Brits registering .uk domains mostly get first choice

[scooter]

Most Brits think it's easy to find a .uk address for their websites, but almost half admit to having settled on a domain that was not their first choice, according to a new survey.

Just four per cent said they ended up buying their address from a domainer – somebody who had registered it first in order to sell it on at a higher price.


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/23/domain_name_blues/


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[cc976a]

Interesting. 4% if average is still higher than I would have thought.

I guess it either means:

1. Businesses don't know how to go about finding how to buy the name they want, or how to find if it's for sale;

2. They don't understand fully how important the right name can be for long term growth (memorability, market, brand etc....)

3. Domainers have their prices too high so they have outpriced themselves against the businesses they are trying to market too

Probably a combination of all three

 

[Edwin]

The one stat that would have been incredibly interesting (but which the study didn't reveal) was "What percentage of the 44% who failed to get their first choice web address could have done so if it were only a question of forking out the cash for it?"

In other words, how many of the names that those 44% had in mind were actively "for sale"? That's the difference between the current market size and the maximum theoretical market size if the penny were to drop for all concerned regarding the importance of securing the best name, even if it means writing a cheque to a "domainer" to do so.

 

[wb]

When I was first looking for a business domain to use a few years ago (before I got involved with domains at all), it was a case of creating new name ideas until there was one which was available to register.

At the time, looking up and contacting the registrants didn't even come to mind, although would have probably been done if the concept of doing so was prominently displayed from the large registrars. So it wasn't the cost, more a previous lack of awareness.

I haven't given any thought to how viable it would be, but registrars would probably do quite well if they offered a brokering service.