IE-Annual-Report-&-Review-2024

Business Review Digital Strategy – key for Irish businesses to compete A significant portion of the .ie domain database is made up of businesses – ranging from startups and micro-SMEs to large corporates. Businesses of all sizes are embracing digitalisation, gaining valuable benefits in terms of efficiency, productivity, and cost savings. Since micro-SMEs with less than 10 staff account for over 90% of all companies in Ireland, supporting their growth and scaling efforts is crucial. For time-strapped SMEs, going digital can be a game-changer, especially for those looking to expand through exports. It’s encouraging to see more businesses adopting digital tools to unlock these opportunities. Central Government supports remain critical. Without targeted supports and information SMEs risk scaling back digital efforts, becoming over-reliant on platforms that impose high fees, commissions, control access to consumers and lock-in. .ie – the domain of choice The .ie domain now accounts for 54.2% of all top level domains hosted in Ireland, up 0.7 percentage point year-on-year, followed by .com (29.4%) and .uk (7.3%) – see below. It continues to be the domain-of-choice for Irish business, communities and citizens. The trustworthiness of a .ie domain is also internationally recognised by The SpamHaus Project, an international non-profit organisation that tracks spam and related cyber threats. A .ie website is a great way for Irish businesses to demonstrate their trustworthiness to customers. Chart 5: Market share of Ireland’s hosted domains, by top-level domain  .com 29.43%  .uk 7.33%  .eu 2.29%  .net 1.95%  .org 1.80%  Others 3.00% Source: HosterStats Dec 2024 .ie 54.2% .ie is “Unique to Ireland” – an online digital identity 91% of all .ie registrations are from the Island of Ireland. The geographical analysis of the .ie database at the end of 2024 indicated that registrations were from: The Republic of Ireland – 291,913 (89%); Northern Ireland – 4,645 (2%); and international – 30,004 (9%). As part of the .ie registration process, applicants for .ie domains in foreign countries will have provided evidence of a proven connection to Ireland and so the registered owner is always traceable, an important issue for consumers and authorities. They either have business operations and customers in Ireland or have provided evidence of another type of professional or personal connection to Ireland. International ccTLD comparatives There are more than 240 country code top-level domain extensions (ccTLDs) worldwide, including .ie. Compared to twenty-six other European countries, Ireland ranks 21st, with 62 country code .ie domains per 1,000 of population. Using this metric, Ireland ranks ahead of or is comparable to, European countries with larger populations, including Italy (59 .it domains per 1,000), France (60 .fr domains per 1,000), Spain (43 .es domains per 1,000). However, Ireland ranks behind several European countries with similar populations, including Denmark (228 .dk domains) and Norway (155 .no domains). Our nearest neighbours in the UK have 160 .uk domains per 1,000 of population. Commentators attribute this to Ireland’s slow start in building out early Internet infrastructure, compared to European neighbours, which had intense competition amongst Internet service providers and cable operators, which drove domain adoption during the .com boom timeframe. Content Marketing – supporting the business community In 2024, we supported Ireland’s business community through targeted initiatives that showcased excellence in digital adoption, e-commerce, and online marketing. These efforts helped promote the .ie domain and encouraged broader internet usage and digital growth. With the ever-changing online landscape, it is vital that we support SMEs to make informed choices and avoid becoming overwhelmed when promoting their business online. We continued to produce relevant, practical digital content while deepening our partnerships with key representative bodies such as the Local Enterprise Offices, Retail Excellence, Digital Business Ireland, Guaranteed Irish, and the Hardware Association of Ireland. By engaging their networks, we promoted the benefits of digital tools and supported more SMEs and micro-enterprises on their journey to digital success. IE Domain Registry CLG t/a .IE / Annual Report & Review 2024 26