{"id":28635,"date":"2014-10-01T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-01T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futurelab.digitalmachine.co.nz\/blog\/domain-name-nz-is-it-worth-changing-your-domain\/"},"modified":"2014-10-01T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-10-01T11:00:00","slug":"domain-name-nz-is-it-worth-changing-your-domain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futurelab.digitalmachine.co.nz\/au\/blog\/domain-name-nz-is-it-worth-changing-your-domain\/","title":{"rendered":"Domain name .nz \u2013 is it worth changing your domain?"},"content":{"rendered":"

So unless you\u2019ve been living under a rock this week, you\u2019ll have heard about the new \u201cexciting\u201d changes to New Zealand domain names. At FutureLab HQ, where I\u2019m copywriter in residence, we\u2019ve already had many calls from clients wanting to know more information about what this all means, so let\u2019s go through the options for domain owners.<\/p>\n

On the 30th<\/sup> September 2014, it became possible to register a domain name at the \u2018second level\u2019 \u2013 that is, under .nz, rather than the \u2018third level\u2019 we use currently, ie, .co.nz, .org.nz, or .net.nz. All existing New Zealand domain owners now have a choice \u2013 to make the switch to the new domain or keep to the status quo. According to the Domain Name Commission Chair, David Farrar<\/a>, the change means \u201cgreater choice\u201d for New Zealanders and helps the domain name space to \u201cstay relevant\u201d for the future. Well, greater choice, certainly. But relevant? Try confusing!<\/p>\n

Granted, New Zealand websites could already include different varieties of web address endings \u2013 TVNZ puts the total at 15<\/a> before September 30. However, we\u2019d say the majority of websites that Kiwi consumers use on a day-to-day basis are registered under .co.nz. Kiwis know the web address of their favourite companies and are confident on how to find them online.<\/p>\n

This \u201cgreater choice\u201d now introduces a period of consumer confusion. When typing in a web address, will you type .co.nz or .nz? Will you have to remember which companies have embraced the change and which have kept to their original domain? Are we going to see the .nz wipe out the original domain names entirely, or will the name change fail to take off and die quietly in a few months\u2019 time? Or, most likely for the foreseeable future, and worst for both consumers and businesses, will both exist side by side?<\/p>\n

Should businesses buy their new domain name?<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Domain
Should you buy the new domain name?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yes, most businesses should probably buy their new domain name option, or at least reserve it if they can. FutureLab, for example, have already bought the .nz domain and redirected<\/strong> it, so that browsers typing in www.futurelab.co.nz<\/a> and www.futurelab.nz<\/a> will both end up at the regular home page. Unfortunately, if you don\u2019t buy or reserve your domain name within the next six months, someone else could buy it after that. That could risk you losing website traffic down the road. As long as no one else currently has a similar domain name to you, you should be able to buy or reserve the new domain name with no conflicts. You can reserve the domain name for free for two years, so if you don\u2019t want to purchase your new domain quite yet, that\u2019s probably your best option.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re going to invest in the new domain system or not really depends on the type of business you are. If you conduct a significant amount of business online \u2013 like FutureLab \u2013 it\u2019s a good idea to own both domains. If your web presence isn\u2019t a big feature and you\u2019re not worried about someone taking the new domain in the future \u2013 fine! Don\u2019t feel pressured by bureaucracy into spending that extra bit of cash per year.<\/p>\n

Note: If you\u2019re panicking about not getting in soon enough, don\u2019t worry. If you\u2019ve owned your domain name since May 2012, you\u2019ll have preferential status, which means no one can register the .nz version of your domain name in the next six months. If you registered your domain after May 2012, you\u2019ll have preferential status<\/strong> only if there\u2019s no conflict with other domains. An example would be if your business is called oranges.co.nz, and there\u2019s also a company out there using oranges.net.nz. Both parties may want the shorter oranges.nz domain, but they will have to agree who gets it \u2013 or else no-one does. Check out the Domain Name Commisson\u2019s FAQs<\/a> for more info on preferential status.<\/p>\n

So unfortunately, at least in these early stages of the new domain name, this means that businesses will probably need to own BOTH domains \u2013 the original version and the .nz version. Now, that may only be another $30 or so a year to each company, but that sure is a lot of money<\/strong> for the registrars! (What do you think \u2013 too cynical or hitting the nail on the head?)<\/p>\n

Should companies switch to the new domain name?<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Which
Which domain to choose?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, this answer isn\u2019t so clear cut. You\u2019ve spent months, even years, not to mention budget, on branding your business online. Sure, it\u2019s only a small change at the end of the web address, but in the future it could make a difference to how consumers view you, especially as some parties are touting the name change as more quintessentially \u2018Kiwi\u2019, much like the recent .kiwi domain release. If consumers end up buying into that, businesses may rush to display their web address as .nz to avoid looking unpatriotic.<\/p>\n

Switching to the new domain means actually displaying that URL when consumers browse your site, rather than just redirecting to your existing domain. Switching domains permanently in this way is not something to be taken lightly. You\u2019ll need to redirect a whole heap of links and put in a lot of work behind the scenes. Therefore, that course of action is not recommendable at this stage of the game. Besides, you\u2019ll still want to keep your original domain name going and redirect to the new one anyway, or risk losing all the value of links and bookmarks to your site, not to mention losing customers. So what\u2019s the difference \u2013 you still need to maintain two domains until we can assess which way the domain cookie is going to crumble.<\/p>\n

So, the real question is, what are consumers going to do in the next few months? Will they embrace the .nz, or will they stick to their bookmarks and saved searches and largely ignore the new domains? Will we see consumers searching more for .nz or .co.nz? Will new domain owners choose to register at .nz or .co.nz \u2013 or perhaps both, effectively doubling the cost of domain ownership?<\/p>\n

Until we see a trend emerging, it may be best to keep a finger in each pie \u2013 owning both domain names and for now, redirecting the .nz to land at the usual .co.nz homepage.<\/p>\n

At FutureLab, we\u2019ll definitely be keeping a close eye on the market to decide what to do next ourselves. What are your thoughts on the new domain change \u2013 a great new option for the NZ web, a money-making scam from the DNC, or a confusing and simply unnecessary choice?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So unless you\u2019ve been living under a rock this week, you\u2019ll have heard about the new \u201cexciting\u201d changes to New Zealand domain names. At FutureLab HQ, where I\u2019m copywriter in residence, we\u2019ve already had many calls from clients wanting to know more information about what this all means, so let\u2019s go through the options for Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[232],"tags":[304,310],"yoast_head":"\nNew .nz Domain Name Worth Buying? | FutureLab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discussing the new .nz domain name release and what it means for domain and business owners\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New .nz Domain Name Worth Buying? | FutureLab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discussing the new .nz domain name release and what it means for domain and business owners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/futurelab.digitalmachine.co.nz\/au\/blog\/domain-name-nz-is-it-worth-changing-your-domain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"futurelab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-10-01T11:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/futurelab.digitalmachine.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/domains.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"555\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"futurelab\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"futurelab\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/futurelab.digitalmachine.co.nz\/au\/blog\/domain-name-nz-is-it-worth-changing-your-domain\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/futurelab.digitalmachine.co.nz\/au\/blog\/domain-name-nz-is-it-worth-changing-your-domain\/\",\"name\":\"New .nz Domain Name Worth Buying? 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