Fasthosts Internet, www.fasthosts.co.uk, a leading web hosting provider and cloud computing specialist, today offers priority applications for the .LONDON domain name. Those based in the Capital city can now apply for their choice of .LONDON domains, to be delivered by Fasthosts in the Summer. For London firms, a .LONDON domain can immediately establish their status within the Capital and association with London’s economic importance. Priced at £19.99/yr+VAT (plus the .London registry’s one-off £5 processing fee), the new domain is expected to be enormously popular.

Fasthosts has Approved Premium Registrar status for .LONDON domains. From today, London businesses, organisations and individuals can use the London Priority Period to clinch their choice of .LONDON address. Applying now gives applicants the best chance of receiving their desired .LONDON domain, before the expected rush for domains after ‘General Availability’. London enjoys a prestige image, and now Londoners can leverage this image to boost online success.

For selling within London, the domain is expected to help customer loyalty, appeal to international consumers, and offer new potential for capturing traffic and developing their digital branding. When consumers make Search Engine searches for suppliers or products in London, it is also likely that a .LONDON domain will prove an important aspect.

Simon Yeoman, General Manager, Fasthosts Internet Ltd., said “More businesses are learning that regional online identity can be a real advantage for them. London has an incredibly strong positive image both domestically and abroad, and London’s firms can now profit from this directly from their web address. All indications are that .LONDON will become a real mark of trust for Londoners, and a great help for Londoners searching online”.

A recent YouGov survey of 1001 London based SMEs, commissioned by the Dot London registry, found that 26 per cent of respondents said they were likely to register a .London domain, meaning an anticipated total of over 218,000 small firms. Some 48 per cent of businesses likely to register a .London domain reported that they were proud to be London businesses and wanted to associate their business with London.

“Internet Psychologist, Graham Jones, www.grahamjones.co.uk, believes that new geographical domain names such as .LONDON will have an important role to play in how we browse the Internet in the years ahead. He said, “Most people use the Internet locally – looking for local suppliers. Indeed, even for social networking sites, the average distance between people is around 6km. As the majority of Internet activity is focused locally, regional domains will be very important. Being able to instantly associate a website with our own regional identity is likely to appeal to consumers. It will be very interesting to see how well .LONDON is embraced by Londoners. Off the heels of the fantastic London Olympic Games and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, many would agree that London has gained a renewed sense of confidence and pride in its identity. .LONDON as a domain certainly has the potential to harness this identity and values and build up a London Internet community”.

Providing valuable opportunities for how businesses can represent their web identity, up to 1000 new domain endings are being launched across themes including geographical location, subject area, business sector and website type. Priced from £14.99/year+VAT, Fasthosts offers pre-registrations for many new domains coming to the market including .CLUB, .AGENCY, .EVENTS and .EXPERT, as well as immediate binding registrations for domains already launched and being used by UK firms, such as .EMAIL, .GIFT, .HOLIDAY, .PLUMBING, .RESTAURANT, .COFFEE and .SHOP.

As a leading hosting provider, Fasthosts offers a comprehensive range of services including domain name registrations, web hosting, Virtual and Dedicated servers, online backup solutions and reseller web hosting. Fasthosts is well placed to deliver a high quality service.

For more details about .LONDON domains, head to www.fasthosts.london. The full range of Fasthosts new gTLDs available for pre registration can be found at www.fasthosts.co.uk/domain-names/new-top-level-domains