The American Institute of CPA and its technology arm, CPA.com, have extended the .cpa web domain across the border into Canada, allowing CPAs and CPA firms in Canada to request .cpa web addresses to strengthen their brand.
The restricted web domain was officially launched in Canada on Tuesday morning. To be eligible, Canadian CPAs and CPA firms must be licensed. The AICPA said preferred site names will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.
The .cpa domain is one of a new set of specialized top-level domains. The AICPA was granted ownership and oversight of .cpa in 2019 by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the non-profit organization that oversees the Internet’s naming system. CPA.com is responsible for managing the service globally.
The AICPA initially launched the .cpa domain in the United States last September, and thousands of US CPAs and businesses have registered .cpa domains to date.
“Restricted domains are more secure, promote greater trust and credibility with customers and the general public, and enable stronger branding opportunities,” said CPA.com President and CEO Erik Asgeirsson, in a press release. “We have seen a great interest from the profession in this service offering and we are delighted to bring this important capacity to CPAs in Canada now and to other countries in 2022.”
CPA Canada, the main credentials provider in Canada, does not appear to be involved in the deployment.
The specialty area gives CPAs and their firms a way to market their referrals and stand out in the market. “We’ve all worked hard to get our CPA licenses – it’s not a trophy that everyone gets,” said Ryan King, partner of Michigan-based King & King, in a statement. “The .cpa domain communicates this distinction directly, which is one of the reasons we were so excited to put it to work for our business. “
For more information on .cpa or to request the new service, visit domains.cpa/canada. A French version is also available on domains.cpa/canada/en.
