David Curtin, IEDR

New .ie registrations surge as businesses move online amid Covid-19

.ie now accounts for 50.7% of all of Ireland’s hosted domains versus 32.6% for .com
Trade
David Curtin, IEDR

30 July 2020

New .ie registrations in Ireland surged by 56% year-on-year in Q2 2020, as businesses move online in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

According to figures published today in IE Domain Registry’s latest ‘.ie Domain Profile Report’, a total of 33,286 new .ie domains were registered in the first half (H1) of 2020. This is an increase of 26% on last year’s figures.

Co. Tyrone recorded the largest increase in new .ie domains (105%) in H1 2020, followed by Monaghan (83%) and Carlow (75%). While Dublin and Cork recorded the highest (12,504) and second highest (2,734) numbers of new .ie domain registrations in H1 2020.  

Over 40% of new registrations in Ireland occurred in the two months of May and June, as businesses responded to the government’s closure orders.

There was a total of 295,794 .ie domains in the .ie database at the end of H1 2020, an increase of more than 8% on H1 2019 and almost 44% on the same period five years ago. It added that .ie domains now account for 50.7% of all hosted domains in Ireland, up 1.5% year-on-year, followed by 32.6% for .com.

The report also highlighted that 41% of .ie websites now have a security certificate.

IE Domain Registry, which manages and administers Ireland’s country domain name, .ie, said the increase suggests that more companies, self-employed business owners, and independent professionals have gone online since the lockdown in a bid to maintain revenue streams, stay in contact with customers, and expand into new markets.

“Thirty-one of the island’s 32 counties recorded an increase in the first six months of 2020,” said David Curtin, chief executive of IE Domain Registry. “This significant digital expansion suggests that all business owners and entrepreneurs, in cities and in regional parts of the country, understand that having a trusted, uniquely Irish online presence is absolutely crucial in a time of lockdown, when nearly all physical premises are shut and footfall is extremely low or non-existent.

“Irish SMEs’ ability to cater to consumer choice and comfort, by providing both an online experience and an in-store shopping experience, will be key to the country’s economic recovery in 2020 and beyond.”

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