5 Reasons to Have an Internationalized Domain Name (IDN)

Most brands and businesses have one thing in common — they want to grow their customer base. One of the best ways to do this is to have an online presence that’s accessible to an international audience. However, a factor that some organizations overlook is that not everyone in the world uses the same alphabet. While most Western countries use the 26 letters of the Latin script alphabet, many use Cyrillic, Arabic, or Greek alphabets — to name just a few.

There is a way to engage more successfully with these audiences: IDNs. IDN stands for Internationalized Domain Name and, unlike standard domain names, allows the use of non-Latin characters. Let’s take a look at IDNs in more detail and why you might want to register one.

What Is an IDN?

IDNs provide accessibility to a more diverse audience, specifically those searching in scripts other than Latin, for example, Chinese or Devanagari. IDNs have been in mainstream use since 2003, and represent a shift toward a multilingual internet that can be used by people of many nationalities.

From a web development perspective, IDNs can contain characters not in the American Standard Code for Information Interchange or ASCII.

Why Get an IDN?

An IDN can greatly expand the reach of an organization. But how can this benefit you or your company? Here are five key reasons to invest in an IDN.

1. Improve Revenue Both Domestically and Internationally

An IDN provides a way for potential customers to reach you using their own language and alphabet. Your reach increases, allowing you to sell to more people. Businesses can use this capability to expand into international markets or for marketing to foreign-language-speaking domestic audiences. When you increase your audience size, you also increase your potential for profits.

Currently, only around half a percent of .com domain names have corresponding IDNs. For businesses looking to grow their target audience, this represents a huge opportunity to outpace the competition.

2. Protect Your Brand Overseas

If someone in another country tries to copy your brand or even create a scam version of your website, they may use an IDN to do this. Beat them at their own game by registering an IDN first. Check that the TLD (top-level domain, e.g., .com) you want to use supports IDNs and consider registering multiple IDNs to avoid threat actors weaponizing them against your firm.

3. Greater Inclusion for Non-English Audiences

Did you know that there are more native speakers of Chinese than any other language in the world? Having an IDN that supports Chinese characters means including an audience of 1.3 billion people — plus more Chinese speakers living overseas. The same applies to Arabic, Greek, and so forth.

Adding translation options to your website is one way to accommodate international visitors. However, an IDN goes further by allowing individuals to search in the ways they are used to. They can use their own keyboards with the characters they write with every day and still find your business.

4. Improve Your Brand Reputation

Being accessible to a diverse range of searchers helps you build a brand associated with fairness and inclusivity. You’ll find that your reputation improves and that you’re more likely to get shares and positive feedback. After all, 82% of customers prefer to buy from brands whose values match their own. Being purposefully inclusive isn’t just good business sense — it helps build trust for lasting loyalty and client/customer relationships.

5. Bolster Your Local SEO Strategy

Local SEO (search engine optimization) means utilizing techniques that help your site appear in searches with local intent. In other words, if someone is searching for your product or service near them, local SEO helps you appear prominently. A domain name that matches the user’s own language and script is more likely to prompt a click than one in a foreign alphabet/language.

Find International Domain Names Today

In the past, there have been concerns about malicious actors misusing IDNs. However, most modern browsers provide protection to prevent users from being scammed. IDNs are a great way to extend your reach, boost your brand, and engage with more potential customers than ever before.

The question now is how can you take advantage of IDNs?

Start with an international domain search – your key to seeing which domains are purchasable and thus could become a key part of your online strategy.