Opportunities in the .ART Domain Space
The .ART domain was officially launched in 2016 with the aim of creating a digital community for everyone in the art world.
This gTLD is open to anyone but primarily supports the art industry in creating a structured online ecosystem. This includes artists, museums, galleries, collectors, auction houses, schools, foundations, professional services, and suppliers.
.ART has seen great adoption, attracting big-name users like the Louvre Museum and BMW. As of 2025, .ART counts over 281,247 domain registrations and continues to expand.
With over a million premium names becoming more accessible in early 2024, .ART has shown it’s evolving. According to recent industry reports, .ART holds a 1.4% market share among domains classified as premium, positioning it among other high-value extensions like .tech and .dev.
We did a bit of a deep dive into .ART and want to share what we found. But first, a short explanation on what data we used to extract insights from:
To analyze trends within the .ART namespace, we extracted a 10% random sample (~26,000 domains) from the full zone file and ran it through marketgoo Domain Intelligence, so we could make some representative observations.
Growing SEO Potential in .ART Domains
- 58% of websites have a “Low” SEO score, while 41% are in the “Medium” category.
- 10,232 .ART domains (39.3% of the sample) receive fewer than 50 organic visits per month, suggesting untapped potential for optimization.
- Many .ART websites are still building their online presence, creating an opportunity for registrars and hosts to offer SEO and marketing services.
- Almost 80% of non-parked sites have low traffic, less than 50 visits a month.
- 0% of sites scored “High” or “Very High” in the SEO score. This is unusual!
- It suggests that even the most developed .ART websites struggle to compete in search rankings.
- Likely due to low domain authority across the TLD or limited SEO investment by most site owners.
✅ Key Takeaway: .ART websites are not ranking strongly in search engines overall. Even the best ones only reach a “Medium” SEO level, which could indicate either low competition or a lack of active SEO efforts.
What this means: Web hosts and registrars can help .ART users achieve greater online visibility with tailored SEO services and educational content.
A Growing and Evolving User Base
With the premium pricing adjustment, a surge in new registrations did take place, expanding the .ART ecosystem. While many of these new registrations align with the creative industries, we found that some have been acquired for entirely different purposes.
- Some previously expired .ART domains appear to have been repurposed. Anecdotally, we identified cases where expired, legitimate sites were taken over by gambling sites, although the overall volume of gambling-related .ART domains is relatively low. Out of the domains in the sample that resolved and were not parked, 619 domains displayed gambling-related content. This is not an alarming proportion, but it does highlight an unintended use case for a high-end TLD like .ART., suggesting an emerging trend that deviates from the original intent of the TLD.
- Namecheap & Dynadot are among the leading registrars, showcasing the demand for accessible and affordable domain options.
What this means: While the growing adoption of .ART presents opportunities for web hosts and registrars, there is also a need to monitor evolving use cases. Engaging with both intended users and newer entrants can ensure a balanced ecosystem while maintaining the domain’s creative focus.
Usage Breakdown: How Resolved .ART Domains Are Being Used
Among non-parked, resolved .ART domains:
- 48.84% serve as portfolio websites, indicating that the majority of active .ART domains belong to artists, designers, and creative professionals showcasing their work.
- 23.29% function as landing pages, possibly for promotional use, lead generation, or future projects.
- 8.52% fall into the ‘Other’ category, which may include test sites, placeholders, or miscellaneous uses.
- 7.61% are personal blogs or personal websites, showing that .ART is also a choice for individual creators.
- 5.57% are business-related sites, including agencies and creative service providers.
- 3.67% are e-commerce sites, selling artwork, designs, or creative services.
- 2.4% are personal pages that don’t fit neatly into business or portfolio categories.
- 0.11% are news-related sites, an uncommon but present use case.
What this means: The .ART domain remains true to its original intent, with a strong emphasis on portfolio websites, landing pages, and personal branding.
The presence of business, e-commerce, and blog sites suggests additional commercial opportunities, and hosting providers could offer targeted solutions tailored to these needs.
Security & Performance: Considerations for .ART Websites
- 2% of .ART domains (4,200 sites) take over 3 seconds to load, with WordPress making up nearly 40% of these slow sites.
- 88.92% of non-parked, resolved .ART websites have SSL installed, indicating strong security adoption.
- Among them, about 65% domains use Let’s Encrypt certificates, suggesting a preference for free and automated SSL solutions.
