A Thirst for Domain Names in Germany…
A Thirst for Domain Names in Germany…
We know that Germans are major consumers of beer and bratwurst….Oktoberfest anyone? But did you know that Germany is also a powerhouse when it comes to worldwide domain registrations. For instance, the country's .DE ccTLD (country-code Top-Level Domain) is the largest ccTLD in the world. Here are some interesting insights into the .DE ccTLD, as well as, the progressive domain name market in Germany:
- Germany’s .DE ccTLD is the largest ccTLD in the world with 13,778,408 domains registered. In fact, .DE is the second largest domain extension next to .COM - Click here for the most recent statistics on ccTLDs.
- Almost half of all .DE domains are hyphenated (unlike in North America where hyphenated domains are not very popular, the language semantics of German make hyphens more natural)
- In Germany, the .DE ccTLD is king, meaning .DE is much more popular than .COM when choosing a domain
- Direct navigation is still very popular in Germany. Many people will type a name followed by .DE into the browser directly.
- Germany has 65 million Internet users, the highest among the member states of the European Union. Most German users are very Internet-savvy.
- Germany has one of the largest domain aftermarkets. It is dominated by one large player, SEDO.
- .DE is the most popular ccTLD in the aftermarket for domain names. Year-to-date, some significant sales include: Software.de (235,000 Euros), Free-SMS.de (115,000 Euros) and Website.de (101,150 Euros). Source: DNJournal
Top 20 Cities and Regions with the most domains in 2009:
| Ranking | 2009 | Domains |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berlin | 731.430 |
| 2 | Munich | 510.507 |
| 3 | Hamburg | 481.365 |
| 4 | Cologne | 287.579 |
| 5 | Frankfurt am Main | 188.080 |
| 6 | Hanover Area | 185.814 |
| 7 | Dusseldorf | 169.726 |
| 8 | Nuremberg | 152.502 |
| 9 | Stuttgart | 141.948 |
| 10 | Bonn | 119.611 |
| 11 | Rhein-Sieg County | 103.355 |
| 12 | Leipzig | 100.376 |
| 13 | Munich County | 94.773 |
| 14 | Essen | 92.050 |
| 15 | Esslingen County | 91.614 |
| 16 | Dresden | 89.547 |
| 17 | Neuss County | 85.246 |
| 18 | Bremen | 85.056 |
| 19 | Wuppertal | 84.243 |
| 20 | Dortmund | 81.539 |
.DE at a Glance:
Available Domains: .de
Pricing: View pricing
Requirements: Local presence required
Registry: DENIC
Registration Period: 1 month, 1 year
In addition to offering Trustee Services for .DE registrations (local presence for Non-German entities), HEXONET is pleased to be able to offer “monthly” billing for .DE domains. This feature offers tremendous advantages for both novice, as well as professional domainers. Click here to learn more. Lastly, HEXONET recently has become one of the first registrars worldwide to be able to offer DNSSEC for .DE registrations. We highly suggest all our customers to read up on DNSSEC and its importance.