Registration for .storage Web Domain Now Open to Self-Storage, Other Businesses

Update 11/14/17 – Las Vegas-based XYZ.com LLC, a Web registry specializing in top-level domains (TLDs), has acquired the .storage suffix from SSC. The company opened priority registration for trademark holders on Nov. 6 on a first-come, first-served basis; an early access, public-priority period will run Nov. 28 to Dec. 5. General availability for the public to secure .storage Web names will begin on Dec. 5 for an expected monthly fee of $79, according to a press release.

During the trademark-holder period, single-letter domains such as i.storage, geographic names like newyork.storage, and keyword domains such as online.storage are available for a “standard fee.” No verification is required, the release stated.

To gain traction, XYZ is offering a “complimentary white-glove website migration service” valued at $10,000. “The transition from the old domains to .storage URLs follows Google’s best practices and takes under one week to complete,” the release stated. “Existing search engine rankings, SEO scores and e-mails are all maintained, while businesses enjoy a boost to their branding and online presence from their new .storage domains.”

XYZ indicated it purchased the .storage TLD in May, though the registry agreement with ICANN was transferred from SSC to XYZ on April 18. Extra Space initially paid ICANN $185,000 for the TLD, and XYZ acquired it for “millions of dollars,” Shayan Rostam, global director for XYZ, told a source. The .storage domain is the company’s 10th TLD, following .xyz, .car, .college, .rent, .security and .theatre, among others.

The company will target the TLD to businesses and professionals within the data and physical storage sectors. “XYZ brought innovation and choice to the Internet when we launched .xyz in 2014 as the domain ending for every website, everywhere. With businesses and individuals now using .xyz in over 200 countries, I had the confidence to acquire and launch .storage as the authoritative platform for an $80 billion per year industry,” said Daniel Negari, CEO of XYZ.

By owning the domain suffix, XYZ essentially acts as a wholesaler that sells the rights to use its TLDs through retail domain registrars like GoDaddy.com, MarkMonitor Inc. and others, Rostam said, noting that 700 entities have registered to use the .storage suffix.

“The recurring revenue stream generated by .storage and all of our other domain extensions, ultimately allow for us to reinvest in .xyz to boost awareness and adoption worldwide,” Negari wrote in an online newsletter post.

9/8/16 – Following the first two phases of registration, SSC has opened .storage domains to self-storage operators and other storage-related businesses. The storage-industry phase will remain open through Jan. 3 before the general public will be allowed to register under the domain beginning on Jan. 10, according to a press release.

Self-storage businesses that have already claimed .storage domains include Budget Moving & Storage in Kernersville, N.C.; Cheapo Self Storage in Burlington, N.C.; and W-Ave Storage in St. Louis.

Through the Founders Program and Trademark Sunrise Period, several large brands have also registered domains, including Apple, Amazon Technologies, Hitachi, Home Depot, IKEA, Microsoft and Walmart, the release stated.

“We saw some significant global and household brands register their names on the .storage domain during the brand phase,” said Paul Yoachum, chief marketing officer for SSC. “Now our focus is turning to storage-related businesses and industries. With the dwindling number of available .com sites, this is a great opportunity to get a more recognizable website address that can help with awareness, marketing and online exposure.”

In addition to self-storage, sectors eligible for registration include cold storage, data storage, energy storage, food storage, gun storage and warehouse storage, among others. Pricing for domains during the storage-industry phase include an application fee to cover the review of applications to “ensure storage-industry relevance,” according to the release.

Though retail pricing will be set by individual registrars when general availability begins Jan. 10, standard domains will start at $54.99.

6/2/16 – Self Storage Company LLC (SSC), a subsidiary of publicly traded real estate investment trust Extra Space Storage Inc., has invested in the Web-domain extension .storage and begun offering it to companies through a Founders Program. Self-storage operators can sign up for the domain through the domains.storage website, branded as “.STORAGE.”

The code suffix is similar to common Internet URL domains such as .com, .gov and .net. Known as “top-level domains,” the new extensions tend to be industry- or action-specific. Companies such as Amazon and Google have been active in acquiring the rights to such domains as the availability of .com and other common suffix addresses have become crowded or scarce. For example, Amazon has control of .book and .buy, while Google Registry controls .ads, .app, .eat, and .fly among others. Registered domains belonging to other companies include .health, .info, .news and .porn, according to a list published by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

SSC acquired registry control of the .storage domain in 2014. Extra Space also owns the rights to .extraspace, according to ICANN.

Control of the suffix enables SSC to sell domain addresses to self-storage operators through registrars like GoDaddy.com or register numerous URLs for Extra Space to maximize its search-engine visibility to potential customers, the source reported. Extra Space could also decide to offer .storage websites to other types of storage companies that offer cloud, data and other storage services, according to Jan Pretorius, senior director of strategic initiatives and business development for Extra Space.

“There’s a lot of uncertainties,” Pretorius told the source. “It’s too early to say how this will play out. I don’t think we know enough to know where all of this is going. It’s still developing.”

For now, SSC has outlined a four-stage approach to the domain on domains.storage. “Before launching to the storage industry or to the public, .STORAGE will be inviting companies to take part in a Founders Program. This program will allocate a number of attractive .STORAGE addresses at no cost to companies who wish to be amongst the first to have their own .storage domain name,” according to information published on the site.

The Founders Program “offers storage companies the opportunity to be an early mover by claiming attractive .storage domains before they become available to industry peers,” the website says. The program was launched April 1and will be available through Aug. 30.

A “Trademark Sunrise Period” will run July 1 to Aug. 30. This phase will be “open to members of the storage industry. Participants can get domains relevant to their business and brands. Others may be considered on a case by case basis,” according to the website. A “Storage Industry Phase” is scheduled to run Sept. 1 to Dec. 30, which will be followed by general availability to the public beginning on Jan. 2.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 1,371 self-storage properties in 37 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. The company’s properties comprise approximately 910,000 units and 103 million square feet of rentable space.