The Top Level Domain (TLD) “.uk” refers to the Internet country code for the United Kingdom. It was first introduced in 1985 and is currently managed by Nominet UK, a private company that was appointed as the official registry by the government. This domain is typically used by individuals, businesses, and organizations based in or associated with the United Kingdom.
According to the domain name statistics provided by Nominet UK, as of 2021, there are about 10 million registered .uk domain names, making it the fourth most popular country code TLD, after .com, .tk, and .de (Zooknic Internet Geography Project, 2021).
The .uk TLD is divided into various subcategories, known as Second-Level Domains (SLDs). These include .co.uk for businesses, .org.uk for organizations, .gov.uk for government departments, .ac.uk for academic institutions, and .net.uk for internet service providers.
For instance, the British Broadcasting Corporation uses the .co.uk domain (www.bbc.co.uk), and the University of Oxford uses the .ac.uk domain (www.ox.ac.uk). These domains signify their professional affiliation and location. As a rule, individuals and entities do not have direct access to the .uk domain, and it has to be registered through a domain name registrar that is affiliated with Nominet UK.
However, in 2014, Nominet UK began to permit the registration of domain names directly under .uk, such as www.example.uk. These domain names have been made available to all existing customers with a unique .co.uk, .org.uk, .me.uk, .net.uk, .ltd.uk or .plc.uk address. Nominet ensured that if there was any competition for the same domain name, the .co.uk registrant was given priority. Effective July 1, 2019, these rules were altered, and since then, anyone can register a .uk domain regardless of their geographical location or formal ties to the UK.
The .uk domains are popular due to their recognition and association with the United Kingdom, a leading global hub for arts, culture, business, and academia. They offer an easy way to reach a UK-centric audience and gain instant credibility within this geographical market. Therefore, for businesses and individuals who intend to operate online in the UK market, securing a .uk domain will be beneficial.
Sources Used:
1. “Domain name industry report 2021”. Nominet UK. Retrieved from https://registrars.nominet.uk/news-and-views/domain-industry-reports/2021-2/
1. “About us”. Nominet UK. Retrieved from https://www.nominet.uk/who-we-are/#:~:text=Nominet%20UK%20is%20the%20.net,ore%20are%20available%20through%20registrars.
1. Zooknic Internet Geography Project (2021). Distribution of Top-Level Domain Names by Host Country. Retrieved from http://www.zooknic.com/Domains/counts.html
1. Nominet UK. Domain release process finalised for Summer 2019. Retrieved from https://www.nominet.uk/domain-release-process-finalised-for-summer-2019/
