Bringing with her 20 years of marketing experience, Elisa Cooper joined the company in 2017 to lead the organization’s marketing strategy and execution. A domain name industry veteran, Elisa has worked closely with many Fortune 1000 companies in assisting with domain and brand protection policy development and has spoken and written extensively on these topics.
Posts by Elisa Cooper.
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Sep 24, 2020 - by Elisa Cooper
Corporate Domain Name Management in 2020: The Impact of Portfolio Size on Management, Objectives and Satisfaction
Brandsight recently completed their Fourth Annual Corporate Domain Name Management Survey. This year, the survey was sent to over 300 corporate domain name professionals across verticals including retail, manufacturing, financial services, travel, and media. Of those that responded, 18% had portfolios of less than 500 names, 25% had portfolios of 501 – 3000 domains, 35% had portfolios of 3001 – 10,000 domains, and 22% had more than 10,000 domains. This year’s survey revealed an interesting trend related to where within organizations domain name portfolios are managed.
Read full postSep 10, 2020 - by Elisa CooperCorporate Domain Name Management: 7 Steps for Uncovering and Remediating Risks
Keeping corporate domain name portfolios in tip-top shape requires more than just managing the registration of domain names in support of new brands, TLDs and market expansion. It also requires periodic review to ensure that names are both secure and resolving, and that website visitors can consistently reach their destination, regardless of whether they’ve added the www, or have misspelled or fat-fingered names. Step 1: Take Inventory A portfolio review starts with inventorying all domains owned by the company.
Read full postJun 25, 2020 - by Elisa CooperVirtual ICANN Meetings – YES, Please.
In the early 2000’s when I began working in the domain name industry, I remember hearing from colleagues about these seemingly elusive ICANN meetings which were invariably hosted in some pretty incredible places including Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Cape Town. I remember how some of my colleagues complained about being stuck in windowless conference rooms for hours on end, but secretly thinking that they were probably going to a few meetings, but then actually enjoying a fabulous vacation.
Read full postMay 11, 2020 - by Elisa CooperPractical Pointers for Paring Portfolios
As we enter the new normal, many legal departments have already begun looking for ways to reduce spend even as they are being asked to register COVID-19 domains. IP maintenance fees for patents, trademarks and domains are a natural place to start. While paring back patent and trademark portfolios can yield some significant savings, it’s well-known that most corporate domain name portfolios contain registrations that are no longer needed. Domain names for products never launched, no longer supported or campaigns that have long-since-ended are prime candidates.
Read full postDec 20, 2019 - by Elisa Cooper2019 Domain Name Year in Review
And so it goes, we are coming to the end of 2019, and that can mean only one thing. It’s time for another Domain Name Year in Review. And unlike years past, this year was a real doozy. So without further ado, here are the domain name industry’s top 10 biggest stories for 2019. 10. Leading Registries and Registrars Sign on to Framework for Abuse To date, 48 leading registries and registrars have signed onto the “Framework to Address Abuse.
Read full postDec 5, 2019 - by Elisa CooperWhy I Love the Domain Name Industry
I’m finally getting to an age where many of my closest friends are beginning to reevaluate what is most important to them and what really makes them happy. Two of my closest friends have made major career changes. One left a successful legal career as a partner at a prestigious San Francisco firm to become a representative in the Idaho state legislature. The other left a successful medical practice to teach French to middle schoolers.
Read full postOct 23, 2019 - by Elisa CooperDomain Name Principles: Optimizing Domain Name Portfolios
Domain names can be valuable assets, but many corporate domain name portfolios consist of non-resolving domains. In a recent survey conducted by Brandsight, more than 91% of domain professionals said that ensuring domains redirect to relevant content was an extremely important or somewhat important goal. That said, it’s not uncommon for less than half of corporate domain name portfolios to point to live content. Sure, there are adult-themed domains or those registered anonymously for future use that purposely do not resolve, but those are the exception to the rule.
Read full postSep 10, 2019 - by Elisa CooperCorporate Domain Name Management Becoming More Difficult – Is Anyone Surprised?
Brandsight recently concluded their Third Annual Domain Management Survey. Designed to uncover issues of greatest concern to corporate domain name professionals, the survey was sent to more than 300 companies. The companies that responded spanned all verticals, ranging from financial services to high-tech to consumer packaged goods. Of those that responded, 18% had portfolios smaller than 500 domains, 34% had mid-sized portfolios containing 501 – 3,000 domains, 32% had large portfolios containing 3,001 – 10,000 domains.
