.EU domain name opens new doors for European SMEs
Every year, numerous startups who've registered a .EU domain name compete for the Rising Stars Award at the .EU Web Awards, an annual event held by .EU registry EUrid. With startups and SMEs all over Europe adopting .EU, competition is always high. See why so many are saying yes to a .EU domain!
EUrid helping to put SMEs on the map
Since 2014, EUrid has hosted the .EU Awards as a way to call attention to the numerous businesses, organisations, and individuals who've helped to make the .EU domain name one of the most popular country code domain extensions (ccTLDs) around.
Award categories represent a broad cross section of .EU domain name holders, from established national businesses to news outlets to green organisations.
And, of course, the smaller players, specifically those with no more than three years experience and less than ten employees, those in the process of establishing their presence in the online marketplace - like 2016's Rising Stars winner, EuroDNS customer Lazytube.eu.
The .EU Web Awards provide up-and-coming SMEs like Lazytube.eu with a chance to gain visibility and recognition, which any entrepreneur will tell you is not only hard to come by but necessary if a new business is to thrive.
EUrid’s commitment to proving SMEs with a leg up hasn’t gone unnoticed. The European Association of Craft, Small Businesses and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME) has said that the .EU domain extension provides new businesses with “a gateway to better visibility, ICT adoption, and increased competitiveness.”
And in Europe, where a majority of businesses are SMEs without the financial means or personnel to compete with larger, established businesses, .EU has become an important way for SMEs to put themselves on the map.
SMEs more competitive with a .EU domain name
Launched in 2005 with an impressive 2.5 million registrations in its first year, .EU is now one of the top 10 ccTLDs in the world.
At the end of Q1 2017, ccTLD registrations reached 330.6 million with .EU registrations making up 3.7 million of the total number. EUrid has reported:
- 185,964 new .EU registrations, a net increase of 10,914 when compared to Q4 2016
- An impressive 81% average renewal rate
- A grand total of 3,755,475 registered .EU domain names
Among the many advantages for SMEs, registering a .EU domain name:
- Improves branding potential, visibility, and reach not only within the country where the business is located but within the entire European Union
- Provides greater flexibility with the possibility to choose a domain name that contains characters from any official EU language script
- Increases consumer trust as .EU indicates you are a legal entity based in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway and are, therefore, subject to EU laws and other relevant trading standards
- Provides better geo-targeting when compared to a .COM for instance
.EU has enabled Archeda, an Italian design company specialising in the manufacturing of bathroom furniture, to build a presence outside of its physical country: “It is not just about appealing to Italy but about being accessible to the whole of Europe.”
And for BAJO, a Polish-based toy design and manufacturing company, .EU is a way to establish trust with customers: “Although we sell internationally, the EU is our main market. BAJO toys are designed and made with full knowledge of applicable European regulations. All materials used are of European origin.”
Are you an SME? Register your .EU today!
We are proud to be an accredited registrar of the .EU domain extension and to help raise awareness of the numerous benefits a .EU domain name extension can deliver SMEs.
When you register your .EU domain name at EuroDNS, you will receive several free practical features to help your business succeed:
.EU domain name registration is open to all businesses, organisations, and individuals located within the European Union (as well those located in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
For more information about the .EU domain extension and how it can help your small business gain digital reach within the EU, visit EuroDNS.com!
Who knows? Maybe you'll be the .EU Web Awards' next Rising Stars winner!