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Results
of a CIRA Study of Canadian Companies
Marked increase of dot-ca domain names
in Canada:
45% of companies have already opted for dot-ca
The
proportion of Canadian companies to have already registered
at least one Web site domain name with a dot-ca extension has
reached 45%. This fact was brought to light in an April 2002
study of 307 Canadian companies with Web sites, which was conducted
by Impact Research for the Canadian Internet Registration Authority
(CIRA).
The study also revealed that dot-ca domain
names represent 38% of all domain names registered by Canadian
companies, compared with 48% for dot-coms. This denotes an encouraging
result considering that dot-com is the current Internet reference
with close to 19 million domain names worldwide. Nevertheless,
for the first time in Internet history, a decrease in dot-com
registrations was noted in 2001 (Netcraft Web Server Survey,
www.netcraft.com).
Significant dot-ca growth
"This study's results are very positive for our organization
given that the dot-ca domain name extension is relatively young
in terms of the Web universe," declared Maureen Cubberley,
chair of the CIRA board of directors. "These numbers clearly
indicate that a greater proportion of Canadian companies are
choosing to register a domain name with a dot-ca extension because
they've recognized the advantages for their customers."
In December 2000, CIRA had 60,000 dot-ca
domain names registered, while today that total is closer to
300,000. Furthermore, demand is growing exponentially.
An analysis carried out by Jupiter Media
Metrix on behalf of CIRA corroborates the rising popularity
of the dot-ca extension. Jupiter Media Metrix studied the traffic
flow of ten popular Web sites with both dot-com and dot-ca extensions
- aol, ebay, foodtv, ford, google, msn, netscape, sears, ticketmaster
and yahoo - between January 2001 and April 2002. In eight out
of the ten sites, the results reveal that there is a greater
traffic increase in the Web site with the dot-ca extension over
those with dot-com.
In addition, an analysis of the traffic
flow of eight categories of Canada's most popular Web site indicated
that Canadian Internet users increasingly consult sites with
a dot-ca extension when at home. Growth of dot-ca Web sites
was noted, particularly in the corporate and entertainment categories.
The Canadian reference
The majority of companies interviewed in this study as well
as the Internet users consulted last year understand that the
dot-ca extension refers to Canadian companies' Web sites. As
well, Canadian companies choose a dot-ca domain name due to
this obvious geographical reference, especially those that conduct
business only in Canada, those that offer primarily services
- versus products - and those that have over 100 employees.
The study demonstrates that dot-ca Web sites
are perceived as having added value for Canadian consumers,
that they are a plus when it comes to Canadian business development
and that they are more trustworthy than their dot-com counterparts.
The preferences of Canadian companies
It is interesting to note that to establish their Web presence,
79% of Canadian companies rely on only one extension. Of the
companies interviewed, nearly 90% secured the desired extension
and 59% opted for only one domain name.
The majority - 90% - of companies to have
requested a dot-ca domain name were successful. This statistic
is good news for those wishing to register a dot-ca domain name.
The relative youth of the dot-ca increases a registrant's potential
for successfully registering a desired domain name. As well,
the available pool of dot-com domain names is increasingly saturated.
Of the interviewed Canadian companies, 87%
chose a domain name that referred to their company's name versus
their products or services, especially those with over ten employees.
A little over 27% of Canadian companies
registered domain names which remain inactive. On average, the
latter registered four domain names. Remarkably, none reported
having done so for commercial purposes. Among the companies
that registered inactive domain names, half did so to protect
the names, while the remainder did so to activate them at a
later date.
The perception of CIRA
Given that the organization has only officially managed domain
name registrations for 18 months, awareness levels of CIRA are
good and it benefits from a positive image. Close to 90% of
Canadian businesses interviewed endorse the Canadian presence
requirements put forth to obtain a dot-ca domain name. According
to these same parties, the criteria ensure the credibility of
the Internet country code Top Level Domain Name.
To
register your dot-ca (.CA) domain name, click
here.
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