Last month, Google told Ad Age that it was poised to go on a web-domain buying spree. Today, the company announced in a blog post some of the specific top-level domains it is applying for and the general categories they fall into. 
  
 Among the top-level domains (the part of a web address to the right of the dot) Google is applying for are ".google," ".docs,." ".youtube," and ".lol", the blog post said. The company applied for more than 50 top-level domains in total, according to a person close to the situation. Each application carries an $185,000 application fee. 
  
 The top-level-domain-application window closed yesterday, a month-and-a-half after the original close date -- ICANN shut down the process for several weeks following an acknowledgement that certain applicants might have been able to see the file names of other applicants' applications. It was another blow to ICANN's credibility, whose process for the rollout of new internet infrastructure has been attacked by trade associations, including the Association of National Advertisers. 
  
 ICANN said it received more than 1,900 applications, which would bring in an estimated $350 million in application fees. In its blog post, Google lumps .YouTube into a category of domains meant to "improve user experience." 
  
 As for .YouTube, the post says the domain "can increase the ease with which YouTube channels and genres can be identified." Improving content discovery on YouTube is more important than ever for Google considering the millions of dollars YouTube is pouring into original programming. 
  
 The example Google gave of domains it is seeking related to its core business was".docs," while ".google" was an example of trademark-related domains. On the other hand, ".lol" is part of a bundle of domain applications that Google thinks "have interesting and creative potential." 
  
 A Google spokesperson declined to provide more details on how the four domains would be used or which other top-level domains Google applied for. 
  
 ICANN says it will unveil all of the applications June 13. It's not clear when these domains will hit the web. A batch of 500 applications will be looked at first, and it's possible some of those accepted domains could start rolling out next year. ||||| Our trademarks, like .google 
  
 Domains related to our core business, like .docs 
  
 Domains that will improve user experience, such as .youtube, which can increase the ease with which YouTube channels and genres can be identified 
  
 Domains we think have interesting and creative potential, such as .lol 
  
 Make security and abuse prevention a high priority 
  
 Work with all ICANN-accredited registrars 
  
 Work with brand owners to develop sensible rights protection mechanisms that build upon ICANN’s requirements 
  
 In 2016, it’s estimated that almost half of the world’s population will be online, yet nearly 50 percent of the websites we visit are found in the .com top-level domain (TLD), which was among the first TLDs created in 1984. Despite the great opportunities the web has enabled for people around the world, there is still a lingering question about the diversity of the domain space (given that the number of generic TLDs has only increased by 14 in the last 28 years).In 2008, ICANN announced a program to expand the number of generic TLDs (think .com, .org, .edu), developed through its bottom-up, multi-stakeholder process, in which we participate. Given this expansion process, we decided to submit applications for new TLDs, which generally fall into four categories:We want to make the introduction of new generic TLDs a good experience for web users and site owners. So we will:We’re just beginning to explore this potential source of innovation on the web, and we are curious to see how these proposed new TLDs will fare in the existing TLD environment. By opening up more choices for Internet domain names, we hope people will find options for more diverse—and perhaps shorter—signposts in cyberspace. 
  
 Update Jun 13: You can view the list of gTLDs we applied for below: 
  
  
  
  
  
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Write a summary.
– Google.lol? Google has applied to become master of dozens of top-level Internet domains, including .lol, .docs, and .youtube. The total number of domains it has applied for—at $185,000 a pop—comes to more than 50, sources tell Advertising Age. The applications were made to the Internet Corporation for the Assignment of Web Names and Numbers, which is hugely expanding the number of domain endings from the present 28. ICANN says it has received more than 1,900 applications. In a blog post, Google's "chief Internet evangelist" Vint Cerf says the company is "just beginning to explore this potential source of innovation on the web," and "by opening up more choices for Internet domain names, we hope people will find options for more diverse—and perhaps shorter—signposts in cyberspace." He describes .lol as one of the domains Google thinks has "interesting and creative potential."