Blog Articles
What is a reserved domain?
Did you know that even if you wanted to register example.com, you can’t? No one can. This isn’t a system bug—it’s the registry enforcing rules that intentionally block certain domains from being registered. These are called reserved domains. When you search for a domain, the registrar (e.g., OpenSRS) queries the registry (e.g., Verisign for .com) […]
ICANN83 policy recap
The ICANN83 meeting in Prague, Czechia, brought the Community together for four days of policy-focused sessions. Contrasted with other ICANN meetings, which include a Public Forum, Annual General Meeting for the Board, and other more business-oriented sessions, the Policy forum centers on current policy and implementation work, so it’s usually the most jam-packed for the […]
What is Whois?
“Whois” can be difficult to define as it is both a protocol and a broader system of services and databases that provide responses to queries about domain name registrations. By performing a Whois search for a domain, you can find its basic information, including when it was registered, which registrar it’s registered with, and often, […]
What is domain security—and why does it matter to your customers?
Your domain name is more than just a web address—it’s the digital front door to your business, a core component of your brand identity, and a channel through which customers connect with your products and services. As the Internet evolves, so do the threats that can compromise this vital asset. From phishing and cybersquatting to […]
Tiered Access update: Reviewing “urgent” requests and updated statistics
The lead-up to ICANN83, which will be held next week in Prague, feels much shorter than usual, as ICANN-accredited registrars and registries just held our Contracted Parties Summit in early May. This was a useful series of working sessions and discussions. Most focused around operational issues—especially addressing DNS Abuse—but another topic came up in conversations […]
What are gTLDs and ccTLDs?
Whether you’re launching a business, starting a blog, or kicking off a side project, your domain extension matters more than you think. In this article, we’ll break down what gTLDs and ccTLDs are, how they work, and which one might be the best fit for your needs. The basics of domain names Every website has […]
What is Premium DNS?
Our earlier guide explored DNS and why proper management is essential. Now, we’re taking it a step further by looking at Premium DNS. Premium DNS is a paid upgrade to basic DNS services that typically includes enhanced infrastructure, faster response times, and stronger security—though the exact features may vary by provider. When you visit a […]
Driving growth with service packages: a 2025 guide for agencies using OpenSRS
To successfully and sustainably scale your agency, you need to offer your clients real value while streamlining your process and defending against scope creep. One of the most effective ways to do this is by bundling services together in thoughtfully curated packages designed to meet the needs of your existing and target clients. When done […]
ICANN82 Recap
ICANN82 was hosted in Seattle, which is lovely in mid-March. The crisp Pacific Northwest coast offers beautiful views and Seattle has a whole “underground city”—it’s well worth a visit. ICANN’s new CEO Kurtis Lindqvist participated throughout the week-long meeting. With his technical background and pragmatic approach, Kurtis offers more than 30 years of experience (and […]
What are DNS management services?
Imagine trying to access a website, but instead of typing in an easy-to-remember domain name, like example.com, you had to enter a long series of numbers, like 198.51.100.45. Thanks to the Domain Name System (DNS), you don’t have to. DNS is the infrastructure that translates user-friendly domain names into numerical IP addresses that computers understand. […]
Tiered Access update: RDRS participation and updated statistics
Welcome to your regularly scheduled TACO stats blog! In the lead-up to ICANN82 in Seattle, we’re thinking about ICANN’s Registration Data Request Service (RDRS). Tucows has been a participant in the RDRS pilot project since its launch at the end of 2023, and we’ve written about it in past blogs. For those unfamiliar with the […]
What ICANN’s updated Registration Data Policy (RDP) means for OpenSRS resellers
ICANN has finalized changes to its Registration Data Policy, which sets data processing requirements for gTLDs. Domain registrars and registries are required to comply with the updated Policy by August 2025. Many of the new Registration Data Policy requirements are already in place at OpenSRS and other registrars: We redact registration data from the public […]
How to create a seamless customer experience when reselling domains
