Registrations of .IE domain names grew by an unprecedented 39% in the first half of 2018 over the same period last year, with a record 28,126 new .IE domain names registered during the period from January to June, according to the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) Domain Profile Report which was published today.
Now the company which handled the largest share of those new registrations, Carlow-based Blacknight is calling on IEDR to reduce the cost of IE domain names and pass on the savings made by simplifying the registration process earlier this year.
“It’s no surprise that simpler registration rules have led to a growth in registration volumes. None. We knew that would happen”, says Michele Neylon, CEO of Blacknight.
He points out that his company worked hard to advocate for the liberalisation of registration rules, and ran a vigorous advertising and promotional campaign to promote awareness of the change among consumers.
“We had long argued that cumbersome registration requirements were needlessly impeding the growth of the Irish national domain. We’re delighted to be proved right, and we welcome the vote of confidence shown by the public in the .IE namespace”, said Neylon.
“But now it’s time to tackle the other obstacle to growth. If IEDR want to really drive registration volumes, then they need to reduce the wholesale price of IE domain names to bring them in line with other major European country-code domain names”.
He says that the only beneficiary of the cost-savings delivered by the rule changes in March has been IEDR itself, which has likely seen a reduction in costs associated with what was previously a labour-intensive process.
.IE domain names typically renew for in excess of €20 (although prices are generally discounted on the first year). By contrast, .BE domain names (Belgium) cost about €10. .UK names cost as little as €7.99 ex VAT.
The IEDR Domain Profile Report [PDF] includes a comparison of .IE with other country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs). At 46 .IE domains per 1,000 people, Ireland currently ranks 16th out of 22 countries in Europe.
Michele Neylon is convinced that price is an important factor.
“Irish customers have shown themselves to be exceptionally price-sensitive in relation to domains and hosting services – and they are right too. Businesses need to watch their costs and look after the pennies. We all have an obligation to get the best value we can”.
Today's report by IEDR makes interesting reading. David Curtin, Chief Executive of IE Domain Registry, said: “Virtually every county in Ireland recorded an increase in .IE domain registrations in the first half of 2018. The majority were registered by corporate bodies and sole traders. This is good news: an increase in online activity among businesses is a leading indicator of Ireland’s broader economic growth".
Mr Curtin welcomed the increase in .IE registrations across all regions. “The growth of .IE in regional parts of Ireland is a fantastic example of how the internet can help businesses in less infrastructurally developed counties overcome traditional barriers to growth, such as a smaller customer base or slower road and rail links.”
Commenting on the report in a post on the Blacknight company blog, Michele Neylon noted that more private individuals are now registering IE domains than ever before. They account for 21% of registrations in the first 6 months of 2018, compared to only 6% in the same period last year.
* the longest IE domain name is 54 characters long (lithuanian-and-russian-translation-and-language-school.ie)
