Each year, the .IE registry (previously called ‘IEDR’) analyses .IE domains in their database and publishes a comprehensive Domain Profile Report. The 2023 report focused particularly on cybersecurity, along with digital transformation and the impact of external factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and EU regulations.
Cybersecurity
It found that 70% (109,399) of content-rich .IE websites are secured with a security certificate. This means that they have HTTPS as part of their URL, rather than HTTP. It’s an extra security measure that shows your customers that your website is trustworthy. However, there were 552 cybersecurity attacks identified on .IE websites, and phishing was the main cause, proving that cybercrime and online fraud remain to be a challenge for businesses. The report highlighted upcoming EU cyber regulations, including NIS2, which could significantly impact the domain and cybersecurity landscape. Ensure that your website is secured against threats with our security solutions.
Trends in Ireland
54.3% of all domains registered in Ireland were .IE domains. The most .IE domain registrations were in Dublin (39.43%) while Fermanagh had the lowest (0.07%). 59% of content-rich .IE domain websites have a Content Management System (CMS), the majority of which is WordPress. Place names in .IE domains were very popular, and other top keywords include ‘Roofing’, ‘Solar’, ‘Solutions’ and ‘Pizza’.
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Neale Richmond said, “While many companies may have an online presence, be that a ‘shop window’ or click and collect, the option to shop online is hugely important for customers both in Ireland and abroad. This will open businesses up to new markets and more customers”.
Growth and COVID-19
A significant portion of the .IE domain database consists of businesses of all sizes embracing digitalisation, supported by government policies and agencies. The report found that there were 48,689 new .IE domain registrations in 2023, a modest increase of 0.34% compared to 2022. They analysed new .IE domains registered during 21 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (31 March 2020 to 31 December 2021). Out of the 115,812 COVID domains, 49.65% were still active in Q4 2023.
Geographical Distribution
30,198 .IE domains were registered internationally. Great Britain accounts for the majority of this number. However, new registrations from Great Britain decreased by 2.5% year-on-year in 2023. Bulgaria registered the second-highest number of new .IE domains (318), followed by Germany (83) and France (69).
.IE is the country-code domain name for Ireland and is the one that Irish people trust. Improve your website’s online visibility and credibility with your own .IE domain name.
About the Author: Aoife Wright
