Any real sales of .uk?

[Stephen]

Has anybody sold a .uk "only" to an end user, that specifically wanted the .uk rather than just acquiring it with a .co.uk?

I have not been approached at all for the .uk only,
I only have 100 or so .uk registered, which are on sale separately to the .co.uk,
which is a tiny number in the scheme of things and it may be down to the quality
but never the less I have received no approaches for .co.uk who are asking of the .uk rights are included (from end users) either.

 

[mat]

I have also noticed when looking up domain names recently, there are many registering .co.uk and leaving the .uk.

You could assume that they are not aware of the .uk but all the registrars show and heavily promote it to the customer.

 

[foz]

I don't own enough .uk to provide feedback.

 

[SF]

Next year will be the year for .uk

 

[Retired_Member38]

Next year will be the year for .uk

The longer we go without any major brands swapping to UK, the more likely we're looking at 'never' being the year for .uk

 

[tifosi]

I have also noticed when looking up domain names recently, there are many registering .co.uk and leaving the .uk.

You could assume that they are not aware of the .uk but all the registrars show and heavily promote it to the customer.

For drops many are registering the .co.uk and not the .uk purely for existing pr rankings.

 

[accelerator]

I definitely think .uk's day will come.

 

[scottmccloud]

I definitely think .uk's day will come.

Will it? Or do you just hope it will? Hardly any big companies or brands have embraced it, and most of the general public have never heard of it, let alone care about it.

If its day does come, it's a very, very long way off.

 

[murph]

I had a look at DL yesterday and noticed a .uk in amongst the .co.uks. To be honest, it looked wrong, almost like a typo. Wonder if general opinion is something akin to this?

 

[accelerator]

Will it? Or do you just hope it will? Hardly any big companies or brands have embraced it, and most of the general public have never heard of it, let alone care about it.

If its day does come, it's a very, very long way off.

Yes, it might take a while, and there doesn't seem much traction at the moment, but I still think it's day will come. My reasoning is just on the basis that .uk it is shorter and more convenient than .co.uk, and therefore over time I predict it will be adopted.

Rgds

 

[scottmccloud]

Shorter and more convenient it might be, but there are a lot more reasons why businesses won't be changing over any time soon. At best it will play second fiddle to .co.uk.

 

[Skinner]

I noticed in one of the recent nominet emails, they are working on selling their souls, and preying (read hoping) that .UK is a replacement for .uk. In order for it to gain traction, justify their stand against everyone else.

I can't help but wonder if, the current figures continue as they have, and .uk is proven as the key, if Ed Vasey may see it as a prime time for a land grab.

 

[ian]

I suspect if we were starting again and had no prior knowledge of the extensions, we'd pick .uk every time. Unfortunately with .co.uk being around for so long, changing the mindset of the consumer to type in .uk instead is going to take some serious promotion and moves by the big players to adopt it. Google may also need to get involved with encouraging the switch from a serp's point of view. Until then, it is a dead duck which we are all having to buy into 'just in case'.

 

[Retired_Member38]

I think we're now running the very real risk of .uk being seen as the poor mans extension... the .org.uk of 2015.

It could all turn quickly if some of the big brands do something with their .uk but its not looking likely at this point.

The site I built on the .uk... i done it in the hope that big brands would change over. At this point its hard to describe my choice there as anything other than a failed gamble. If I could go back and do it again, I'd develop the .co.uk of that one which I also own.

 

[Retired_Member38]

Co.uk would have at least left my site on what I now feel is going to win the .co.uk v .uk war

I don't want to want to sell my site 5 years from now and no real brands will touch it as its the equivalent of selling a .org.uk site today...

 

[Skinner]

Try inputting your .UK into many of the sign up forms. I only use one .UK and out of maybe 20 times Ive input it, half of them wouldn't accept it. including a well known high street store.

Assuming you still give your url out to real people, I gave the .UK address to someone for children in need and watched the person automatically write .co.UK. it's the same as when I tried .co and .tel.

Sean is right, Joe public doesn't know about .UK, and probably doesnt care but that's also the problem. If you have any offline element .UK will cause as many issues as .co or .Wtf.

It's funny really because my .tv domain never gets mixed up but .UK does.

 

[Retired_Member38]

I think right now today, if you take a decent site on a .co.uk domain that has a solid income , 5 years history and a secure back link profile that is say earning £15k a month... you might get £350k for it.

I think transplant everything exactly the same but onto a org.uk domain, and you wouldn't even be able to find a buyer. So I'm expecting that to go the same way for whoever loses the 'war' of the extensions.

There is no guarantee that a 301 continues to work the way it has done in the past, so its unfortunately not going to be as simple as changing later on if you felt you chose wrong

 

[Retired_Member38]

Brands don't want to operate .org.uk sites commercially.

There is ZERO chance you could find a (real brand) buyer for a £15k a month site on a .org.uk domain today. And its only real brand buyers who would be able to pay a semi sensible monthly multiple to make it sensible for the seller to agree.

No sangria here, I think I've got ebola. Heating on, fully dressed and wrapped in my bedsheets at my desk, coughing and generally just feeling fucking awful :lol:

 

[ian]

Brands don't want to operate .org.uk sites commercially.

Why would there ever have been interest in a brand operated .org.uk, that isn't what it was designed for from the outset, so the comparison doesn't work for me.

Ultimately it comes down to consumer perception of the .uk and only Nominet can encourage large sites to change and help promote the new extension. I'd certainly love to use more .uk domains, but at the moment, I'm held back by lack of awareness.

I suspect 301 redirects will always be available; certainly whilst domains are still important anyway. Wouldn't however like to switch over an existing established site; that makes me uneasy!

 

[Retired_Member38]

Why would there ever have been interest in a brand operated .org.uk, that isn't what it was designed for from the outset, so the comparison doesn't work for me.

There would never have been, thats my whole point. So you sell it to someone else further further down the food chain who isn't a legitimate brand... and none of these guys can justify the 5 or 6 figure price you'd ask for it. So as the owner you've no option but to ride it out, bank your cheques every month and see how long it lasts.