Back in 2014, Nominet, the registry responsible for operating the .UK country code domain for the United Kingdom, launched the .UK top level domain name extension.
Eligible registrants (e.g. owners of the .CO.UK domain variant) were given 5 years to secure their .UK domain names before they were opened up for general sale. That period ends on 25th June 2019.
Should I Buy the .UK Domain?
If you plan on appealing to a United Kingdom target audience then it makes perfect sense to buy a .UK domain. Whilst it won’t necessarily effect search rankings, it does provide a certain level of trust and your target audience may be more inclined to purchase.
Probably the most important aspect however is brand protection. How would you feel if a competitor bought the .UK domain and used it? For what it costs, it’s well worth the purchase for brand protection alone.