An Englishman’s home is his castle. Or rather, these days, an Englishman’s home is his studio flat (shared bathroom, no parking space). As demand for homes outstrips supply, prices rocket, leaving prospective buyers with little choice but to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for something that is little more than a gazebo with a kettle in it.
But it’s not just on land where Brits are outgrowing their surroundings. It’s online. In the year 2000, there were approximately 26 million domain names registered globally. Just 14 years later, there are more than 271 million. Everyone is looking for a place to call their own online, with businesses snapping up domain names as they look to get a foot on the digital ladder.
Today, everything changes. Customers from across the UK will have the opportunity to register a new domain name.
An addition to the very popular and well known .com and .co.uk, the .uk extension offers businesses the chance to register a shorter, sharper domain. The introduction of a standalone .uk domain widens the playing field, increasing the number of options available for people looking for their own corner of the Web.
The release of .uk will mark the biggest change in the UK domain namespace since its inception in 1985. Mirroring the simple .com structure, website.uk addresses are the preferred choice for 72 percent of business decision-makers. And it’s not hard to see why. Since the birth of the Internet .co.uk and its respective alternatives have built solid foundations of trust, status and reliability — traits each and every business strive for.
In the digital age, shorter is better — and today having a .co.uk domain is not enough.
Customers want to be able to connect with you quickly and simply. Indeed, a Nominet study has shown that 81 percent of people would prefer .uk domains when searching or buying online.
For businesses that have built their name and reputation on their Web address, activating their .uk address is a simple way to ensure all traffic from new and existing customers finds a way to their site. Businesses will need to be fast to register the new .uk domain to avoid missing out. Holders of existing .co.uk domains will be protected for five years before their .uk alternative opens to the market, but we recommend activating the .uk domain straight away to keep pace with the ever-changing digital landscape.
To borrow another well-known British adage, it’s all about location, location, location. Now’s the time to invest in an address that epitomizes everything that’s important to British businesses.
It’s go time.
