proverb says, actions speak louder than words. Therefore, we want to let success speak for itself. Brutzkus Gubner, a well-known law firm from Los Angeles, California talks about their experiences with the .LAW domain and explains how the exclusive domain extension strengthened their online presence as well as increased their client’s trust in their legal services.
Success Story of BG.LAW
Brutzkus Gubner is a U.S. News & World Report “Best Law Firm,” practicing mostly in the Apparel and Fashion Industry, with an emphasis on Business, Intellectual Property and Insolvency Law, and Litigation, in Los Angeles, CA. The firm’s proven results are built on a wealth of knowledge and expertise, as well as a powerful network of business and legal professionals.
Interviewer: Please, tell us about the experiences you made so far, working with a .LAW domain.
BG.LAW: Working with a .LAW domain has been very beneficial for us. When we adopted the domain, not many law firms had done so yet, and we were able to start using a domain that was short and easy to remember. In addition, the .LAW domain makes it immediately clear that we are a provider of legal services, and we use the domain name in our marketing.
What made you choose a .LAW over a .COM domain in the first place?
We were previously using a .COM domain, which was somewhat long and hard for people to spell, and another .COM that would have been more ideal was not available. We were able to register the BG.LAW domain, which is much shorter, simpler and easier for people to remember. Our firm is also very forward-thinking and we embraced the opportunity to use a new top-level domain.
Who is your audience, and what key message would you like your audience to take away?
We have a very wide audience, including clients, professionals, contacts, and others who want to learn more about who we are and what we do. By using our .LAW domain, we are conveying a message that we are forward-thinking professionals with established experience and a proven track record in our industry.
How do you differentiate your business from competitors?
We think about the big picture, partnering with our clients to understand their objectives and to help them reach those goals. A superior product and vast network allows our clients to often realize goals more expeditiously.
How was your experience with the verifying process?
It was quite simple.
Do the advantages of a restricted .LAW domain justify the price compared to a .COM or ccTLD (Country Code Top-Level Domain)?
The restrictions are beneficial, but not sure that they justify a higher price.
Did the .LAW domain have an impact on your branding strategy?
Yes, indirectly. As a result of registering a .LAW domain, we have a shorter, simpler domain that we now use on all marketing collateral.
If you had one last piece of advice to someone who is just starting out with a .LAW website, what would it be?
To use their .LAW domain in their marketing, which will help raise awareness about TLDs for all legal professionals who use .LAW domains.
