The .UK revolution

yeah I don't really get the "trust" argument really. I understand them not knowing about the simpler .uk, but that's not trust

 

Surely not knowing about something is a barrier to conversion though? If it's something that gets noticed and gives even a second of hesitation then there's less value in the .uk than .co.uk?

I wouldn't say .uk vs .co.uk is make or break for a business though, it's simply one of many factors to the business overall.

 

Sadly I still think the .uk extension still has some barriers to market that the .co.uk extension simply doesn't have at the moment.

I imagine most end users will be thinking I wonder if xxxxx.co.uk is available as it is ideal for my business. They do some research to see if it is available which then gives them 5 likely outcomes:

1. Damm someone is already using it.
2. Woohoo it is free to register.
3. It isn't being used but the seller is asking for £100k, sod that.
4. It isn't being used but is available for only £500, lets buy it.
5. It isn't being used but the page isn't resolving, I'm stuck now.

Depending on the result they will either look for another name or look to see if it is available in another .tld.

If they decide to look for another .tld, depending on the outcome of the .co.uk search above, it might go like this:

Outcome 1, may make them look to see if the .uk is available, this then leads to the same 5 possible outcomes but with one serious caveat:

'hang on should I be worried if somebody else is already operating with the .co.uk name ??'

Outcome 3 & 5 may also make them look to see if the .uk is available, which will result in the same 5 possible outcomes again, but without the worry presented by outcome 1, however, they might be thinking:

'but will I eventually need to buy the .co.uk to protect my business'

These are concerns and considerations that I feel don't occur if you are purchasing a .co.uk name. I personally prefer the .uk variant as it is simply a lot cleaner and more marketable, but until the main players start to adopt it, the concerns above will always be there.

 

While I agree it's an important factor to consider, I don't think it's necessarily a deal breaker.
Again, see my previous example, where they rank 6th in Google (if you ignore all the ads) while their .co.uk competitor isn't even in the first 10 pages. So if most people access the web through Google, I think they are doing pretty well.
Obviously this is just an example that happens to be favourable to .uk, we probably can't generalise.
I'm also well aware that I'm subject to confirmation bias too

 

Perfect example

- surely it’s up to ‘us’ who are in a position of knowing there is a choice, to lead with the .uk domain - every instance of people seeing it advertised / branding use, is one more step towards building that ‘trust’ and awareness.

 

.uk usurping .co.uk will take another decade or so I guess.

But I also anticipate a paradigm shift, with blockchain alternatives starting out as memorable NFT wallet addresses + additional functionality added later on.

 

As a small business owner, it's not my job to grow the visibility of .uk domains. My job is simply to ensure the business is as stable and as profitable as can be, which the .co.uk offers more of for me right now.

Until there is a clear incentive to being on .uk I'll be aiming to build on .co.uk.

 

Please expand. Do you mean a domain ending in something like .eth pointing to a wallet?

 

I don't think it matters as long as you own both variants. Most people don't look at domains, they type the name or product name into Google and couldn't give two hoots about the domain.

 

I tend to agree, especially now with proliferation of things like .io etc, people dont really care if they are landing via a search. However, and I may be wrong, but isn't there an advantage in local search to have a local extension ? Has anyone done any research on co.uk vses uk on that ? Google says it doesn't care and it's all about content.

I personally like th uk as its punchier

 

It probably depends on the domain, any backlinks it has, etc...
I do have one pair for which the .uk far exceeds the .co.uk traffic for some reason. None have any backlinks.
In fact this .uk is my most accessed domain in my portfolio (bar seo domains)

 

I think the biggest issue is for established .co.uk brands who may never (see the need to) switch. Take glassesdirect/co.uk tv advert

This is not a failure of .UK, rather than there not really being a business case to justify the change.

 

I suspect it will get to the point where the two coexist. I guess it doesn't matter if your traffic comes from search anyway ?

 

I just saw an advert on TV for advancedhair.uk.

I basically never watch the idiot lantern, especially not adverts, so I was surprised to catch an ad with a .UK on it.

 

Very rarely part with any domains, but sold one via Uniregistry recently which completed today. Followed up with a "would you like the .uk?" and the answer?

Literally "In a word no"

 

Probably a domainer?

 

No - end user and they've already put the website live

 

Question is, what rationale is there for not wanting the .uk.... they know so much about it that they'll never need it and even if they did they wouldn't want it anyway? Makes no sense...

They don't want the protection for £25 extra.... £5? They didn't even think £5 would be reasonable for the peace of mind? They didn't even ask what that price was for said peace of mind? Mindless.

 

Never feed a troll

He states that he rarely sells domains and then uses his own limited experience to suggest .uk is a dead duck that nobody wants. This fella's obsession with hating on .uk is so strong, he won't even allow himself to point his businesses .uk to the .co,uk that it trades from!