We’ve been talking for a while about .uk domains and why they’re so important to register alongside any .co.uk domains that you might own.
In fact, it was so important to us that our customers have their matching .uk that we offered them for free (for 1 year) back in December 2018, and then again in March 2019.
Those FREE domains gifted in March 2019 are now coming up to their expiry date. So it’s a good time to provide a lowdown on the .uk situation and why we think they are well worth paying for to keep them under your control…
History of .uk
As you may be aware, anyone who owned a .co.uk domain (registered before October 28th 2013) had the matching .uk extension reserved for them by the .uk registry – Nominet – for a period of 5 years. This was because .uk was a new extension onto the market and it was only fair that those with an existing .co.uk had first refusal (that lasted a generous 5 years!) on the new matching extension.
We decided, part way through that 5-year window, to offer our customers their matching .uk domain for FREE. Some customers were offered their FREE .uk in December 2018, and others in March 2019. We want our customers to succeed online so gifting the matching .uk was our way of helping with that.
FREE .uk – due for renewal soon
Customers that received their FREE .uk in March 2019 will have already received emails from us about renewing their .uk before it expires. There is absolutely no obligation to renew it, but we do advise it is a wise move to protect your brand name and stop competitors using it.
If you choose not to renew, the .uk will simply drop off your account and join the open market. If you choose to renew, it will remain safely in your account and your brand name will be protected.
FREE .uk – declined offer
If you declined our offer of having your matching .uk domain registered in your name for 1 year, and you have not subsequently registered it yourself, it will have been added to the open market as of July 2019 (when the 5 year window ended). It could still be available to register, or it may have been snapped up by someone else. You can check with our Domain Search Tool.
So that’s the story of .uk
They’re a very handy extension to hold indeed – you can use them to gain extra traffic online, they’re shorter and easier to remember and they put more emphasis on your business name. Plus, if you’ve got it registered, no one else can! And finally, have a read here to find out the 10 things to do when you’ve Registered your Domain Name.
Still have questions?
Still have questions? No problem at all – give us a call on 0345 363 3637 and we’ll be happy to talk you through it.