Nominet have revealed that .uk domain registrations grew by 10.5% over the past twelve months, bringing the total to 9.7 million and keeping the UK in the number two spot for worldwide registrations.

81% of businesses surveyed by Nominet said that they preferred to buy .uk domains even if they have the option of purchasing a .com.

Most felt that using a .uk domain would have more relevance to their customers as it immediately shows a company to be UK based thereby offering sterling prices and local delivery.

The report also showed that domain names continue to grow globally with an increase of 9.5% this year.

Commenting on the report, Lesley Cowley OBE, Chief Executive of Nominet, said: “Nominet is proud to continue to operate one of the world’s largest Internet domain name registries and the good news is that the .uk space continues to go from strength to strength.”

“The register was at 9.7 million domains at the end of September 2011 and we expect it to reach 10 million in the early months of next year. As business sites now account for more than three million .uk websites it is impossible to ignore the vital role that the .uk space plays in the national digital economy.”

From May next year, domains will also be available for up to ten years.

At the moment, domain purchasers can only register a name for up to two years at a time.

Nominet say that waiting until March to launch the new system will give registrars the opportunity to “develop their systems and plan for any impact this will have on their business.”

Lesley Cowley, CEO of Nominet, said: “For millions of businesses, their domain name is mission critical – from their website to the email addresses it supports. By offering longer registration periods, these businesses will have peace of mind that their domain name is secured for a number of years, and they won’t have to worry about renewing so frequently.”

Source: Kerry Butters