.ie is still the most popular domain registered extension in Ireland

The .ie domain continues to be Ireland’s most popular domain suffix and not just because of its excellent 0.0% Badness Index rating!

There are 330,000 .ie domain names registered in Ireland.  This is not surprising as it is Ireland’ official website country code. It is the Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) for the island of Ireland and therefore the preferred online address for Irish businesses.  According to a recent report from I.E Domain, 53.6 % of all top level domains hosted in Ireland use a .ie domain name , with the international .com extension domains coming in second with a 30% take up.  

What are the advantages to a .ie domain name?

The .ie  extension is unique to Ireland, it is the only online address that is Irish.  It is so identifiably Irish that in the last few years, it even became possible to register a domain in Gaeilge, fadas and all. For a new business or individual, the choice of domain names is greater when choosing a .ie.  Almost all the obvious and usual or popular .com domain names  have been snapped up and registered years ago (read: Domain names new hot commodity hang). There is still a wide choice of the Irish based .ie names available. Having a.ie domain also protects your brand as once you prove your right to own the domain, and your connection to Ireland, it is yours. IE Domain have an easy dispute resolution policy if you think that a domain name has been wrongly registered or you feel you may have rights to a domain already registered by someone else.

The domain suffix is also more enticing because the Irish consumer is more likely to go local when seeking services and will click on the .ie option first. In 2020 77% of Irish (read: weare.ie/consumer-trust) consumers said they would prefer to purchase from a .ie website than a .com. But most importantly a .ie domain name ranks higher than other top level domain addresses in search engines like Google.ie. This is because of Google’s automatic geotargeting and the prioritisation of local search results. The .ie domain is also considered to be one of the most secure, but more about this later!

How easy is it to get a ie. domain?

.IE Domain  (formerly IEDR) are the company who maintain the official country domain name suffix and where applications for the extension must be directed. While anyone can purchase an available .com domain, there is a stringent verification process involved in obtaining a .ie. The Registrar will ensure that the company or individual are who they say they and will ask for documentation and identification and proving that they have links to both the name itself and to Ireland. The company does sell the domain overseas but the applicants must be traceable, have customers in Ireland or can prove a personal or professional connection. Only 9% of .ie domains are registered to overseas owners. Not surprisingly, the main country seeking internationally registered new .ie domain names is Great Britain, closely followed by Bulgaria (825 registered in 2022), then the U.S and Germany.

Cybersecurity and the .ie 0.0% Badness index rating

Security experts McAfee once ranked .ie domains among the top five safest international domains and the Registrar keeps up that reputation.  They still take a number of steps to keep the level of security threats  low.  The risk to .ie is lower than that to other top level domains and this is provided free of charge. .IE Domain provide a constant scanning of .ie websites and give instant notification to an SME’s hosting provider, who can help them take the corrective action once a scam has been detected. The annual report from IE domain registrar revealed over 500 cyber-attacks were taken down in 2022. Two in five were phishing scams and one in four were malware attacks. The international non-profit organisation, The Spam-Haus Project who track  spam and related cyber threats such as phishing, malware and botnets and puts together a Badness index for top level domains ranks .ie  (read: spamhaus.org/statistics/tlds/) as having a 0.0% threat. I think we can presume that if you are ranking that badly for ‘badness’ there must be a high level of goodness! IE domain use Netcraft for internet security. In the event of cyber-attack, Netcraft notifies accredited Registrars (Companies like Dmac Media who manage domains for clients) so that corrective action can be taken. Netflix continues to monitor the site even when the issue is resolved. This service is invaluable as it helps innocent victims, such as SMEs, who might be unaware that they have experienced a cyber-attack, to take the required remediation action.

Registering a .ie domain

There are four steps to registering a .ie domain name and to meeting their requirements. (Read more: weare.ie/how-to-register-a-domain)  Here at Dmac Media Ltd, as an Accredited .ie Registrar, we have years of experience in registering, renewing and administering domain names and particularly Irelands own.ie domains. Call us today if you want ‘straight talking ‘, plain English advice on domain names and the associated websites and in making your business grow online.