Dot London: A cool and effective way to identify London-based businesses

Earlier this year, domain name industry blog TheDomains reported that the Dot London domain was the 13th most commonly registered generic top-level domain, according to statistics from nTLDStats.com. As we noted in a recent article on gTLDs, domain names are a great way for businesses to express information about themselves, from enterprise type to region of focus. This ultimately makes websites readily identifiable, giving them a valuable edge over the competition.

What are the advantages of registering a London-specific domain name?

As outlined by Domains.London, registering for a Dot London domain name offers numerous benefits. These include:

• Being memorable: A site with an out-of-the-ordinary suffix will tend to separate itself from the pack of Web addresses that end in .com, .org, .net and the like, meaning it’s more likely to stick in people’s minds.
• Establishing a direct association: The London brand carries considerable weight, which means sites with a Dot London domain can piggyback off that prestige.
• Sending a message: Londoners or others interested in individuals or organizations based in the city will immediately be able to tell that a site is relevant to their needs.

“Although gTLDs are rising in popularity, they have not yet peaked.”

Although gTLDs are rising in popularity – registrations exceeded 5 million for the first time earlier this year, TheDomains reported – they have not yet reached critical mass. What does this mean for people and companies considering jumping on the Dot London bandwagon? In short, the time to do so is now, as gTLDs still have a novelty factor that may prompt individuals to do a double-take when they see a Dot London domain name.

Casablanca Hire enjoys benefits of Dot London website suffix

In a March press release, Casablanca Hire, which operates eight Dot London domain names, outlined how the suffix has stimulated lead generation and helped to attract big-name clients including the BBC. The company noted that using a Dot London domain name is a great way to affiliate a business with London, both geographically and via a tie-back to London’s prestigious reputation, as mentioned above.

Signing up for a Dot London domain name

Dot London domain names are available from accredited registrars such as GoDaddy, Domain Monster and Name.com, all of which signed a contract with Dot London Domains Limited. A full list of these registrars is available on the Domains.London website. As Domains.London explained, the cost of a Dot London domain name will vary according to two elements: the price set by the registrar and the value of the name itself. Additionally, some names related to London culture and history have been reserved under Dot London’s Naming Policy and will never be available to register.

Once they identify an available and relevant domain name, digital marketing recruitment agencies in London and other enterprises eager to take advantage of having a Dot London website suffix will be able to register and reap the benefits.