Preference for .uk domains at an all time high

Online, November 4, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Consumers go global, but opt for local: 77% of British consumers select a .uk search result over .com when searching over the Internet

Global domain name industry weathers the economic storm with 8% increase in worldwide registrations

country code Top Level Domains exceed global domain name growth with 10% increase in registrations

.uk market penetration remains strong with more than 100 domain names per 1,000 inhabitants.

LONDON. 4th November 2009 - Nominet's annual domain name industry report today reveals that 77% of British consumers prefer to use a .uk rather than a .com when searching for information on the Internet. Consumers stated they would most likely click on .uk rather than a .com reinforcing that .uk is a relevant and trusted environment that presents the most appropriate and local information.

Findings for the report also showed that despite the current economic climate the global domain name industry has seen an 8% growth with 187.6 million domain names registered worldwide. Generic top level domains (gTLDs), such as .org and .com, have grown on average by 6% whilst the country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) including .uk and .de (the German registry) fared slightly better and together generated a 10% average growth in registrations.

ccTLDs that have achieved significant growth in 2009 include: The Russian Federation, with an increase of 40.5%, Poland with 29.1%, Brazil with 25%. The .uk domain registry also scored highly with a 10.7% growth and strong market penetration with more than 100 domain names per 1,000 inhabitants. The only ccTLD to decrease in size is .cn, the Chinese registry. It has dropped by 0.5% in the past twelve months allowing .de, with its steady growth, to regain its position as the largest ccTLD by volume.

This strong growth is enabling country code domains to close the gap between the more well-established Top Level Domains (TLDs) and proving that the world's connected consumers are becoming more familiar and trusting of localised domain names. Furthermore, they are increasingly expecting businesses to be represented by a site with a domain name that is appropriate for the region in which they are operating.

Phil Kingsland, Director of Marketing and Communications at Nominet, comments: "It's encouraging to see that despite market saturation and the global economic recession, the .uk registry and other ccTLDs have remained strong. The report demonstrates that both consumers and businesses are willing to invest in 'local' domains because they are seen as reliable, relevant and trusted and will give them a direct route to their target audience."

"The findings show that businesses must now pay attention to Internet brand awareness and marketing strategies that are in line with consumer expectations. It is a global marketplace, but what we are seeing is that consumers trust and rely on a more local touch point with a brand."

"We look forward to working closely with the Internet community next year to uphold this trusted reputation and continue to make the Internet a safe place for all."

Please see here (http://www.nominet.org.uk/intelligence/industryreport) for a full copy of the Nominet Domain Name Industry Report 2009.

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About Nominet
Nominet operates at the heart of e-commerce in the UK, running one of the world's largest Internet registries and managing over seven million domain names. Nominet maintains the register of .uk domain names and runs the DNS infrastructure that keeps .uk working.

It runs the technology that locates a computer in the Internet hosting the web site or email system you're looking for when you type in a web address or send an email to an address that ends in .uk.

Nominet is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee that has members not shareholders, pays no dividends and its charges only cover its running costs. Anyone with an interest in the Internet may become a member. Nominet has over 2,800 members representing all areas of the Internet industry.

Nominet also runs the Tier 1 registry for UK ENUM, a new UK registry service that combines telephone numbers and the Domain Name System to simplify the way telephone calls over the Internet work. It removes the need for connection to the telephone network and enables more calls to be made for free.