Domain Name Trends in 2026: What's Hot and What's Changing

The Domain Landscape Is Shifting

The domain industry is evolving faster than it has in years. AI, new regulations, and shifting consumer behavior are reshaping how businesses think about their online addresses. Here are the key trends defining 2026.

Trend 1: .ai Is the New .io

The explosion of artificial intelligence companies has made .ai the most sought-after alternative TLD. Registration volumes for .ai domains grew over 300% between 2023 and 2025, and the trend is accelerating.

Even companies that aren't pure AI plays are grabbing .ai domains to signal innovation and technical sophistication. Expect .ai to remain the premium alternative TLD through 2026 and beyond.

Trend 2: Premium .com Prices Keep Climbing

Despite new TLD options, premium .com domains continue to appreciate. One-word .com domains are functionally finite — there are only about 170,000 English words — and demand keeps growing. Average sale prices for quality .com domains rose 15% year-over-year in 2025.

The implication: if you want a good .com, buy it now. Waiting only makes it more expensive.

Trend 3: Brand-First Naming Over Keyword Domains

The era of keyword-stuffed domains (bestcheapinsurance.com) is fading. Brands are prioritizing unique, memorable names over keyword-rich ones. This shift reflects Google's decreasing emphasis on exact-match domains and the growing importance of brand recognition.

Winners in 2026 have distinctive, brandable domains — not keyword salads.

Trend 4: AI-Generated Domain Suggestions

AI tools are transforming domain brainstorming. Services now generate hundreds of available, brandable domain suggestions based on natural language descriptions of your business. The quality of AI-generated names has improved dramatically, making the process faster and more creative.

Trend 5: RDAP Replacing WHOIS

The transition from WHOIS to RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is accelerating. RDAP provides structured, authenticated access to domain registration data with built-in privacy protections. By the end of 2026, most registrars will have fully transitioned.

For domain owners, this means better default privacy. For researchers and investigators, it means more hoops to jump through for registration data.

Trend 6: Domain Security Becoming Critical

Domain hijacking, DNS attacks, and business email compromise continue to rise. In response:

More registrars offer registry lock by default
DNSSEC adoption is increasing
Multi-factor authentication for domain management is becoming standard
Insurance products for domain theft are emerging

If your domain is your business, treat security as a top priority.

Trend 7: New gTLD Adoption Growing (Slowly)

New generic TLDs like .shop, .app, .dev, and .xyz are gaining ground, but slowly. Most businesses still prefer .com, and consumer awareness of new TLDs remains low. The exception: tech-specific TLDs (.io, .ai, .dev) that have found genuine audience fit.

Trend 8: Domain + Social Handle Bundling

Businesses increasingly evaluate domain names and social media handles together rather than separately. A great domain with unavailable social handles creates brand fragmentation. The trend is toward unified brand name availability checks across all digital channels.

Trend 9: Internationalized Domain Names

Support for non-Latin character domains (IDNs) is improving. Domains in Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, and other scripts are becoming more practical as browser and email client support matures. For businesses targeting non-English markets, this opens new possibilities.

Trend 10: Decentralized Domains Stalling

Blockchain-based domains (.eth, .crypto) generated buzz but haven't achieved mainstream adoption. Browser support remains limited, and the use cases beyond cryptocurrency remain unclear. In 2026, traditional domains continue to dominate for business use.

What This Means for Your Brand

The trends are clear: brand-first naming, .com premiums rising, and the importance of securing your brand across all channels. The sooner you lock down your domain and matching social handles, the better.

Use BrandScout to check your brand name across domains, social media, and trademarks in one search — before the best names are taken.