British consumers prefer local domain names

British consumers favour using the .uk domain name when searching for information on the net.

So claims the annual industry report from Nominet , which shows that more than three-quarters ( 77 per cent) of respondents prefer the local domain compared to the more generic .com.

The research also showed that, despite the current economic climate, there was an eight per cent rise in registrations of domain names worldwide, bringing the total number to 187.6 million.

Phil Kingsland, director of marketing and communications at Nominet, said in a statement: "It's encouraging to see that despite market saturation and the global economic recession, the .uk registry and other country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) have remained strong.”

He added: “The report demonstrates that both consumers and businesses are willing to invest in “local” domains because they are seen as reliable, relevant and trusted and will give them a direct route to their target audience."

Kingland believes that the best way forward for businesses is to continue to think about their local branding.

He concluded: “It is a global marketplace, but what we are seeing is that consumers trust and rely on a more local touch point with a brand."

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