Are you one of the 3.2 million website owners who haven’t registered for the shorter .uk version of your domain name? Beware. There’s only a few days left to claim the .uk extension … the deadline is 25th June, after which ANYONE will be able to grab it from you.
Why should you bother?
It may be worth registering for the .uk version merely to protect your brand name and reputation from scammers who may setup yourcompany.uk.
First, let’s explain a technical term … Domain names that have only two ‘parts’ to them (either side of the full stop, xx.uk) are called ‘second-level domains’. Those with three parts (and two full stops, such as .co.uk or .org.uk) are called ‘third-level domains’.
Pros of second-level domains
- They emphasise your brand name rather than the web address’ extension (e.g. goodbusiness.uk versus greatbusienss.gov.ukand fsb.org.uk)
- It tells search engines and customers your target market is the UK
- It helps you compete against other second-level domains, e.g. as used in some countries (xx.fr in France) and by some generic extensions (xxx.tv)
Cons
- A few people may initially be confused by shorter domains – but they will get used to them as they become more common.
What about SEO?
- There are no advantages or disadvantages to SEO of the shorter domains. The difference is purely cosmetic.
What to do next…
When did you register your domain?
Only domains registered before 23:59hrs on 28 October 2013 acquired the rights to the equivalent .uk domain, and domains were reserved for 5 years from this date. This reservation expires on 25th June 2019.
If your domain names are managed by ZenMSP then Click here To register your .uk domain
If you usually manage your domains yourself through ENOM then login to your account at enomcentral.com
IMPORTANT NOTE: The registrant details for your .uk domain must EXACTLY match the ones you used for your .co.uk domain.
Same name, address, registrant type, company name, company number, email address.
Nominet are very finicky about this, and even extra spaces in the address can cause it to be denied.
If you are moving to a new domain…
If you are moving your website to the shorter domain/extension, beware how long it could take. In fact, we suggest keeping your old domain and website in service for a while (several months or even a few years), to ensure you don’t lose any business during the move.
More information
For more information, visit the Nominet website (the UK’s domain registry), you can check who has the right-of-registration to a domain here.
Get in touch!
If this is all a bit too much, remember we are here to help, so just get in touch.
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