.UK Domain Names

Why should I register a .UK domain name?

The .UK domain is a ccTLD (country code top level domain), and the Internet country code for the United Kingdom. Located in Western Europe, the islands of the United Kingdom include the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland. The United Kingdom is a unitary state consisting of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales Also included are the Rockall and Shetland Islands. They are all located between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France. Combined, the islands cover 94,926 square miles, an area slightly smaller than Oregon. According to the July 2008 census, the population was 60,943,912 people. English is the official language although Welsh is spoken by about 26% of the population of Wales, and the Scottish form of Gaelic by about 60,000 in Scotland.

The United Kingdom has the fifth largest economy in the world, and was the world's first industrialized country. It was also the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the two world wars took their toll on the UK's leading role in global affairs, the UK still remains a major power with strong economic, cultural, military and political influence worldwide. It is a Member State of the European Union, holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the G8, NATO, OECD, World Trade Organization and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Why should I register a .UK domain name?

The .UK domain is extremely popular withing the United Kingdom. As of November 2008, it was the sixth most popular top-level domain worldwide (after .COM, .CN, .DE, .NET, and .ORG), with 7,227,705 registrations. The .UK domain name presents a great opportunity for local and international companies wanting to represent their business in the United Kingdom. Local domain names give your company a professional image, which demonstrates proof of your commitment to local customers. By targeting this local market, you can maximize your company's revenues.

Protecting your identity is crucial. That is true for your personal identity as well as your online identity. Safeguarding your assets is non-negotiable in today’s world. By registering your trademark in ccTLDs, you are taking one more step toward protecting your business. You have enough to worry about in business. Don’t let having your competitors acquire your name be one of them. By holding your trademark in ccTLDs, you will not have to concern yourself with attempting to acquire your name after someone else has registered it.

We all know that highly coveted domains are those that are short or have common words. These types of domains are almost impossible to acquire in heavily populated domains like .COM or .NET. However, the chances of finding your domain in a ccTLD are exponentially better. Because most ccTLDs are continuing to grow, it is easier to register short or keyword-rich domains.

Are there any restrictions for registering a .UK?

There are no restrictions for registering most sub-domains including CO.UK and ORG.UK. However, some extensions do have differing restrictions. For the most common .UK domains, registration is open to anyone, similar to .COM, .NET, or .ORG.

Name.com offers the following .UK extensions:

.UK Extension	Intended Use
CO.UK	commercial/general
ORG.UK	non-profit organizations

More information about the .UK extension:

Nominet: The .UK Registry

Wikipedia Article: .UK

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