--- title: "New Top-Level Domain Group Pushes Cities to Own Their Domain" id: "35691" type: "post" slug: "new-top-level-domain-group-pushes-cities-to-own-their-domain" published_at: "2016-11-02T21:19:00+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T17:52:53+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/11/02/new-top-level-domain-group-pushes-cities-to-own-their-domain/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/11/02/new-top-level-domain-group-pushes-cities-to-own-their-domain.md" excerpt: "The GeoTLD Group is making a push for major cities and regions to use a dedicated top-level domain to promote their local communities. A number of metropolitan governments are already on board." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "names" - "rebranding" - "region" - "trade associations" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » New Top-Level Domain Group Pushes Cities to Own Their Domain Whether your website is based in .london, .brussels, or .sydney, a new trade group is ready to leave its geographical mark on your domain. [The GeoTLD Group (opens in a new tab)](http://geotld.group/) , publicly announced last week, will promote new top-level domains (TLDs) tied to geographic regions, whether cities, larger regions, or specific cultural identities. The group is discouraging the use of country-based domains in favor of ones that emphasize local flavor. “As a place branding tool, domain extensions like .tokyo work reciprocally: for local businesses, institutions and private persons it is valuable to position themselves regionally through their domain name,” [the group states on its website (opens in a new tab)](http://geotld.group/about/) . “In addition to that, they will receive better search engine rankings and take advantage of their city as a brand.” In other words, visitbrussels.be might have been used previously, but the alternative domain [visit.brussels (opens in a new tab)](https://visit.brussels/en) is far more direct and puts more of a local imprint on the URLs. Convention and visitors bureaus, for example, could benefit from this strategy. In a news release, [GeoTLD Group Chairman Sébastien Ducos emphasized (opens in a new tab)](http://geotld.group/geotlds-in-the-press/press-releases/) that the recent expansion of top-level domain offerings created an opportunity to change the way that domains are used. “With the new geographic TLDs, we enter into an age where local communities have their own slice of the Internet. The new digital identities have been well accepted by Internet users and are increasingly used by everyone locally—from governments and local companies, to individuals,” Ducos said. “With an international association we are now able to connect and promote the interests of our members and engage the different stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally.” So far, the association counts 23 large cities on its member rolls, including New York, London, Tokyo, and Berlin. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#names](https://associationsnow.com/tag/names/) [#rebranding](https://associationsnow.com/tag/rebranding/) [#region](https://associationsnow.com/tag/region/) [#trade associations](https://associationsnow.com/tag/trade-associations/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) - [VideoExploring New Frontiers: Leadership, Resilience and the Future of SpaceflightAugust 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/27/exploring-new-frontiers-leadership-resilience-and-the-future-of-spaceflight/) - [VideoCharlene Lopez Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/charlene-lopez-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F11%2F02%2Fnew-top-level-domain-group-pushes-cities-to-own-their-domain%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !