How to Register a .Bot Domain on Amazon and Why Your Business Needs One
Back in December 2017, Amazon launched the .BOT domain, but it wasn’t as popular as most people thought it would be. That’s because it wasn’t available to most people. Amazon planned it that way. Domains ending in .BOT were being reserved for developers who wanted to launch bots online. Tricky, tricky, Amazon.
To get a .BOT domain with Amazon, you needed to have a bot already registered with Amazon Lex, Microsoft Bot Framework, or Dialogflow in order to get your hands on one of these “elite” domains. Botkit Studio, Gupshup, and Pandorabots were recently added to the list. To date, .BOT registrations on Amazon continue to be in limited range. That means that they are still controlling the flow of applicants who can get a .BOT domain. But don’t worry, we’re going to show you how you can get one, and why you need one. Let’s start with the benefits of a .BOT domain for your project.
The Benefits of Owning a .BOT Domain
Some domain name trends come and go. How can you tell if it’s worth investing in a specialized domain to identify your bot?
Some of the best companies and projects have been born out of trendy domain endings: Grammar.ly, Musical.ly, and My.biz. Trends in naming domains have changed over the years, but people still love clever domain names that are simple and precise. Using a domain that ends in a product type, such as .BOT, positions your tech in a right place, right time environment where there is no mistaking what it is you offer people.
Another benefit of owning a .BOT domain is that it sets a standard in the industry. With many tech companies making the move or launching into the industry under the domain of .io, a domain like .BOT helps distinguish you from just another tech company and keeps your product front and center.
We can’t deny the prestige around owning something new and unique released by Amazon. Let’s be honest: don’t you want your bot to be found and associated with what will likely become the biggest bot search platform in the world? Grab the opportunity to be one of the first to tap into the power Amazon’s international brand strength is bringing to the bot space. A .BOT domain adds legitimacy to what you are doing while connecting your bot to the new era of Top Level Domain services.
The landing page package that is included in the purchase helps you get up and running fast and allows you to share your product with the community of bot owners everywhere. After registering for a .BOT domain, you get 14 days of unlimited access to the registration platform where you can create a landing page, get access to site builder features, and more to help promote your .BOT when it’s ready to go. Keep in mind when the 14-day free trial is up, you’ll be paying a monthly subscription for the ability to keep the landing page. Still, it’s nice to have a one-stop shop service from Amazon to make the job of launching and sharing your Bot simple and fast. There are over 20 templates that make it easy to drop a landing page in just a few hours to let the world know about your exciting bot.
Finally, owning a .BOT domain means that people and businesses that are interested in working with bots just like yours can find you quickly and easily. The domain you choose can affect not only your brand recognition but your visibility in organic search results, according to a case study by Web Traffic Advisors (Hidden Advantages of a Relevant Domain Name, 2017).
Keep reading to find out how you can get your hands on one of these elusive domains before the first round is all scooped up.
How to Register a .Bot Domain on Amazon
Remember that part about needing to have a Bot to register? Yeah, that’s real. If you visit Amazon’s Bot Registry it will walk you through a series of steps to register your Bot before it will allow you to get a .BOT domain.
Enter the .BOT domain you wish to try to register in the search bar you’ll encounter at the Amazon Registry site. You’ll notice there is a note below the search bar saying that the registrations are limited right now. The limited registration opened in December. There has been no news on when the next round is going to be available so move quickly on this step.
If you enter a .BOT domain that is already taken, you’ll have to try again. This might mean getting creative with your .BOT domain — all the more reason to do this as soon as possible before all the good .BOT names are gone. This is where the notion of “first to market” comes in: the longer you wait to register your .BOT domain, the less options there are going to be to choose from.
The trick to using .BOT domain registration is to be unique but true to your bot. in this example, we searched Julie.BOT and we were able to proceed through the registration process and verify the bot.
When you are permitted to pass the domain search phase, you’ll have to go through 3 steps to validate your bot complete the registration and setup process.
Step 1: Select Your Development Tool
To validate your bot, click the “select” button under Step 1 and choose a development tool from the dropdown menu. This list is always being updated. It started with just three development tools on it. Now there are six development tools and more coming for future iterations of the .BOT domain registration process.
Once you have selected the right development tool, click the Validate button to the right of this screen. In this example, we choose to activate a bot that we have been building on Botkit Studio.
Step 2: Locate Your Validation Key
At this point, you will need to find your validation key and submit it to Amazon for verification. If you don’t see your bot development tool in the list, you’ll need to get on a waiting list or email Amazon for support at this stage. They do plan to add more development tools so it may just be a matter of time before you can complete this process. Other things to look out for are if your validation fails. There are a number of reasons why this might happen: if the bot registration does not belong to you, it might be difficult for Amazon to talk to your account. If you have a connection error, this will certainly cause problems in your registration process. If your bot is not recognized by the registration process, you’ll need to contact Amazon to continue.
If you do have a validation key, enter it in the space below after you click the “I have my Validation Key” button.
Step 3: Enter Your Credentials
Now, all you have to do is wait for Amazon to recognize your bot in your development tool, and you’ll be on your way to completing your registration process. If the validation is successful, you will see a page like this:
Once you get to this point you are just steps away from owning your very own .BOT domain on Amazon’s elite hosting service. You’ll be presented with a number of buying options depending on when you register your domain. Keep in mind that registering a unique and impressive domain for your Bot.
Some Things to Pay Attention To
If you are new to the bot world, you will find your validation key on your bot development tool under Settings. In most cases, the validation key is easy to find because a lot bots with with APIs need to be validated in order to function properly. If you have trouble finding your validation key, reach out to your development tool provider for some help — that’s literally their job. Amazon is also available to help you at any point during your registration. You can find contact information at the bottom of the registration platform.
If you are trying to register a domain other than that which will be used for bots you are not going to get very far. The validation process is in place to “protect” bots and their developers. Amazon really wants to create a community around these resources and help support developers and the companies they work for with the .BOT domain.
If you don’t have a bot but want to get into building them, any one of the frameworks or bot builders listed below are a good place to start. Many have tutorials and helpful information to get you started and there are forums inside many development tools to help if you get stuck. Everything is hosted on Github or another service, like Glitch, and you can find additional help there as well.
As the world of bots continues to grow, Amazon is doing its part to support this industry and ensure that these little bots hit the ground running and have the best possible chance of exposure. It’s like going to an all-fruit market when all you want is fresh fruit. It’s like finding the perfect pair of jeans in a jean store when all you need is a new pair of jeans. That’s what .BOT domains are going to do for bots around the world — make the bot world smaller, and showcase these amazing tech products in the light that they deserve.
Here’s a final tip for you: if you know you want to get your hands on a .BOT domain but you’re still new to the world of building bots, you can get a .BOT domain without having a functional, live bot. Simply sign in to one of the bot developer tools, sign up for an account, launch a bot profile and then use your validation key to start the process of registering your bot. As long as you have a valid account and have “launched” a bot in a valid development tool, Amazon will allow you to pass through the validation phase. Your bot doesn’t have to be functional…or even built.
As we get ready for the next phase of growth across the bot industry, get ready for Amazon to explode with an amazing community and networking opportunity for bots of all kinds and applications. There is no reason not to launch a bot if you have a business, so stop putting it off and start working on a digital buddy to compliment your website, SaaS app, or service.
