Why Aren’t More IE Domains Registered?

The IEDR have published some details on .ie domain name registrations during 2015.

Here are some of the key details:

• 35,225 new .ie domains registered in 2015, a 13% increase on 2014
• Nearly 100 .ie domain names registered per day (96)
• Net additions (new registrations less non-renewed .ie domain registrations) up 48%, the highest number recorded since 2011
• Dublin, Cork and Galway account for highest number of registrations in 2015 (which isn’t surprising due to the population density)
• Most domain registrations are by businesses with limited companies accounting for around 50% of registrations, followed by sole traders at 25%
• Dublin, with 71, has the highest number of .ie domains per 1,000 people, followed by Carlow (52) and Wicklow (48). Donegal, with 18 .ie domains per 1,000 people, has the lowest rate in the Republic of Ireland

What the report does NOT cover is why the volume of .ie domain names is lower than it could be.

Blacknight is the largest registrar of .ie domain names in the world, so a lot of those domain names were registered by our clients. We know a lot about what people want when they register a domain name and our clients tell us repeatedly – they like simple domain name registration.

Based on our experiences with .ie domain names and Irish business we strongly believe that the IEDR’s current rules are an obstacle to growth.

Simpler rules with fewer restrictions would mean that Irish business would register more .ie domain names.

Lower wholesale prices of .ie domain names would allow us (and our competitors) to offer lower prices, which in turn would drive adoption and sales.

Hopefully IEDR’s board will recognise this and encourage the relaxation of the rules. I know the other registrars who serve on the IEDR’s Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) share our concerns.

Here’s a graphic that highlights the numbers from last year: