Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC
Overview
.sohu is a brand generic top-level domain (gTLD) applied for and operated by SOHU.com Limited. Proposed through ICANN's New gTLD Program, the string is intended to represent Sohu's online brand and to consolidate the company's various web properties under a single TLD.
History
- Applicant: SOHU.com Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of SOHU.com Inc.).
- Applied in ICANN's New gTLD Program (application revealed in June 2012).
- Registry Agreement signed with ICANN on 19 December 2013.
- Delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 25 March 2014.
- Registry model: applicant-run registry; .sohu is classified as a brand gTLD.
Usage and Audience
- Primary use: internal business of SOHU and its subsidiaries; aimed at consolidating existing product lines and channels.
- Target audiences: Sohu's users across news, entertainment, search, games, real estate, and community services in China and globally.
- Major Sohu product lines and subsidiaries intended to use .sohu include:
- Sogou (search and related products)
- Changyou (online games)
- Focus (real estate)
- Chinaren (community / alumni)
- 17173 (game information)
- Go2map (mapping)
- Example use cases described by the applicant:
- Subsidiary and product sites moved under .sohu
- Special reports or event microsites (e.g., sars.sohu)
- Large campaigns and projects (e.g., dream2009.sohu)
- Fan or celebrity communities and archives (e.g., dlj.sohu)
- Product or portal launches (e.g., ldj.sohu)
- Event/year-specific microsites (e.g., 2012.sohu for the London Olympics)
Registration Rules
- Intended eligibility and scope:
- Planned primarily for SOHU and its subsidiaries, product lines and channels (internal use).
- Applicant planned a staged registration rollout focusing first on key subsidiaries and product lines, then broader company product coverage.
- Registration forecasts and pricing (applicant plan):
- Price target: $20 per domain per year.
- Expected registrations: ~1,000 in year one, ~1,500 in year two, and ~2,000 by the end of year three.
SEO and Brand Impact
- Purpose: brand protection, consolidation and clearer brand presentation across Sohu's web properties.
- Expected benefits described by the applicant:
- Improve brand consistency and security by centralizing domains under .sohu.
- Strengthen brand positioning and user trust by providing recognizable, company-owned domain names.
- Facilitate marketing and global promotion of Sohu's businesses through an owned TLD.
Notable Cases or Examples
-
Representative example labels and proposed uses mentioned by the applicant:
- sars.sohu (special reporting)
- dream2009.sohu (campaign/project site)
- cma.sohu (Chinese Music Award)
- dlj.sohu (celebrity/fan community)
- ldj.sohu (game portal for Lu Ding Ji)
- 2012.sohu (Olympics-related portal)
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The application emphasized consolidating existing domains (currently scattered across multiple TLDs) under .sohu to unify Sohu's online presence.
Operator
Sohu.com Limited
Whois
% IANA WHOIS server % for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org % This query returned 1 object domain: SOHU organisation: Sohu.com Limited address: SOHU.com Media Plaza, Block 3, No.2 Kexueyuan South Road address: Haidian District address: Beijing address: China contact: administrative name: dns admin organisation: Sohu.com Limited address: SOHU.com Media Plaza, Block 3, No.2 Kexueyuan South Road address: Haidian District address: Beijing address: China phone: +86-10-56602146 e-mail: dnsadmin@sohu-inc.com contact: technical name: technical support organisation: Sohu.com Limited address: SOHU.com Media Plaza, Block 3, No.2 Kexueyuan South Road address: Haidian District address: Beijing address: China phone: +86-10-56602146 e-mail: dnsadmin@sohu-inc.com nserver: A.ZDNSCLOUD.CN 203.99.24.1 nserver: B.ZDNSCLOUD.CN 203.99.25.1 nserver: C.ZDNSCLOUD.COM 203.99.26.1 nserver: D.ZDNSCLOUD.COM 203.99.27.1 nserver: F.ZDNSCLOUD.CN 116.169.54.111 nserver: G.ZDNSCLOUD.COM 223.72.199.37 nserver: I.ZDNSCLOUD.CN 2401:8d00:1:0:0:0:0:1 nserver: J.ZDNSCLOUD.COM 2401:8d00:2:0:0:0:0:1 ds-rdata: 61396 8 2 44f80a22b60d8c7a4e02d5c1b57af36da11d0cefe4320e588e20dcd4b2a80f09 whois: status: ACTIVE remarks: Registration information: created: 2014-02-27 changed: 2024-11-18 source: IANA