The majority of all UK print and television advertising now includes a web address, with British consumers preferring to be be directed to .uk addresses than .com, according to new research.
The study, from domain name organization Nominet UK, reveals the increasing use of website addresses in UK advertising.
The research is included in Nominet’s annual Domain name industry report for the first time. The key findings include:
• 65% of all UK print and television advertising now includes a web address
• 83% of print adverts and 61% of television adverts include a web address
• Of adverts featuring a website, the majority (55%) use .uk web addresses or ‘domain names’ rather than .com (42%)
• Over a third of print and television adverts– 35% contain no website address at all
• Consumers increasingly and significantly prefer .uk sites over .com alternatives in all online tasks, from searching the web to buying products and services
The report examined a cross section of print titles and television channels in June and July 2010.
Overall, 65% of print and television adverts were found to contain a website address, with a greater proportion of print adverts (83%) featuring URLs than television adverts (61%).
Of those ads featuring a website, more than half (55%) used a .uk address rather than a .com or other alternative.
Adverts within publications with a global audience and those promoting business-to-business goods or services showed higher percentages of .com addresses, while UK specific titles and consumer goods were more likely to feature a .uk address. 35% of the adverts investigated did not mention a website.
The higher overall percentage of adverts using .uk addresses rather than any alternatives is in keeping with the latest consumer research that shows a record level of preference for UK consumers for .uk websites over .com alternatives.
The report found that 80% of British consumers would prefer to visit a .uk address rather than a .com – representing a 3% increase from 2009.
Commenting on the report, Phil Kingsland, Director of Marketing and Communications at Nominet, said: “The use of websites in advertising is becoming increasingly prevalent – a trend we expect to continue. The report shows that understanding consumer preference when choosing a domain is important. The Internet has connects people and businesses in so many ways, but consumers have shown that they still appreciate the local feel of a .uk site.”
The Nominet Domain name industry report 2010 also looks at all other aspects of the domain name industry, revealing strong growth in worldwide and .uk registrations despite renewed uncertainty in the global economy. Highlights include:
• New .uk domain name registrations have grown by 11.5%, with annual registrations expected to hit 2 million for the first time
• March 2010 was the busiest month for new .uk registrations since the .com boom
• .uk replaces China’s .cn as the world’s second largest country code Top Level Domain registry after Germany (.de)
• uk register forecasted to reach nine million domain name registrations by the end of 2010
A full copy of the Nominet Domain name industry report 2010 can be downloaded at www.nominet.org.uk/go/dnir