Creating a smooth, reliable, and on-brand customer experience is key when reselling domain names. Whether your core business is offering hosting, building websites, or managing digital marketing services, including an intuitive domain management experience can strengthen customer loyalty and generate recurring revenue. Understand your customers’ needs Digital service providers offer domain names because it makes […]
5 strategies to improve your agency’s profitability
Every marketing agency wants to maximize profitability. While the equation itself is pretty straightforward—revenue minus expenses equals total profits, real growth can be a big challenge, especially with increasing competition, operating costs, and fluctuating client demands. Rising to this challenge requires multiple strategic approaches to increase revenue while keeping costs in check. This means making […]
ICANN81 recap
ICANN81, hosted in Istanbul, Türkiye, brought us together both in person and virtually for a week of working meetings and presentations. Before we get into the specific policy work updates, we want to highlight two important discussions happening within the ICANN community right now. Perhaps closest to our cow-print hearts, ICANN Registrars and Registries (together, […]
Tiered Access update: RDRS, security and LEA requests, and updated statistics
As usual, as we prepare for ICANN81, here are our updated statistics for our Tiered Access Compliance and Operations (TACO) portal along with some interesting factoids. Rather than going in-depth on one specific topic, we’re providing updates on a few topics discussed in prior posts. Requests from Security Researchers Requests from the security community are […]
How Mono Solutions uses OpenSRS to help digital service providers sell and manage websites at scale
Mono Solutions is an award-winning, European, white-label website-building platform for digital service providers who sell websites to small and mid-sized business (SMB) clients at scale. A global provider, their platform hosts over 100K websites and supports major reseller partners in the European market, including digital agencies, SaaS, telcos, and hosting companies across 30 countries and […]
5 Ways to create recurring revenue for your digital marketing agency
Running a successful digital marketing agency involves more than winning sizable one-off projects. A key strategy for building a stable and growing business is to create recurring revenue streams that ensure consistent cash flow over time. This removes the stress of always hunting for new clients and allows you to plan, make smart investments, scale […]
What NIS2 means for OpenSRS resellers
NIS2 is the updated version of the European Union’s Network and Information Security Directive. It aims to establish “a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union,” partly by providing technical and operational requirements for digital infrastructure and service providers. These include specific requirements for domain registration providers that impact registries, registrars, and resellers. If […]
Transfer Policy changes: what do you think?
ICANN’s Transfer Policy Review Working Group has been hard at work since 2021, as we’ve discussed in our ICANN Policy series. The group’s Initial Report is now out for public comment and Tucows is preparing to submit our input by the September 30th deadline. This post highlights some of the most significant updates being recommended […]
Top things to consider when offering domains along with your existing services
Adding domains to your existing services is a strategic choice that can enhance your offerings and streamline your customers’ experience. Whether you’re a web hosting provider, a digital agency, or an IT solutions company, choosing the right domain integration solution can translate to greater efficiency and business success. In this guide, we’ll outline your options […]
ICANN80 Recap
ICANN80 took place in Kigali, Rwanda, with four days of policy meetings and a beautiful conference center. There is an exciting piece of ICANN news to share before we dive into highlights from this series of policy-focused meetings: the search has concluded! Kurt Erik “Kurtis” Lindqvist has been selected as ICANN Board President and CEO. […]
Tiered Access update: law enforcement (foreign and local) and fresh 2024 statistics
As ever, we’re here for you in advance of ICANN80 in Kigali, Rwanda, with some updated TACO stats to get everyone in the mood. Our focus for this post is: where do Law Enforcement disclosure requests actually come from? This question was recently raised in the ICANN Registration Data Request Service Standing Committee by a […]
The power of the .org domain for your mission-driven clients
Finding unique avenues to expand your customer base is essential for growth and success in today’s digital era. The .org domain offers a valuable opportunity to tap into a diverse market of organizations, nonprofits, businesses, social enterprises, and individuals passionate about making a positive impact. A symbol of credibility and integrity, millions have used the […]
How to start selling domain names: which option is the best for your business?
