On Thursday, Nov. 5, a surge in new applications for .cpa web addresses overwhelmed the platform and some accountants couldn’t access their new sites. Within 24 hours, the American Institute of CPAs said it had resolved the issue.
The new .cpa domain name was introduced by the AICPA this year in order to help firms extend their existing brands and digital positioning. The early application process for .cpa websites began in September and ran through Oct. 31. Then, through Nov. 5, firms would be notified of the acceptance of their application.
Nov. 5 was the first date firms would be allowed to activate and access their new websites. The surge of activity overwhelmed the platform, and some accountants got a message saying as much.
After being notified of this issue, the AICPA issued a statement on the domain management page, stating, “We experienced a significant surge today in CPA firms seeking to activate and manage their new .cpa domains through the EnCirca platform. At one point, the platform was overloaded and some users attempting to log in experienced issues. This is now resolved and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
Early adopter phase will run till Jan. 14, 2021. On Jan. 15, .cpa registrations will be open to individually licensed CPAs who would like their own web page with the .cpa domain.
Pricing for a standard .cpa domain is $225 a year. Premium domains — those with just two or three letters — will cost $690 a year.
