Google is notching up promotion around the .how top-level domain it bought last year (and probably paid a ton of money for). The company wants you to know that it's now possible to register your own .how website. And since this is Google we're talking about, it's hoping you'll give some knowledge back to the world with your .how domain — or at least teach someone something. "We believe .how can become an intuitive way for creators and consumers to share, identify and discover some of the best learning content on the web," Google said in a blog post yesterday. "Now you can buy a simple, memorable and meaningful .how domain name of your own, sending a clear message that your content is there to teach people something great."
It's Google's domain, but you're paying other companies
The company says that people search for "how" more often than any of the other five "W"s, and with Google being the world's leading search provider, you can probably put some stock in that. As a test, I wondered how much a URL like "makemoney.how" would cost, figuring I could instantly flip it for a profit and let someone else worry about sharing the secret to quick millions. But the whole thing gets off to an awkward start; rather than letting you buy a .how address through its own domain registration service, Google passes you off to partners, which makes the whole thing feel a bit seedy. They're not GoDaddy, but I'd still prefer being able to do this through Hover or Google itself.
Those partners set the prices on domains. And it turns out makemoney.how is pretty expensive: I'd have to pay almost $700, which is ridiculous — though I'm sure it'll be pointing to some "get rich quick" scam before long. So much for my scheme. GetRich.how is a bit cheaper at $423.75, if you're wondering.
Other domains that aren't so "premium" don't cost nearly as much. My name as a .how would only set me back $35 per year. But if you want to teach the world your very best yo-yo tricks, you'll have to cough up over $200.
So at least right now, .how domains are pretty clearly targeted at creatives with some extra cash or businesses. Give someone a great cooking lesson and then point them to your restaurant, maybe. Or offer some skydiving lessons. That sort of thing.