What Changes Does Brexit Bring to the Digital World?
Ever since the results of the referendum on the United Kingdom leaving the European Union were confirmed in 2016, the entire country has been waiting for this day with a mix of dread and excitement. For a long time, no one knew what to expect. Now, however, with Brexit Day on the horizon, we know much more. Below, we present information about this impending transition, extending a helping hand to all business owners.
What is a domain, anyway?
The biggest concern among entrepreneurs is certainly the issue of .eu domains. Some British companies use addresses under this exact domain, which is why Brexit will not pass unnoticed for them. As a business owner using this domain, if you do not make adequate preparations in advance, you can expect serious consequences. When it comes to SEO in the United Kingdom for businesses with local reach, it is worth switching to a ccTLD domain such as .co.uk or .uk. This is because the .eu domain is one of the few domains in the world that has direct political ties. All addresses under this domain are regulated by the EU, which stems from an agreement between the EU and ICANN. Therefore, after the UK leaves the EU, British companies will no longer be able to use this domain. It goes without saying that this can have enormous consequences for your business.
What will happen?
The details are still not entirely clear. It is not known whether the change will take place after a transition period, or if companies will have 48 hours after Brexit to move their website to another domain. If you do not prepare for this in any way, visitors typing in your address simply will not reach your website, making you completely invisible on the internet. The consequences of this could be disastrous. The same applies to emails with the .eu extension, as they use the same DNS server, meaning they will probably simply stop working after March 31. It is worth clarifying one thing here - although the details of the process are not yet certain and the effects may be delayed depending on the website, British companies will definitely lose access to the .eu domain. What is less certain is the impact this will have on Google search rankings, as full information has not yet been released on whether those affected by this change will receive any assistance to lessen the impact of Brexit on their traffic. The only currently known way to prevent this in any way is simply to prepare for the domain change in advance, gradually introducing changes so that the impact on search results is not heavily felt. There is also the issue of connectivity - whether we are talking about online services that use your email as a login, security certificates, or cloud-based office applications, everything could be disrupted or even become completely impossible if changes occur for which we are not prepared.
What can be done?
While all these changes may seem frightening, your company can still emerge from all of this unscathed if you react early enough. The best course of action is simply to seek help from experts. Neadoo offers a full range of online solutions for all types of businesses. We have in-depth knowledge of the British market and know the entire situation inside out, allowing us to ensure the smoothest transition from your old domain to a new one imaginable. All you need to do is choose a new domain, and we will help you plan and implement the new strategy. Want to learn more? Contact us today and be ready for the upcoming changes! During a Skype call, our expert will be happy to discuss the details of the domain switch with you. Do not waste a moment - prepare for Brexit today!