Just Announced: Google Releases a New Domain Level for Lawyers

How Much Will the New TLDs Cost?

You can register your .esq domain as of May 3, 2023.

There will be a total of six phases where the early adopters of the new domain types will have to pay a higher price. But, general availability for the domains will be $30/year beginning May 10th.

There will be six phases to the pricing here:

Google’s Domain Registrar Six Price Phases:

• Phase 1 – May 3 at 12:00 PM
  $11,500 + $30/year
• Phase 2 – Starts May 4 at 12:00 PM
  $3,500 + $30/year
• Phase 3 – May 5 at 12:00 PM
  $1,150 + $30/year
• Phase 4 – May 6 at 12:00 PM
  $350 + $30/year
• Phase 5 – May 8 at 12:00 PM
  $125 + $30/year
• General Availability – May 10 at 12:00 PM
  $30/year

What is the New TLD for Attorneys?

The new .esq TLD will become available for attorneys. This is a new feature that could become very lucrative for attorneys looking to start a new firm or solo practitioners.

The abbreviation stands for Esquire and is meant to be used following their name to show that they are currently licensed and passed the BAR within their respective state.

This is a courtesy title given to lawyers and helps them establish themselves as officers of the court.

While applying keywords to these new types of domains will not help with rankings, it can help people understand what the website will be about.

Some quick ideas and tips would be to feature your respective geographic market keywords and their specific legal niche to gain more traffic to their site.

For example, something along the lines of sandiegodogbitelawyer.esq or justicefortexaspersonalinjury.esq would signal that you are targeting personal injury clients + your target market. The ladder domain would feature more marketing appeal to help stand out from other competitor domains.

Why Would I Choose a .esq Domain?

The main reason to go after this type of domain will be to capture new opportunities for a custom domain that would feature your specific niche and target market.

Most of the .com names have already been gobbled up or have some other company squatting on the domain name.

Ever notice you get those emails with "www.newjerseypersonalinjurylawyers.com is for sale, email us back to get a discounted price!". This name TLD gives you the option to get in early for a desirable domain choice. But you gotta pay the toll fee if you want to get in early.

Here are a few examples:

Don't be fooled by these. Acquiring these new types of TLDs will not give you a rankings boost.

Your content and external signals, like local link building, will be the most important aspect of your rankings.

This new type of TLD for attorneys can have some conversion benefits if the keyword matches exactly what a person is searching for.

Need Help with Your SEO?

Reach out and contact us to speak about the health of your SEO and other marketing efforts. If you are an attorney, mention this new blog post; using the name ".ESQTLD" in the contact form and you will receive a free no-hassle, no-obligation SEO audit report.