Thousands of businesses plan to register under new .london domain name

Small businesses believe a .london web address would drive traffic to their sites and help generate more sales

Thousands of businesses plan to register under new .london domain name

Good branding is indisputably an essential marketing tool that can work wonders for any business. A PR company worth its salt can transform a company’s identity from jaded to trés chic with a compelling brand message.

Well, for London-based businesses, a new branding opportunity has arisen in the form of the .london domain name.  Attaching your business to the London brand – with its global reputation as one of the leading centres in tech and business innovation – would seem a very sensible decision. And many businesses appear set to jump ship come April 29 when the domain name goes on sale. 

A YouGov survey of small businesses in London, conducted on behalf of promotional organisation London & Partners, found that 26% (equivalent to 218,140 companies) of respondents were likely to register for a .london web address, with almost half saying they would do so because they are proud to be a London business. A further 41% believe the web address will help customers find them more easily while 27% are hoping to generate more sales.

Maintaining its brand as a frontrunner in tech, London is one of the first cities in the world to launch its own domain. Londoners registering a .london domain name will receive a new web address that is more relevant, easy to remember and instantly identifies them as being located in London. Moreover, the .london domain seems tipped to be a success with leading brands such as ABP, Museum of London and Society of London Theatre giving it their backing.

“This is an incredible response from London’s small business community which sees .london as an opportunity to claim an exciting new web address that is uniquely associated with our city’s powerful brand.” comments Gordon Innes, chief executive of London & Partners. “We already know that tens of thousands of businesses have expressed an interest in a .london web address including major brands like Selfridges, Radisson Blu Edwardian and Carnaby. This latest survey of small business owners gives us confidence that other organisations and individuals will be just as excited about .london when the domains go on sale.”

Martha Lane Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho, co-founder of lastminute.com and former government digital champion added: “The new generic domain names are a big change to the web. .london offers businesses and organisations in the capital a chance to be at the cutting edge of that change and show the world how innovative they can be.” 

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Dara Jegede
Dara Jegede
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