.guru
Internet top-level domain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
.guru is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) owned by Identity Digital. It was delegated on 6 November 2013.[2]
| |
| Introduced | 2013 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Generic top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | Identity Digital |
| Intended use | General expertise |
| Registered domains | 60,360 (February 2022)[1] |
| DNSSEC | Yes |
| IDN | Yes |
History
.guru was one of the first seven gTLDs launched simultaneously by Donuts in late 2013.[note 1] The sunrise period, during which pre-existing trademark holders may register URLs prior to general availability to prevent domain squatting, lasted from 26 November 2013 through to 24 January 2014. .guru did not undergo a landrush period in which a closed group of non-trademark holders are able to purchase domains for a premium price, and instead went straight to general availability release.[4]
The launch of .guru was part of a significant movement in the creation of top-level domains; prior to 2014, only 22 gTLDs were available for registration, while over a thousand were launched in February 2014 alone.[5] .guru quickly became the pre-eminent new gTLD in signups, having 55,000 registrations by May of that year[6] with 35,000 in the first three weeks of its opening alone.[7] Until the release of .app, .guru had the most pre-orders of any new gTLD at GoDaddy.[8]
However, the market for new gTLDs performed below expectations, with fewer registrations and a smaller market share than originally predicted. While .guru's first-mover advantage gave it a respectable market share amongst other minor gTLDs, the overall picture was of a more niche product than anticipated.[9] In 2015, a year after its launch, .guru was found to have the second highest number of its registrations lapsed or deleted after .tips.[10]
Despite the failure to meet original expectations, .guru nonetheless remains a popular niche for many individuals and small businesses, particularly in India.[11]
Usage
As of 2022[update], there are 60,360 registered .guru domains, making up 0.21% of all domains. GoDaddy has the majority of the .guru market share with 47.4%, while NameCheap runs a distant second at 11.3%.[1] Approximately 56,000 of the registrations are to active websites, and an estimated $1.5-2 million dollars are paid in .guru registration fees per year.[12] According to The Spamhaus Project, as of September 2023 3.9% of .guru domains engage in spamming, compared to 1.5% of .com, 2.1% of .net, 6.6% of .info, 2.7% of .biz, and 0.8% of .org domains.[13] .guru's primary competitors are .expert, which is similarly focused on expertise, and .ninja, another "edgy" expert-focused gTLD.[6]