Domain name registration could reflect what is going on in the global market. As many people have been forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a spike in the registration of domain names containing the strings online and home.  Thousands of these domain names were registered within only six days, specifically from 24–29 June 2020.

We can gain insights into market trends by monitoring newly registered domain names with services such as https://newly-registered-domains.whoisxmlapi.com/, as shown in this post.

We downloaded and analyzed a copy of the newly registered domain names database for the .com space dated 12-19 October 2020 to identify market trends.

The text string “shop” tops the list, appearing in 10,075 newly registered domain names. It is followed by “home” with 7,823 domain names, “service” with 5,973, “design” with 5,793, and “online” with 5,224. The rest of the terms are reflected in the chart below.

Out of the 20 most used terms in newly registered domains within eight days, five industries or sectors stand out. These are e-commerce, real estate, law, services, and design. A rundown of each sector is provided below.

The terms “shop,” “online, ” and “store” suggests thousands of new e-commerce stores opening every week. In fact, the three words are associated with over 20,000 newly registered domain names spanning the eight-day observation period. This trend is not surprising as the e-commerce industry has grown at a speedy rate in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has also increased grocery-related e-commerce sales.

Domains such as 518buyhouses[.]com, buyourhouseinfrance[.]com, and greatnewhouses[.]com are just some of the newly registered domain names that belong to the real estate industry. Housing project developments and the overall housing market may have been affected by the pandemic. Still, with 3,550 domain names containing the word “house” detected by a newly registered domain names database, the market is fighting for its fair share. This trend could suggest that real estate agents may be transitioning to online showings.

Several law firms forecast a drop in revenue, mostly due to the global health crisis. And like other sectors, it may also have to adapt to the demand for online services, which is why we are not too surprised to see 3,267 related newly registered domain names from 12–19 October 2020. Hundreds of domains containing the word “consult” also pertain to the legal sector.

A total of 5,973 newly registered domain names contained the word “service,” spanning different types, including funeral, cleaning, notary, delivery, and driving. These services are mostly location-driven, such as:

● louisianafuneralservices[.]com

● maidservicesseattle[.]com

● mexicoinsuranceservices[.]com

● morriscountytreeservices[.]com

However, some domains are dedicated to services that are not tied to a specific location. Examples are those that pertain to writing and web services.

The word “design” appeared in 5,793 newly registered domain names within the same eight-day period. The domains span several industries, including housing, graphic design, and jewelry. However, the majority are related to website design.

Aside from these five industries, other trends that the newly registered domains database point to are growth in the following sectors:

● Health

● Information

● Beauty

● Marketing

● Farming

Some of the trends are directly or indirectly driven by the current health crisis plaguing the world for more than seven months now. With almost everything shifting online, there is no longer a vast difference between online and offline trends. The events happening offline directly affect online trends, and vice versa.

For instance, online surveys influence political decisions. Business decisions are also mostly based on data gathered from the Internet, and newly registered domain names can be reliable data sources.