Most of us are familiar with the domain names.com, .org, .gov or.edu, but there are hundreds more that businesses can use to establish an online presence to address a specific market thus increasing the chances of success if the domain becomes popular. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the domain issuing authority, and it is seeing an increase of registries for new Top-Level Domains (TLDs) around the world. A new survey from Sedo an acronym for "Search Engine for Domain Offers", has revealed while there is interest in new TLDs, there needs to be more awareness in the marketplace.

The survey was conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, China and Germany from a pool of 1,150 individuals who responded to questions about their perception and awareness of new TLDs. The result that surprised Sedo was the increased awareness Chinese consumers had over Americans and Europeans when it came to the subject.

The expansion of Internet domain names has exploded recently and it is now possible to park your website on .pink, .red, .blue or even .coffee amongst the hundreds that are currently available. The names are being purchased by companies with specific brand, geography as well as non-specific names such as .rich, .photo and .glass.

The survey found the vast majority of Chinese respondents appreciate the importance of TLDs and 86 percent believe it is a good idea, while another 62 percent stated it would make the Internet less confusing. The awareness level among Chinese responders was also very high with only 4 percent indicating they're not aware of the launch of a new TLD. The lack of awareness goes up to 29 percent for Germans, 44 percent for the U.K., and 54 percent for the U.S.

This lack of awareness in other countries is present even though most of the people surveyed had an understanding of the significance a domain name place in their business, with 80 percent indicating they are important.

The respondents in the U.S. gave conflicting answers considering their knowledge and outlook on the market, with close to half saying domain names are important to their business, which is higher than in other countries, yet their lack of awareness for new TDLs is also the highest.

"Most of us use the Internet every day in both our professional and personal lives, so it’s very important to understand the significant changes that are being made to how we navigate the web. With a large portion of people still unaware that new TLDs exist, and others showing a lack of understanding of how to utilize them, it’s clear that organizations within the domain community must continue to invest in educating businesses and the general public," said Tobias Flaitz, CEO at Sedo.

The importance of domain names depends on your business and whether or not having your website in one of the new domains will be more beneficial. If the TLD .construction becomes extremely popular and you are a contractor, it would be foolish not to use it, but if on the other hand only untrustworthy contractors use it and that is what it is known for, you will be advised to stay away; as in everything else, it is buyer beware.