Google's TLD Empire: .google, .app, .dev, .page

## Google's TLD Empire No company controls more of the New gTLD namespace than Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. When ICANN's 2012 application window closed, Alphabet had submitted applications for approximately 101 strings — far more than any other single entity. By late 2014, Alphabet had begun receiving delegations to the DNS Root Zone, and today the company's portfolio of gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domain) extensions spans both exclusive brand properties and open-registration extensions that generate substantial revenue. Understanding Google's TLD strategy illuminates how a technology company can use the domain name system as both a business asset and a brand authentication tool. TLD Finder ## The Scale of Google's Portfolio Alphabet's TLD portfolio divides into two categories: **Brand TLDs** — closed extensions that only Google entities use: `.google`, `.youtube`, `.gmail`, `.android`, `.chrome`, `.docs`, `.drive`, `.maps`, `.meet`, `.sheets`, `.slides`, `.forms`, `.goog`, `.pixel` (and several others used internally) **Open-registration gTLDs** — extensions where any individual or company can register a domain through a Domain Registrar: `.app`, `.dev`, `.page`, `.new`, `.how`, `.zip`, `.mov`, `.nexus`, `.prof`, `.rsvp`, `.talk`, `.here`, `.soy`, `.boo`, `.meme`, `.dads`, `.dad`, `.esq`, `.foo`, `.ing`, `.gle` The open-registration side is operated through Google Registry, a division of Google that functions as a standard Registry Operator under Registry Agreements with ICANN. These extensions are available through hundreds of third-party registrars worldwide. ## The Flagship: .google The `.google` Brand TLD (.brand) is the anchor of Alphabet's brand namespace. Google uses it selectively but strategically. Key active properties include: - **`about.google`** — Google's main corporate information portal - **`careers.google`** — Job listings and recruitment - **`safety.google`** — Google's digital safety resource hub - **`home.google`** — Google Home smart device portal - **`store.google`** — The Google hardware store (formerly sold on store.google.com) - **`one.google`** — Google One subscription service Google does not use `.google` for its most trafficked consumer products — Search remains at google.com, Gmail at mail.google.com, and YouTube at youtube.com — but the Brand TLD (.brand) serves as a trusted authentication layer for corporate communications and brand-verified content. ## The Revenue Engine: .app Among all of Google's open-registration gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domain) extensions, `.app` has been the most commercially successful. Launched in May 2018, `.app` was notable for being the first major TLD to require HTTPS by default — all `.app` domains are included in the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) preload list, meaning browsers enforce secure connections automatically. This security-first positioning resonated with the developer community. By 2026, `.app` hosts well over 800,000 registered domains, making it one of the most successful New gTLD extensions overall. Registrations include major brands (`robinhood.app`, `netflix.app` — held defensively), startups, and individual developers building mobile-adjacent web applications. The Premium Domain (Registry Premium) tier for `.app` commands significant prices: short, memorable `.app` domains like `trade.app` or `fast.app` sell in the thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. ## Developer Darlings: .dev and .page **`.dev`** launched in February 2019, also with mandatory HTTPS, and immediately became the preferred choice of software developers for personal portfolios, open-source projects, and developer tool documentation. The developer brand credibility of Google's Chrome team — which introduced `.dev` alongside the Chrome browser ecosystem — helped drive early adoption. Notable `.dev` registrations include `web.dev` (Google's own web developer resource site), `golang.dev` (Go programming language), `rust-lang.dev`, and tens of thousands of personal developer portfolios. **`.page`** was designed for simple, single-page sites. Google uses `g.page` as a short-URL service for Google Business Profile listings, giving small businesses addresses like `g.page/restaurantname`. This consumer-facing use has driven brand awareness for the extension. ## The Controversial Ones: .zip and .mov In May 2023, Google activated public registration for two extensions that generated significant online controversy: `.zip` and `.mov`. Both are file format extensions — ZIP archives and QuickTime video files — and security researchers immediately raised concerns that malicious actors would use them to create convincing phishing URLs. A link like `invoice.zip` could be displayed in messaging apps as a clickable URL while actually pointing to a domain, not a file. Google proceeded with the launches despite the criticism. Both extensions have modest registration numbers — `.zip` and `.mov` each hover around 10,000–20,000 registered domains — and the predicted phishing wave did not materialize at the scale critics feared, partly because major email and messaging platforms implemented filtering rules for these strings. ## .new: The Action TLD The `.new` gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domain) is perhaps Google's most creative use of the new namespace. Google controls `.new` as a restricted extension where only major web platforms may register second-level domains after verification. The concept: a domain like `docs.new` should do something, not display a website. When you type `docs.new` into a browser, it immediately opens a new Google Docs document. Similarly: - `sheets.new` — Opens a new Google Sheets spreadsheet - `slides.new` — Opens a new Google Slides presentation - `meet.new` — Starts a new Google Meet video call - `github.new` — Opens GitHub's new repository creation page (non-Google platform using the TLD) - `github.dev` — Opens a GitHub Codespaces editor The `.new` concept transforms a TLD (Top-Level Domain) into an action shortcut. Google licenses the use of `.new` domains to qualified platforms that maintain a direct-action experience. This is a genuinely novel use of the Registry Operator role. ## How Google Operates Its TLD Infrastructure Google Registry operates the infrastructure for all of Google's open-registration gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domain) extensions. The backend systems run on Google Cloud infrastructure, with global anycast DNS (Domain Name System) resolution, DNSSEC signing, and WHOIS/RDAP services meeting ICANN's Registry Agreement technical requirements. For brand-only TLDs like `.google`, the operation is simpler: Google maintains the technical requirements without the complexity of managing public registrar relationships. The DNS Root Zone delegation points to Google's nameservers, and all domain creation happens internally. Pricing for Google's open-registration extensions is set competitively. `.app` and `.dev` registrations run $14–$20/year at retail, with Google taking a wholesale fee from accredited registrars. At 800,000+ registered `.app` domains, the annual revenue to Google Registry from wholesale fees alone exceeds $5 million per year. ## Strategic Lessons From Google's Approach Google's TLD portfolio illustrates several strategic principles applicable to other brands considering a brand TLD: **1. Open registrations can become a business.