Read full postJul 9, 2019 - by Elisa CooperCorporate Domain Name Management: Consolidated Portfolio or Two-Vendor Approach – Why Not Both?
For close to 15 years, when it comes to domain name management, I’ve personally touted two things: 1) the importance of using a single, secure, corporate domain name registrar and 2) the importance of having a fully-consolidated domain name portfolio for even the largest portfolios. And in many ways, this made sense back then. With a single, corporate-focused registrar, domain professionals were able to access and manage all domains from within a centralized repository.
Read full postJun 10, 2019 - by Elisa CooperATTN: All Domain Name Professionals - Now is the Time for a Portfolio Review
As we move further into the summer months and the demands made upon domain professionals typically ease, now is the ideal time to review domain name portfolios. And technology solutions can greatly automate this process. Ensuring that portfolios are pared, appropriate levels of security are implemented, and domains point to relevant content are all key areas upon which to focus. Paring Portfolios Always easier said than done, most corporate domain name managers freely admit that domains exist within their portfolios that are no longer needed or even wanted.
Read full postMay 15, 2019 - by Elisa CooperEvaluating Corporate Registrars? What You May Be Overlooking.
Maybe there is something in the air, but it seems like an increasing number of corporate legal departments are starting to reevaluate whether their current registrar is still the best option for them. Many have used the same registrar for over a decade, or have ended up as a client of a legacy provider when their registrar was acquired. Regardless of whether companies are looking for better service, support, expertise or technology, evaluating other options every few years can be a worthwhile endeavor.
Read full postFeb 7, 2019 - by Elisa CooperReally, Really Understand Defensive Domain Name Traffic
For years, we’ve been talking about the need to point defensive domain name registrations to relevant content, and the importance of tracking traffic. Generally speaking, most corporate domain name registrars provide high-level traffic statistics. But here is the dirty little secret that most registrars don’t want to discuss – most of the page views being reported by registrars are the result of bot traffic. After all, who would possibly be typing in www.
Read full postDec 21, 2018 - by Elisa Cooper2018 Domain Name Year in Review
Well, it’s that time of year again. The time of year when I look back at all of the biggest domain news stories from the last twelve months, and also reflect on my predictions from last year. As expected, GDPR has had a major impact on the ability to access domain ownership information. And we did indeed see a number of M&A transactions over this last year. However, there wasn’t a lot of new .
Read full postOct 17, 2018 - by Elisa CooperQ&A with Matt Serlin, EPDP Team Member
Matt Serlin is the former Chair of the ICANN Registrar’s Constituency and is currently a member of the Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) team on the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data. For the past several months, Matt has met at least 2 times each week with members of EPDP team. As a reminder, the EPDP team is comprised of 31 individuals representing various groups within the ICANN community including intellectual property interests, the governments who participate in ICANN, as well as the at-large users and contracted parties.
Read full postSep 19, 2018 - by Elisa CooperSecond Annual Brandsight Domain Management Survey Reveals Companies Face Challenges Managing Domain Name Portfolios
Brandsight recently concluded their Second Annual Domain Management Survey. Respondents to the survey were corporate domain name professionals. Of those that responded, 35% had portfolios that were between 3,000-10,000 domains and another 30% had portfolios greater than 10,000 domains. Fifty-seven percent of respondents reported that they manage domains out of the legal department, with the remaining respondents’ portfolios managed out of IT, marketing and other groups. This year’s survey revealed that for 53% of respondents, managing domain name portfolios has become more difficult.
Read full postJun 13, 2018 - by Elisa CooperLeveraging Traffic Statistics to Manage Corporate Domain Portfolios
Corporate domain name portfolios often consist of domain names that do not resolve to relevant content. In fact, it’s not uncommon for less than half of corporate domains to point to live content. Sure there are domains such as those that point to “sucks” sites or those registered anonymously for future use that purposely do not resolve, but those are the exception to the rule. Most domains that do not resolve were registered defensively or acquired via acquisition - without much thought given to where the domains should actually point.
