CENTR, the association of European country code top-level domain name registries, has reported a sharp increase in new domain name registrations in April 2020. CENTR experts have analyzed a sample of 25 ccTLDs to find that new domains registered in April 2020 were up 20 percent from the same time a year earlier. The median domain growth rates of the CENTR30 (30 largest CENTR member ccTLDs) also went up which is something seldom seen over the past decade.
At the same time, CENTR analysts do not believe the growth observed has solely speculative reasons associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As was previously reported, in the first quarter of this year, the ccTLDs picked for the study had a total of combined 6,154 domains which contained the term covid, corona and/or virus. This accounted for just 0.8 percent of the total number of new registrations (about 751,000). This suggests “coronavirus” domains are not the main driver of the boost in new domains.
On the other hand, undoubtedly, the pandemic and the changes it is making to the way of life and the global economy are a driver. Limitations on physical distance force businesses to look for new ways such as online interaction with customers. Above all, the changes are affecting small enterprises such as cafes, small shops, fitness studios, etc. Whereas before they could cater to a relatively small group of customers living in the neighborhood and even had no websites, now they are compelled to urgently develop delivery options, online classes and other services that require web pages, and, accordingly, domain names.
This trend may be a long-term one: representatives of the World Health Organization have already made it clear that the coronavirus can trigger a deglobalization of society. A critical factor will be manufacturers and suppliers’ physical proximity to their customers. This creates additional opportunities for ccTLDs that act as “online homes” for users and entrepreneurs in a particular country, CENTR experts believe.
