Domain Registration Trends: A Look at Q3 2018

In the third quarter of 2018, the global domain registration landscape saw significant growth, according to data from Verisign. The total number of domain registrations worldwide reached an impressive 342.4 million across all top-level domains (TLDs). This growth includes approximately 2.6 million new domains registered during the quarter, marking a 0.8% increase from the previous quarter and a 3.5% rise compared to the same period in the previous year.

Key Highlights of .com and .net Domains

The .com and .net TLDs continue to dominate the domain registration space. By the end of Q3 2018, these two TLDs collectively reached approximately 151.7 million registrations. This represents an addition of 2 million new domains, translating to a 1.3% increase over the second quarter and a notable 4% year-over-year rise, amounting to 5.9 million new registrations. Specifically, .com domains accounted for around 137.6 million, while .net domains made up 14.1 million of the total.

In Q3 alone, new registrations for .com and .net domains totaled about 9.5 million. For context, the same quarter in 2017 saw a total of 8.9 million registrations, illustrating a steady upward trend.

The Top 10 Largest TLDs

At the conclusion of Q3 2018, the top 10 TLDs globally included .com, .cn (China), .tk (Tokelau), .de (Germany), .net, .uk (United Kingdom), .org, .ru (Russia), .nl (Netherlands), and .info. These TLDs continue to lead the market, reflecting both regional and global demand for domain names.

ccTLD Domain Registrations

Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) also play a significant role in the domain registration ecosystem. Verisign reported that by the end of Q3 2018, ccTLD registrations totaled 149.3 million. Although there was a slight decline of 0.3% (approximately 0.5 million) compared to Q2 2018, there was a year-over-year increase of 3.2% (or 4.6 million). The leading ccTLDs included .cn, .tk, .de, .uk, .ru, .nl, .br (Brazil), .eu (European Union), .fr (France), and .au (Australia).

Growth in gTLD Registrations

Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) also saw substantial growth. By the end of Q3 2018, gTLD registrations climbed to 23.4 million, reflecting a 7.5% increase from the previous quarter (1.6 million additional registrations) and a 10.9% rise (2.3 million) compared to the previous year. The top 10 TLDs made up approximately 52.6% of all gTLD registrations, underscoring their continued importance in the domain landscape.

In conclusion, the third quarter of 2018 demonstrated robust growth across various domain types, with increases in both new registrations and overall counts. This expansion highlights the ongoing demand and importance of domain names in the digital age.