Why .Asia? I’ll Tell You Why!

So far this trip I’ve focused on my adventures in Hong Kong so I thought it was time to give a bit more insight into what I learned about investing in the Asian domain market!

While I liked .Asia a lot before coming on this trip I can’t say I understood it nearly as well as I do now. I had my epiphany while I was sitting in the audience watching the Asian Film Awards. At one point during the ceremony three women were on stage – each from a different part of Asia – each saying a few words in their own language, but exemplifying that although their language and location might be different – they are united together because they were all representing Asia.

This was very powerful for me and I got it! Ding! A light bulb appeared above my head – at that very moment I understood Dot Asia. Now first let me be clear as I go on – I’m not trying to convince you to buy .Asia or saying that to be a good Domain Investor you have to have .Asia domains…what I am saying is that if you want to invest in Asia, online, .Asia is the way to do it!

Here’s a great example that was recently discussed on KeepClicking.Asia – a website run by Dot Asia that shows the TLD in action. A new site was launched this year focused on the Asian Film Business and what did they choose as their domain? FilmBiz.asia. Just by using this extension they have been able to explain exactly what their site is about – the film business in Asia.

By using .Asia it is immediately clear that this is a site about the film business in Asia – using this extension they now have a brand that applies to all of Asia rather than just a particular country and region.

So now let me bring this back to you, the domain investor – why would you buy a .Asia domain? Well if you want to own a category in Japan, you buy a .jp domain, in China you buy the .cn, in Hong Kong you buy a .com.hk – but what if you want your brand or reach to extend to cover all of Asia? In this case a .com doesn’t do it – in Asia when people see a .com they think – this is the website for an American company. While the company may sell products in Asia – .com for Asians represents American brands.

You may argue with me on this point and if so I suggest you visit Asia and get a feeling for the space – there is no way you can understand it if you haven’t been here!

Asia has more Internet users than the United States and the best way to target this region online is with a .Asia domain name. Going back to my experience at the Asian Film Awards – everyone got together – from all over Asia and shared their appreciation for films in the region. While there were people from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, etc. they all see themselves unified together as Asians, and if you want to target this market there is no better way than Dot Asia.

Now let me say one thing to the skeptics in the group – .Asia is not for everyone. If you are focused on building a brand in the US or Germany, or Africa, or Latin America I’m not going to tell you that .Asia is the domain for you. However – if you want to build a brand in Asia that will have instant recognition the second someone sees the domain name – .Asia is the way to go.

Over the coming months I will be doing some detailed case studies of .Asia domains including some intricate SEO tests and experiments I myself will be doing to prove with solid data why this space is so exciting.

Want some more examples of .Asia in action? Make sure to read KeepClicking.asia – not only is this a great resource to learn more about how the extension is being used – the site also highlights the latest information about the online experience in Asia. As an investor you should try to be an expert in your market and KeepClicking.asia can help you understand the market and see other people investing in the space and building their brands in Asia.

Okay – now I’m off for a jog on Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. It’s my last day in Hong Kong and I don’t want to miss-out on one of my favorite jogging spot in the world!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton