New registrations of .ie domain names are up 56% in Q2 as businesses move online in response to Covid-19 pandemic. That’s according to the IE Domain Profile Report for H1 2020, published today by IE Domain Registry (IEDR).
A total of 33,286 new .ie domains were registered in the first half (H1) of 2020 (1 January–30 June), an increase of 26% compared to the same period last year.
Over 40% of new registrations in Ireland occurred in the two months of May and June, as businesses reacted to the consequences of the government's closure orders. IEDR believes this increase suggests that more companies, self-employed business owners, and independent professionals have gone online since the lockdown to maintain their revenue streams, stay in contact with customers, and expand into new markets.
That analysis is confirmed by Blacknight, the leading Irish domain registrar and web host, which handles about 30% of new .ie registrations.
“We’ve seen a surge in demand since the crisis began” says Blacknight CEO Michele Neylon. “And it’s not just for the domain names themselves. Businesses are putting their domains to work and adding payment systems and online stores to their websites.”
Blacknight has responded to the crisis by introducing new products like siteBuilder and shopBuilder, which adds online sales functionality to any website. They're running free webinars to help train business owners and producing a podcast about coping with pandemic life (thelockin.ie).
David Curtin, CEO of IE Domain Registry, says the surge in .ie name registrations represents “a significant digital expansion”.
“Thirty-one of the island’s thirty-two counties recorded an increase in the first six months of 2020. This suggests that all business owners and entrepreneurs, in cities and in regional parts of the country, understand that having a trusted, uniquely Irish online presence is absolutely crucial in a time of lockdown, when nearly all physical premises are shut and footfall is extremely low or non-existent.”
.ie now accounts for 50.7% of all of Ireland’s hosted domains versus 32.6% for .com. The report includes some interesting statistics on the breakdown of new registrations.
- 59% of all new .ie registrations in H1 2020 were by companies or the self-employed.
- New .ie registrations by individuals increased by more than 35% YoY in H1 2020.
- County Tyrone recorded the largest increase in new .ie domains (105%) in H1 2020 (albeit from a low base), followed by Monaghan (83%) andCarlow(75%).
- Dublin and Cork recorded the highest (12,504) and second highest (2,734) numbers of new .ie domain registrations in H1 2020.
- Great Britain accounts for the majority of internationally registered .iedomains.
- New registrations in H1 2020 increased by 13% year-on-year (from 635 to 718).
- New .ie domain registrations that include a 'fada' increased by 13% (39 in H1 2019 vs 44 in H1 2020).
- 41% of .ie websites now have a security certificate.
About Blacknight
Blacknight (http://www.blacknight.com/) are an Irish based, ICANN accredited domain registrar and hosting company. Recipients of several awards for their revolutionary use of social media, Blacknight are one of Europe’s most cutting edge Internet companies. Blacknight constantly seek to lead the way by introducing innovative solutions for its client base and provide dedicated servers and co-location as well as a comprehensive range of Microsoft Windows and Linux based hosting services and domain name registration services to business globally. IP transit services and other solutions for more demanding business and academic customers are offered a la carte. Fibre broadband services for both business and domestic users are also available throughout most of Ireland.