Nominet Changing to .UK domains
Nominet, the .UK domain registry, has long prepared website owners of the new changes in the registration of domains. They have indicated that site owners will be able to register their domains without necessarily having to include the ‘Co’ and rather only have the ‘UK’ part of the domain.
So how does this affect SEO? Well, here are some insights into the whole subject:
Reasons for the Changes
Nominet has seen the need to eliminate the ‘Co’ in the domain names because:
- Other countries are already doing it. Countries such as France are already ahead in such domain registry, and the UK would also want to remain consistent with such extensions.
- To offer better choices to the web owners. Every website owner would want to a shorter domain name so that the clients can easily memorize it and use it in their searches. Essentially, the emphasis is laid on the brand name rather than the long extension in the domain name.
Note that people with the older domain names – co.uk, can continue to use them. The changes actually affect people who are opening new sites.
Effects on SEO
Search engine optimization is one of the things that many site owners invest in. In many companies, a lot of resources are channeled towards ensuring that a site is visible to both the potential clients and the search engines. Does the UK Domain name affect SEO? Well, on one hand, for someone thinking that they will make losses because of the changes, then the answer is No! It does not have any effect in that it is merely a cosmetic change more than anything else.
On the other hand, with a UK domain name, you will be laying emphasis that you may want to reach the UK target clients. As such, people who are searching for products from the region will have an easy time locating your site and hence making necessary purchases. You can easily make your presence known online with such a name, and hence remain profitable for a long time.
It is important to note that some clients will not buy a product when it does not come from a certain region. For them, brands coming from certain nations have superior quality than those from other nations. If for instance, you indicate that your products come from the UK, then it becomes easy to convince some clients to buy from you. You will even gain loyal clients with such details. A UK domain name can help you reach some of these clients easily, hence making your SEO efforts rewarding.
Just Before You Change Your Domain Name
The co.uk domain owners who may want to change their domains to the UK one should know that:
- Their existing domain name will still be valid for 5 years, which gives them an ample time to decide whether to change it or not.
- They must still put the same efforts in SEO in order to sell their products rather than just relying on the domain name. Quality content, proper use of keywords, link provision and easy to navigate sites are some of the efforts that site owners should never neglect regardless of the domain names that they choose.