Late last week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the institution that sets the standards on which the web operates, announced that a limitless new array of domain extensions would soon be available. As the New York Times put it, "Move over .com and .org. Get ready for a nearly infinite variety of new Web addresses ending in words like .perfume, .sports and .paris."

It's impossible to imagine a web user, business, or other institution that won't be affected.

Many observers are already pointing out the chaos it will cause for brand managers and trademark administrators as they rush to secure relevant extensions before competitors, opponents or spammers get their hands on .coke, .microsoft, or .yankees.

But the most important impact of the new policy will be on Google, the world's largest search engine. (Full disclosure: Microsoft, which owns search engine MSN, is an Edelman client.)

The reasoning isn't complicated: The more difficult it becomes to recall, identify or understand the URL of the sites web users are looking for, the more likely they are to turn to search. Already, some experts suggest that a healthy website with rich, dynamic content can expect to receive three quarters of its visitors from search engines. The proliferation of confusing extensions will only drive greater use of those search engines. And there's no reason to think that Google, with its leading search methodology and superior hardware resources, is going to give up the top spot anytime soon.

More traffic through Google's search pages means more revenue and, thus, more resources available for new product development and innovation.

It's often said that the most important consequences of key decisions are the unintended ones. It's hard for me to believe that ICANN meant to hand Google a big, beautiful gift all wrapped in a bow, but that's exactly what this decision does.