Read full postMar 28, 2018 - by Elisa CooperLeveraging Trademark Data to Drive Domain Name Strategy
For years, corporate domain name portfolio managers have struggled with determining whether or not their portfolios were the “right” size. Managers of mature domain name portfolios have often felt that their portfolios were bloated, containing domains that were no longer needed. Conversely, domain managers of newer portfolios have sometimes known that gaps existed. Regardless, the question remains - just how many domains should a corporate portfolio contain? Undoubtedly, trademark registrations are a leading indicator of domain portfolio size.
Read full postFeb 7, 2018 - by Elisa CooperPreparing for GDPR’s Impact on WHOIS – 5 Steps to Consider
With GDPR coming into effect this May, it is almost a forgone conclusion that WHOIS as we know it today, will change. Without knowing the full details, how can companies begin to prepare? Communicate Changes First and foremost, ensuring that brand protection, security and compliance departments are aware that a change to WHOIS access is on the horizon is an important first step. Just knowing that the ability to uncover domain ownership information is likely to change in the future will help to relieve some of the angst that is likely to occur.
Read full postDec 13, 2017 - by Elisa CooperBrandsight Podcast: 2017 Domain Name Year in Review
Listen as Matt and Elisa review some of the biggest domain news stories from 2017.
Read full postDec 6, 2017 - by Elisa Cooper2017 Domain Name Year in Review
Given that it’s been a few years since my last domain name year in review, I’ve really enjoyed looking back at this year’s biggest domain name stories, and seeing how this industry has evolved. This year in particular has seen some notable changes which are likely to impact the domain name landscape for years to come. So without further ado, here is my list for 2017: 10. Mergers and acquisitions continue to shape the domain industry landscape
Read full postNov 28, 2017 - by Elisa CooperSignificant Increase in Registry Locked Names Across Top 500 Most Highly-Trafficked
A recent study conducted by Brandsight has revealed that 28% of the top 500 most-highly trafficked sites now employ registry locking. In contrast, only 15% of the top 500 most highly-trafficked sites were leveraging registry locking in 2013. Back in 2013, only 356 of the top 500 most-highly trafficked sites could be registry locked, but that number has also risen significantly so that now 396 of the top 500 most-highly trafficked sites are eligible.
Read full postNov 14, 2017 - by Elisa CooperBrandsight Podcast: Becky Burr, ICANN Board Member Shares Her Thoughts on GDPR
Listen as Matt speaks with Becky Burr as she shares her thought on ICANN60 and GDPR
Read full postOct 17, 2017 - by Elisa CooperSurvey of Corporate Domain Name Managers Reveals Interesting Statistics
This summer, Brandsight conducted a short 5-question, anonymous survey to collect feedback from those responsible for managing corporate domain name portfolios.
Read full postOct 11, 2017 - by Elisa CooperBrandsight Podcast: Preparing for the ICANN Abu Dhabi Meeting
Listen to Matt and Elisa as they discuss topics of interest at the upcoming ICANN meeting in Abu Dhabi
Read full postOct 9, 2017 - by Elisa CooperICANN Publishes Schedule for Upcoming Abu Dhabi Meeting
The schedule for ICANN’s annual general meeting in Abu Dhabi is now available at https://schedule.icann.org/.
Read full postOct 5, 2017 - by Elisa CooperGDPR and the Future of WHOIS
Why does all of the discussion around potential options for WHOIS in the era of the EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) feel like déjà vu?
Is it because issues around WHOIS never really go away, and become a hot topic every few years?
Read full postSep 27, 2017 - by Elisa CooperBrandsight Podcast: Domain Industry Hot Topics
Listen to Matt and Elisa as they discuss .CAT, additions to the ICANN BOD, and ICANN’s new WHOIS manager.
Read full postSep 18, 2017 - by Elisa CooperTLD namespaces – Manhattan versus Boise
If you are reading this, you probably already know that we recently launched our new Brandsight.com website.
When we started thinking about our new website, we tossed around the idea of launching with a new gTLD, as opposed to .COM. But it didn’t take long for us to decide that promoting our new company in .COM was the right approach for us.
Intuitively – we knew it.
Read full postSep 5, 2017 - by Elisa CooperBrandsight Podcast: Matt and Elisa Back Together Again
Listen to Brandsight’s first podcast where Matt Serlin and Elisa Cooper discuss their love of domain names and their decision to join Brandsight.
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