Reglikedomain industry desk

The Return of WWW.

www. will make a comeback with fresh top level domain names.

Type in any correctly configured domain name and you don’t need to include www. Technically www is merely a subdomain.

That’s why you usually see ads that just promote something like DNW.com instead of www.DNW.com. People know it’s a web address since of the .com.

I started thinking regarding this today when I was dropping my daughter off at school. I was behind a truck that had a URL with www on it: www.somename.us.

Was it necessary to include www since many people don’t recognize somename.us as a web address?

(Keep in mind that you are likely in the top .01% of knowledge regarding domain names if you’re reading this site. Most people don’t understand domain names.)

As hundreds of fresh top level domain names come online over the next few years I think we’ll see a resurgence in the use of www when people display a web address. If you just saw a truck that had great.food on the side you might not think it’s a web address — much like I did a double take when seeing att.jobs on a billboard.

www.great.food? People get that. Well, they’re more likely to get that than great.food.

Also on the wire

Other reporting from the domain desk.

FUncategorizedFresh TLDs this stretch: Two launch on Christmas EveRUncategorizedReglike stories from February 2014 — Top 5Domain name stories in May — Top 5UncategorizedDomain name stories in May — Top 5SUncategorizedSites Show News Doesn’t Pay — Geo WebFrank Schilling’s Uniregistry go way back — Plans forUncategorizedFrank Schilling’s Uniregistry go way back — Plans forMUncategorizedMobile search rankings shakeup — Google beginsRUncategorizedReglike Site RedesignEuropean ccTLDs see reduced growthUncategorizedEuropean ccTLDs see reduced growthBlackstone Group states it “sucks”UncategorizedBlackstone Group states it “sucks”