.guru

.guru was one of the first seven gTLDs launched simultaneously by Donuts in late 2013.{{NoteTag|The other six were .bike, .clothing, .holdings, .plumbing, .singles, and .ventures.{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2013-11-06/donuts-adds-seven-generic-top-level-domains-to-the-internet-signs-13-registrars-ii61og4q|title=Donuts Adds Seven Generic Top-Level Domains To The Internet, Signs 13 Registrars|work=Bloomberg|last=Cole|first=Mason|date=7 November 2013|access-date=4 March 2021}}}} The sunrise period, during which pre-existing trademark holders may register URLs prior to general availability to prevent domain squatting, lasted from 26 November 2013 through to 24 January 2014. .guru did not undergo a landrush period in which a closed group of non-trademark holders are able to purchase domains for a premium price, and instead went straight to general availability release.{{cite web|url=https://www.thedomains.com/2013/11/06/donuts-1st-7-new-gtlds-will-not-have-a-landrush-period-but-go-after-sunrise-to-ga-on-jan-29/|title=Donuts 1st 7 New gTLD's Will Not Have a Landrush Period But Go Live After Sunrise On Jan 29|work=The Domains|last=Berkens|first=Michael|date=6 November 2013}}

The launch of .guru was part of a significant movement in the creation of top-level domains; prior to 2014, only 22 gTLDs were available for registration, while over a thousand were launched in February 2014 alone.{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/165238/the-biggest-land-rush-in-the-history-of-the-internet-begins-on-february-4/|title=The biggest land rush in the history of the internet starts on February 4|work=Quartz|last1=Mirani|first1=Leo|last2=Yanofsky|first2=David|date=22 January 2014|access-date=4 March 2021}} .guru quickly became the pre-eminent new gTLD in signups, having 55,000 registrations by May of that year{{cite web|url=https://domainnamewire.com/2014/05/06/is-expert-the-next-big-top-level-domain-name/|title=Is .expert the next "big" top level domain name?|work=Domain Name Wire|last=Allemann|first=Andrew|date=6 May 2014|access-date=4 March 2021}} with 35,000 in the first three weeks of its opening alone.{{cite web|url=https://policyreview.info/articles/news/sobering-figures-new-top-level-domains/254|title=Sobering figures for new Top Level Domains|work=Internet Policy Review|last=Ermert|first=Monika|date=24 February 2014|access-date=4 March 2021}} Until the release of .app, .guru had the most pre-orders of any new gTLD at GoDaddy.{{cite web|url=https://domainnamewire.com/2018/06/06/timing-is-everything-why-xxx-dwarfs-other-adult-top-level-domain-names/|title=Timing is everything: why .XXX dwarfs other adult top level domain names|work=Domain Name Wire|last=Allemann|first=Andrew|date=6 June 2018|access-date=4 March 2013}}

However, the market for new gTLDs performed below expectations, with fewer registrations and a smaller market share than originally predicted. While .guru's first-mover advantage gave it a respectable market share amongst other minor gTLDs, the overall picture was of a more niche product than anticipated.{{cite web|url=https://domainnamewire.com/2019/02/28/new-tlds-five-years-in/|title=New TLDs, five years in|work=Domain Name Wire|last=Allemann|first=Andrew|date=28 February 2019|access-date=4 March 2021}} In 2015, a year after its launch, .guru was found to have the second highest number of its registrations lapsed or deleted after .tips.{{cite web|url=https://domainnamewire.com/2015/04/13/see-which-new-top-level-domain-names-are-deleting/|title=See which new top level domain names are deleting|work=Domain Name Wire|last=Allemann|first=Andrew|date=13 April 2015|access-date=4 March 2021}}

Despite the failure to meet original expectations, .guru nonetheless remains a popular niche for many individuals and small businesses, particularly in India.{{cite web|url=https://smefutures.com/do-you-still-favour-a-dot-com-domain-over-a-premium-brand-name-for-smes-the-go-to-choice-is/|title=Do Indian SMEs favour a dot-com domain name or a clear brand identity?|work=SME Futures|last=Ahmed|first=Mastufa|date=25 June 2018|access-date=4 March 2021}}

{{As of|2022}}, there are 60,360 registered .guru domains, making up 0.21% of all domains. GoDaddy has the majority of the .guru market share with 47.4%, while NameCheap runs a distant second at 11.3%. Approximately 56,000 of the registrations are to active websites, and an estimated $1.5-2 million dollars are paid in .guru registration fees per year.{{cite web|url=https://news.netcraft.com/archives/2017/04/13/new-gtlds-are-they-a-success.html|title=New gTLDs: Are they a success?|work=Netcraft|last=Mutton|first=Paul|date=13 April 2017|access-date=4 March 2021}} According to The Spamhaus Project, as of September 2023 3.9% of .guru domains engage in spamming, compared to 1.5% of .com, 2.1% of .net, 6.6% of .info, 2.7% of .biz, and 0.8% of .org domains.{{cite web|url=https://www.spamhaus.org/statistics/tlds/|title=The World's Most Abused TLDs|work=The Spamhaus Project|access-date=4 March 2021}} .guru's primary competitors are .expert, which is similarly focused on expertise, and .ninja, another "edgy" expert-focused gTLD.

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Category:Generic top-level domains

Category:2013 introductions