According to research conducted for the first time by the not-for-profit organisation, DNS BE, which manages the .be domain name zone, there are currently over 600,000 Belgian websites online.

DNS BE scanned all registered .be domain names to see whether or not they have a website linked to them. In total, there are 605,067 Belgian websites on the Net. This means that 7 out of 10 holders of a domain name also make effective use of .be.

• 43% of all websites consists of just one page, while 27% have more than one page.
• 14% of domain names direct visitors to another domain name.
• Only 16% of domain names have no website. Which does not mean they are not being used, because you can also create your own e-mail addresses when you have a domain name.
• On average, each homepage at a Belgian website features 13 links.

DNS BE also delved more deeply into the technical side of the websites. Out of all the 605,067 homepages:

• 57% feature JavaScript, used mainly for interactive applications in a website
• 56% have CSS, which streamlines the layout of all the pages of a website
• 11% use Flash to display animations and web-videos
• 27% feature keywords that indicate search engines what the website is about

“You can use your own domain name (dns.be) to link a website (www.dns.be) or to create your own e-mail addresses (info@dns.be). The fact that there is also a website linked to 7 out of 10 .be domain names demonstrates that having your own domain name has now gone beyond the ‘gimmick’ stage and has become an important communication channel for individuals as well as for businesses,” says DNS BE spokesman Hans Seeuws. “Our more in-depth technical research also shows that Belgian webmasters are aware and keep abreast of the most recent technologies and are using them to a large extent.”

Tags: DNS Belgie, Domain names, E-mail, hosting