RESTON, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/17/15 --  VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global leader in domain names and Internet security, today announced that approximately 3.1 million domain names were added to the Internet in the third quarter of 2015, bringing the total number of registered domain names to approximately 299 million worldwide across all top-level domains (TLDs) as of Sept. 30, 2015, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief.

The increase of approximately 3.1 million domain names globally equates to a growth rate of 1.1 percent over the second quarter of 2015. Worldwide registrations have grown by 14.8 million, or 5.2 percent, year over year.

The .com and .net TLDs experienced aggregate growth in the third quarter of 2015, reaching a combined total of approximately 135.2 million .com and .net domain names in the domain name base. This represents a 3.4 percent increase year over year. As of Sept. 30, 2015, the domain name base of .com equaled 120.1 million names, while .net equaled 15.1 million names.

In the third quarter, Verisign processed 9.2 million new domain name registrations for .com and .net, as compared to 8.7 million domain names for the same period in 2014.

During the third quarter of 2015, Verisign's average daily Domain Name System (DNS) query load was approximately 120 billion queries per day across all TLDs operated by Verisign, with a peak of nearly 593 billion. Compared to the previous quarter, the daily average query load increased 8.0 percent and the peak increased by 225.3 percent. Year over year, the daily average query load increased by 4.8 percent, and the peak increased by 86.4 percent.

The Domain Name Industry Brief also highlights research conducted by Verisign analysts on how to use domain registration trends to find great domain names. Domain names have shifted from very short to keyword rich and descriptive. The Verisign research detailed within the latest Domain Name Industry Brief illustrates this trend through an examination of domain names that were registered in 2014 as compared against domain names registered prior to 2014 to determine common techniques for registering domain names. Read "Using Domain Name Registration Trends to Find Great Domain Names" to learn more about the trends and techniques uncovered.

Verisign publishes the Domain Name Industry Brief to provide Internet users throughout the world with statistical and analytical research and data on the domain name industry. The third quarter 2015 Domain Name Industry Brief, as well as previous reports, can be obtained at Verisign.com/DNIB.

About Verisign

Verisign, a global leader in domain names and Internet security, enables Internet navigation for many of the world's most recognized domain names and provides protection for websites and enterprises around the world. Verisign ensures the security, stability and resiliency of key Internet infrastructure and services, including the .com and .net domains and two of the Internet's root servers, as well as performs the root-zone maintainer functions for the core of the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS). Verisign's Security Services include intelligence-driven Distributed Denial of Service Protection, iDefense Security Intelligence and Managed DNS. To learn more about what it means to be Powered by Verisign, please visit Verisign.com.

© 2015 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. VERISIGN, the VERISIGN logo, and other trademarks, service marks, and designs are registered or unregistered trademarks of VeriSign, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and in foreign countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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Source: VeriSign, Inc.

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