It is 6 times more likely that British Internet users will choose a .uk rather than .com address when using a search engine. YouGov carried out an online survey of 2,324 Internet users, and also found that 62% believe a .uk address suggests a company is local or more relevant than a .com, with a third (32%) believing that international companies with local Domain Names would attract more local customers.

When asked about searching for a particular company on the Internet, 72% said they would visit a British web address above any other. Eg., if searching for Amazon, 72% would try www.amazon.co.uk before www.amazon.com. With only 5% of respondents saying they’d try the .com option first. "The findings show that British Internet users are loyal to local websites and have higher levels of trust for the .uk Domain Name," says Lesley Cowley, Chief Executive at Nominet. "It’s clear that the trust issue is one of increasing importance to the Internet industry, as well as Internet users."