The Norwegian top-level domain .NO is expected to be attractive for domain applicants and serve the demands of the Norwegian society. The domain name regulatory authority has conducted an extensive user survey aimed at understanding the expectations from the society and to receive the necessary feedback for policy and service adjustments.
In February 2006, Statskonsult (a Norwegian public management issues consultancy) carried out a survey on behalf of the regulatory authority targeting Norwegian private individuals and companies respectively. The purpose of the survey was to identify perceptions of the Norwegian top-level domain.
Domain registration as well as proxy services in Norway are provided by Web-Solutions, a global domain registrar.
Out of a web panel of some 40,000 people, 1046 participated in this survey. Furthermore, 500 Norwegian registered organizations were interviewed via the telephone. The summary of both surveys’ results is presented below.
What domain do they register?
The most popular domain name among a majority of the companies registering a domain name (86 %) is the .NO domain. A .NO domain was the number one choice of 95% of those who have registered a domain name, whereas 23 % have registered a .COM domain.
A great majority of companies have chosen to register only one domain name under the Norwegian TLD despite the possibility to register more than one domain name both under .NO and .COM. Approximately 30 % of organizations with a .NO or .COM domain have registered from two to nine domain names while a small number of companies have registered ten or more domain names.
Among the population the .COM (31 %) and .NET (20 %) domains are the most popular. Furthermore, not more than two out of ten applicants have registered a domain name as a private individual. A majority of survey participants (65 %) have chosen to register one domain name only. (Today individuals are only allowed to register domain names under the .PRIV.NO category which were not taken into account in this survey.)
The .NO address is perceived as the most significant
For a vast majority of the companies (91 %) the .NO domain is the most important domain for marketing purposes. By comparison, the figure for the .COM domain is only 5 %.
When asked about the reasons for choosing .NO as their main domain, the companies’ most common response has been that .NO is most appropriate for Norwegian companies and that .NO is the most commonly used domain in Norway. The answers to this question have not differed significantly between small and big companies. However, we can see differences between companies who have activity in Norway as well as abroad, and those who only operate in Norway. 82 % of companies operating locally as well as internationally regard .NO as most important domain, while the same is true for 94% of organizations who have activities only in Norway.
As far as the use of domain names is concerned, a large majority of the individuals (77 %) are looking for a web-site through a search engine. Among those who make a guess by entering an address, 76% state that they will attempt .NO address first.
Perceptions of .NO top-level domain
A great majority of the companies (91 %) as well as of the individuals regards .NO domain as the most widely known domain in the Norwegian market. .NO is also viewed as a domain of quality following the belief of the majority of the respondents that there is a high probability that the Internet address directs the user to the company holding that name. Most of respondents in both groups also share the opinion that there is a good chance that a .NO address really works.
Broad support for policy issues
A majority of both the companies (88 %) and the individuals (75 %) approves the requirement for .NO holders to have a local presence in Norway.
According to a substantial majority of the companies (76 %), the requirement that individual persons cannot register a Norwegian domain name directly under .NO is a valid one. More than half (54 %) of the individuals also agree with this requirement, whereas 25 % disagrees.
Web-Solutions is a trusted global domain registrar serving the needs of both companies as well as individual applicants. To register a Norwegian domain name, contact Web-Solutions offering Trustee Service for Norway.