There was a slight fall last year in the number of websites using .ie domains.
At the end of 2024, the database of .ie domains was 326,562, a 0.51% decrease compared to the end of 2023.
In 2024, there were 46,180 new .ie domain registrations, which was a 5% decrease on 2023.
Over the past five years, there has been a 16% increase in the total .ie database.
The .ie Domain Profile Report 2024 shows that .ie continues to hold the majority share of Ireland's hosted domains at just over 54%. This is followed by .com which has 29.4% and .uk on 7.3%.
Cybersecurity remains strong across .ie websites, with three quarters of content rich websites secured with a security certificate.
Leitrim recorded the largest percentage growth in new .ie domain registrations, followed by Tyrone and Meath.
Words such as Ireland, Dublin, Home, Design and House were among the top keywords used in registrations last year.
According to the report, the longest .ie website address has 63 characters and is corkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcorkcork.ie.
The shortest web address, with just 4 characters, is 9.ie.
The report is published by .ie, the national registry for .ie domain names.
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Its Digital Readiness Monitor report, published last August, revealed that one in three websites in Ireland have a low or very low level of sophistication.
In last year’s pre-budget submission, .ie called on the Government to invest in digital skills as an urgent requirement for SMEs and micro-businesses to compete on a global scale.
"The .ie Domain Profile Report shows that while there has been a lot of progress made in digital intent in Ireland, there is still a long way to go to convert this to real digital growth," said CEO of .ie David Curtin.
With many businesses now opting for social media accounts over traditional websites, .ie said it is important that companies have a credible, trustworthy digital presence.
"While social media is an excellent tool for increasing visibility and capturing audience interest, these platforms are limited in their ability to build lasting relationships with customers and, more importantly, convert them to sales," Mr Curtin said.
"An "omni-channel" approach that offers customers more than one way to engage with business is best - where social media is used as a tool to drive traffic to a secure website," he added.
