The letters ‘.com’ found at the end of a web address are now so familiar they have pretty much become part of our language, but organisations could soon be able to replace them with their own brand names. This is all part of a brand new shake up in the way the web is currently organised.

Instead of the ‘.com’, sites ending with brand names like .apple, .coke, or .lego could be commonplace as of Thursday 12th January marking the largest overhaul of the way web address are crafted since the very first ‘.com’ site was registered 26 years ago.

Non-commercial and community sites could end up gaining the same freedom, leading to addresses ending in city and town names. With a little clever creativity, this could give way to entire web addresses forming phrases such as ‘eatingin.london’ or ‘whatson.telly’. At the moment there are just 22 ‘generic top-level domains’, this includes ‘.org’ and ‘.info’, with 250 country-specific endings like ‘.uk’. More than 84 million are currently registered as ‘.com’.

We can now expect thousands of new variations, effectively creating an unlimited choice. The alteration is regarded largely as a huge marketing opportunity for big companies to promote their specific trademarks online. However, these companies will have to move fast as applications for the new addresses will be accepted for only 90 days from January 2012. Companies who miss out may end up having to wait years for another chance to apply, therefore those who choose to ignore the changes are really doing so at their peril.

One of the first considerations is that the new domains are buried in bureaucracy. It has been estimated that the approval process alone will take between 8-18 months. Following this, there will also then be a period where all approvals will be subject to appeal – this is bound to prove interesting when companies start fighting over the same domains.

It is also important to note that the application cost of one of these global top-level domains is estimated to be $185,000, with an additional $25,000 in annual fees – so naturally this may only be a game for the huge players out there.

Most of us will likely end up being the spectators watching the initial struggle. However, remember that whilst the large organisations are busy battling it out over their internet turf, will it be us who ultimately end up paying for the results?

If you are interested in following the new changes more closely, get in touch with Online Media Group and find out how we might be able to assist you.