The typical route for growing a domain registry leans heavily on registrar distribution. But what happens when that channel isn’t enough - or isn’t working for your target audience?
.CV, originally the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Cape Verde, has undergone a quiet transformation. It now operates more like a generic top-level domain (gTLD) — repositioned and reimagined for global individual use, specifically for resumes and personal branding.
We’ve learned some tough but valuable lessons: registrars don’t always drive demand for niche-use gTLDs. Despite signing on with more than 20 registrars, .CV saw minimal movement in its audiences - curriculum vitae, cryptoverse. The product needed more than shelf space — it needed a purpose and direct distribution.
So we turned the model on its head: instead of waiting for users to find .CV through traditional channels, we built our own demand-side path. A product called Hello.CV now offers users theirname.cv — a complete, AI-powered resume site — bypassing the need to shop through registrars at all. Users sign up for a personal domain, generate a profile site, and link it to job applications or social bios in minutes. Think of it as Linktree meets LinkedIn, but with your own domain.
In doing so, we’re not just registering domains — we’re solving a problem. And that, more than anything, is what many new gTLD applicants should think about heading into Round 2: what job does your domain do? Who is it built for? And can you reach them directly?
We’re not anti-registrar — we’re just realistic. For gTLDs with a specific or emerging use case, assuming registrars will do the heavy lifting is optimistic at best. Building demand-side products, integrating into real-world workflows (like job applications), and going direct to users might be the only way to win in a cluttered namespace future.
.CV is a test case. It’s a ccTLD behaving like a gTLD, built to serve people — not just protect brands. The early signs are promising. We’ll keep sharing what we learn.
