.uk domains 'proving valuable' to marketing campaigns
Monday, November 11 2010 by Andy Carter
Website promotion in the UK benefits from a URL ending in .uk, according to a new report.
British internet users consider .uk websites to be more trustworthy and offer a more secure browsing and buying experience, the Nominet Domain name industry report reveals.
Eight in ten Brits surveyed admitted that they would select a .uk website over a .com site when they appear together in search results.
The research also revealed that the preference for .uk websites has grown over the past four years. The preference for .uk over .com is even stronger among users buying products online, compared to those just browsing.
This trend has certainly not escaped the attention of advertising and internet consultants, who are ensuring this preference is reflected across different marketing channels.
In both television and press advertising in the UK, .uk addresses were displayed more often than .com website URLs. In total, 65 per cent of all adverts reviewed contained a website address.
It comes as little surprise that advertisers have embraced the URL, seizing on the opportunity to capitalise on the growing number of Brits choosing to research and purchase products online.
More than half of Brits surveyed indicated that they regularly buy products online, while over three-quarters claim to regularly search for product information using the internet.
Brand familiarity is also important, in addition to trust invested in .uk over .com domain names. Some 83 per cent of Brits polled claimed that they either always or usually purchase from brands they know.
Underlining the high regard in which UK consumers hold security when browsing or purchasing online, a fifth admitted to always being concerned about security when shopping over the internet.
Interestingly, a high proportion of British consumers expect .uk sites will be operated by a company based in the UK, despite this not being a registration restriction for using the .uk domain.
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