Dot UK popularity soars

Dot com is the loser as firms look to localise their domain names

Demand for .uk domain names has soared in recent years as organisations look to build closer ties with their customers, according to new research from domain market place Sedo.

The firm analysed its sales figures over the last three years and found that the average price of a .co.uk name rose by 22 per cent while the average price for a .com name fell over the same time by 18 per cent.

The differences can be explained by the increasing maturity of businesses' domain name management strategies, according to Sedo's business development deirctor, Nora Nanayakkara.

"Firms are under increasing pressure to have a better online presence," she said. "And as the marketing and branding guys have got more savvy, they realised domain names are a key part of this strategy."

Firms with an international reach appear to be buying up regional extensions not just to defensively register them, but to give off a local image to their customers, explained Nanayakkara.

"As we become more globalised, users feel .uk provides them with an additional security blanket," she added. "The first thing firms should think about [as they internationalise] is getting a name in every extension they think they will need."

Last year, the Domain Name Industry Report by .uk regsitry Nominet found that 62 per cent of UK web users prefer dealing with .co.uk addresses.