Maybe you’re launching a hosting business and want to round out your offering with domain names. Maybe you’ve created a next-generation site builder and want to give your customers a truly seamless experience. Or maybe you run a web design agency and are committed to delivering a white-glove service, taking care of every detail for […]
7 .art domains to inspire your clients
The .art extension has been adopted by creatives and artistic institutions worldwide who want to create a memorable digital presence and first impression that clarifies their purpose. Today, we’re celebrating World Art Day, and human creativity more broadly, by showcasing some awesome .art websites. We hope they inspire you and your creative clients. Anshin.art Anatoliy […]
Why sell domains? Explore the hidden benefits for service providers
Whether running a freelance web dev business or launching the next big site-builder, domain names can be key in generating long-term revenue and enhancing the customer experience. However, some benefits of offering domains might not be immediately apparent. Let’s look at how adding domains to your service lineup, whether as part of a subscription model […]
Your guide to launching a successful web development business
Are you a tech enthusiast ready to dive into the entrepreneurial pool and launch your web development business? With the digital landscape expanding rapidly, there’s no better time to embark on this journey. Whether you aspire to be the next big full-service solution provider or want to start small and grow steadily, this blog will […]
ICANN79 recap
ICANN79 was held in beautiful Puerto Rico, where the windowless, extremely air-conditioned conference center provided sometimes-welcome relief from the bright sun, heat, and humidity of San Juan. The sessions covered a broad variety of policy and operational topics, and we’ll look at a few of these below. DNS Abuse Amendments The Amendments to the Registrar […]
Mono Solutions is simplifying sales and site-building for digital service providers
Denmark-based Mono Solutions is a white-label website-building platform for businesses that sell and build websites at scale. Their customer base consists of digital marketing agencies, online directories, telcos, and hosting companies that want to streamline their sales and site-building lifecycle while fostering great relationships with small and midsize business (SMB) clients. Since launching in 2007, […]
12 link-in-bio TLDs that will make your customers stand out from the crowd
In the world of online marketing and brand presence, the link-in-bio space has become coveted digital real estate where your customers can consolidate their online presence into a singular, memorable URL. Attention spans are short, and having a clear and concise domain name leads users directly to a curated collection of links, making it easier […]
Tiered Access update: RDRS first experiences and updated statistics
The first Tiered Access post of the year is always interesting because we can look back at the past year as a whole and compare it to previous years. This time, we also have the earliest data about requests submitted to Tucows via ICANN’s new Registration Data Request Service (RDRS). This is the pilot project […]
Decentralized social media: an untapped opportunity for digital service providers
A vast and growing group of creatives and influencers rely almost exclusively on social media to connect with their audience and, in many cases, monetize their work. They may differ from traditional business owners selling products and services via a website. Still, nonetheless, to digital service providers, they are potential customers in need of a […]
Boosting profits and loyalty: The power of affordable, high-quality TLDs
With over 700 top-level domains (TLDs) to choose from, it’s no wonder you might struggle to determine which will resonate most with your customers. If you’ve been avoiding addressing the challenge head-on, we have some tips to help you give your customers what they want while elevating your business.
Storefront: what it is and who it’s for
We just launched Storefront, a turnkey solution that lets you sell domains right from your website and give customers a means to self-manage their accounts. It’s now available for free to all OpenSRS reseller partners—no integration work required. Storefront was designed to meet the needs of agencies, hosting companies, and digital solutions providers who want […]
Digital security: understanding the importance of encryption, data sovereignty and certificate lifecycle management
In our rapidly evolving digital landscape, where connectivity is the heartbeat of modern society, the importance of robust security measures cannot be overstated. This article explores three critical aspects that contribute to a secure and interconnected world: the value of encryption, the concept of data sovereignty, and the significance of certificate lifecycle management advantages. The […]
5 ways to help local business clients market themselves more effectively
When working with local business clients, it’s crucial to understand and acknowledge the importance of a strong online presence. In today’s digital age, a business’s success often hinges on its ability to effectively market itself online. Fortunately, there are several free strategies you can recommend to your local business clients to help them thrive in […]
ICANN78 Recap: DNS Abuse, registration data, new gTLDs, and Transfer Policy updates
Hamburg is beautiful this time of year: cold and rainy enough that ICANN78 attendees didn’t mind being cooped up inside for meetings, with clear warm stretches that allowed for a bit of sightseeing. If I’m being completely honest, my personal highlight was visiting the Miniature Wonderland, but I was also glad to take part in […]
How city TLDs can help you attract and support small business customers
City TLDs offer a lot of value for smaller businesses. Establishing a digital presence is no small task, and finding the perfect domain (which is hugely important) can be difficult. Using a city TLD in their domain name adds meaning and gives them other great options if the .com version of their first-choice domain is […]
Tiered Access update: “urgent” disclosure requests and updated statistics
Welcome back to our regular Tiered Access platform statistics series! If you’re here just for the numbers, you can jump right to the stats, but first, we’re going to focus on the question of “urgent” disclosure requests. The discussions in our last few TACO Stats posts focused on the Registration Data Request Service, intended to […]
Why you should offer low-cost email as a value-added service
If you run a web hosting company, e-commerce solution, or website builder, you probably know how important it is to offer a complete package to your customers. As a one-stop shop, you can streamline the user experience, increase customer loyalty, and decrease the odds that your customers will buy from one of your competitors. One […]