** Extensions like `.app` and `.dev` are not just brand statements; they are revenue-generating registry businesses. A brand with a widely applicable TLD string — a dictionary word, a common abbreviation, a product category — can build a viable registry business rather than simply a defensive asset. **2. Brand TLDs enable authentication layers.** `about.google` carries an implicit trust signal that `about.google.com` or `google-corporate.com` cannot replicate. The brand TLD is the authentication. **3. Specialization attracts communities.** The mandatory-HTTPS decisions for `.app` and `.dev` were not just security measures; they were community-building signals that told developers: "this TLD was designed for you." Specialization drives adoption. **4. Creative Registry Operator roles are possible.** The `.new` model turned a TLD (Top-Level Domain) into a UX convention. This kind of thinking — asking what a namespace can *do* rather than what it can *name* — is only possible when you control the entire extension. What Is a Brand TLD? The Complete Guide Brand TLD ROI: Is $185K+ Worth It? ## Google Registry as a Business Unit The open-registration extensions in Alphabet's portfolio are not merely branding exercises; they constitute a functioning registry business. Google Registry operates as a wholesale provider, setting prices and policies for each extension while distributing registrations through hundreds of accredited Domain Registrar partners globally — including GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains (now Squarespace Domains), and hundreds of others. The business model follows the standard Registry Operator structure: Google Registry charges a wholesale fee per domain registration and renewal, with retail registrars adding their own markup. For extensions like `.app` and `.dev` with hundreds of thousands of registered domains, the annual wholesale revenue is in the range of $8–$15 million combined — modest by Alphabet's standards but meaningful as a standalone registry business and as a contributor to developer ecosystem goodwill. Google Registry also earns revenue from Premium Domain (Registry Premium) sales. Short, high-demand strings like `go.app`, `fast.dev`, and `build.page` are reserved as premium registrations and sold at prices from $500 to over $50,000. Premium domain sales can add several million dollars annually across the portfolio. ## The .google Brand Authentication Architecture Google has built a layered authentication architecture around its Brand TLD (.brand). The system works as follows: When a user visits a `*.google` domain, their browser resolves the address through standard DNS (Domain Name System), finding Google's authoritative nameservers. Because `.google` is a fully controlled namespace, there is zero possibility of a third-party domain appearing to be `*.google` unless Google explicitly creates it. This is fundamentally different from, say, `google.co` or `googl.com`, which anyone could register. Google has also embedded the `.google` Brand TLD (.brand) into its identity verification tooling. Internal systems that authenticate employees and contractors increasingly reference `*.google` domains for SSO endpoints and API authentication. The brand TLD functions as an identity root — a trust anchor in a world where `.com` authentication is perpetually at risk from typosquatting, subdomain takeover, and similar attacks. ## DNSSEC and Registry Security Google Registry implements DNSSEC signing across all its open-registration extensions and its brand TLDs. DNSSEC adds cryptographic verification to DNS (Domain Name System) responses, preventing attackers from poisoning DNS caches with false records. For a company managing an extension used by hundreds of thousands of developers — many of whom build security-sensitive applications — DNSSEC is not optional. The DNSSEC implementation for Google's extensions uses industry-standard algorithms (ECDSAP256SHA256) and maintains automated key rotation. This level of operational rigor is not universal among Registry Operators; smaller registries sometimes struggle to maintain DNSSEC correctly. Google's infrastructure advantage means that Google-operated extensions benefit from the same operational excellence applied to Google's core Search and Cloud infrastructure. ## The .zip and .mov Controversy: A Case Study in Registry Ethics When Google activated `.zip` and `.mov` in May 2023, the security research community raised legitimate concerns. The argument was simple: if someone shares `malware.zip` in a chat message, modern messaging apps might auto-hyperlink it, directing the recipient to a website rather than a file. Bad actors could register domains like `important-document.zip` or `invoice.mov` to harvest credentials. Google's response was that these concerns were overstated and that the potential legitimate uses (software projects under `.zip`, video tools under `.mov`) outweighed the risks. Major platforms like GitHub and Slack implemented filtering to prevent auto-hyperlinking of `.zip` and `.mov` URLs. This episode illustrated a fundamental tension in Registry Operator decision-making: the holder of a TLD can delegate any second-level domain it chooses, but the consequences ripple through the entire internet ecosystem. Google's size means its registry decisions carry disproportionate weight — a lesson with broader applicability for any entity evaluating brand TLD ownership. ## Google's TLD Empire in 2026 As ICANN prepares for its next application round, Google is expected to evaluate further applications, potentially for strings related to its AI products and newer service lines. The company's 2012 applications have proven to be among the most commercially successful in the entire New gTLD program, generating both direct revenue (open registrations) and strategic value (brand authentication, namespace control). For any brand evaluating its own Brand TLD (.brand) strategy, Google's portfolio offers the clearest case study of what comprehensive TLD ownership looks like at scale. TLD Comparison Tool