- However, 4.4% of resolved .ART domains analyzed lack any SSL certificate, leaving them potentially vulnerable to security risks., indicating strong security adoption.
- 0% have a “Missing” SSL certificate. This is surprising! It suggests that nearly every active .ART domain has at least attempted SSL installation, which is much higher than some other TLDs.
Key Takeaway: SSL adoption is nearly universal for .ART domains. However, a small percentage (4.41%) have broken certificates, which could indicate abandoned or poorly maintained sites.
CMS Trends: The Platforms Powering .ART Websites
- WordPress dominates the .ART ecosystem, powering 27.58% of active sites in the analyzed sample.
- Wix (8.76%) and Squarespace (5.99%) are also widely used, reinforcing the presence of DIY website builders in the creative sector.
- Shopify (3.45%) and GoDaddy (4.93%) indicate a segment of .ART domains focused on e-commerce or simpler website-building solutions.
- Adobe Portfolio (3.59%) is popular among artists and designers showcasing their work.
- Almost 41.13% of .ART websites fall under the ‘Other’ category, which may include custom-built platforms, static HTML sites, or lesser-known CMS solutions.
- Custom-built sites, static HTML pages, and niche CMS solutions may be meeting the specific needs of creative professionals.
What this means: The variety of CMS usage shows that .ART users are looking for flexible, creative-friendly platforms. Web hosts and registrars can leverage this by offering specialized hosting, integrations, and optimized performance for the most-used platforms like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace, as well as exploring partnerships with niche CMS providers.
Naming Trends & Domain Structure in .ART
Domain Length Distribution
- The most common domain lengths are between 10-15 characters.
- Short domains (≤5 characters) are rare, likely due to high demand or premium pricing.
- The .ART namespace is used by serious registrants rather than random speculation, with domains tending to be descriptive rather than ultra-short brand names.
Common Prefixes (Top 10)
| Prefix | Usage Pattern |
| art | Generic, broad use across the namespace. |
| studio | Popular among creative businesses and artists. |
| gallery | Common for online and physical galleries. |
| my | Personal branding for artists. |
| design | Used by graphic designers and digital artists. |
| photo | Photography-related domains. |
| creative | General artistic and media use. |
| nft | Highlights NFT and blockchain-related art projects. |
| ai | Used for AI-generated or computational art projects. |
| online | Indicates a web-based presence. |
Common Suffixes (Top 10)
| Suffix | Usage Pattern |
| art | Expectedly, the most frequent. |
| studio | Popular for branding artistic spaces. |
| gallery | Galleries, exhibitions, or digital showcases. |
| design | Used by professionals in graphic or visual arts. |
| nft | Indicates NFT-based projects, though fewer than AI-related domains. |
| photo | Photography-based domains. |
| creative | Generic but commonly used for branding. |
| ai | Indicates AI-generated artwork businesses. |
| shop | Used for e-commerce selling art. |
| auction | Related to digital and physical art sales. |
What this means: The .ART namespace heavily favors galleries, artists, and digital art professionals, with growing AI and NFT adoption. Many .ART domains include descriptive keywords and common prefixes and suffixes (like “studio,” “gallery,” “design,” “photo”) suggest that registrants are following recognizable naming patterns to define their presence in the art ecosystem.
This structured naming trend makes it easier for web hosts, registrars, and SEO marketers to target specific segments within .ART, whether it’s artists, galleries, AI art startups, or NFT creators.
Key Takeaways
- .ART domains are attracting a wider audience than ever. More businesses, artists, and creative professionals are investing in their online presence.
- Performance and optimization present an untapped opportunity. Hosts that provide solutions for speed and security will have a competitive edge.
- Expired domains are being repurposed, sometimes in unexpected ways. While some of these domains are being leveraged for legitimate business and artistic purposes, others are being redirected for unrelated content, including gambling. This raises concerns about brand integrity and the intended purpose of the .ART namespace. At the same time, it presents an opportunity for registrars and the registry to implement better monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
- There is an opportunity for .ART to explore partnerships with niche CMS providers and offer specialized support for emerging platforms.
- Web hosts and registrars can help .ART users achieve greater online visibility with tailored SEO services and educational content.
As .ART continues to grow, the opportunities for innovation and engagement are vast. By aligning services with the needs of artists, businesses, and digital entrepreneurs, web hosts, registrars, and registries can play a pivotal role in shaping the future of .ART.
