Check .lt domain
The Lithuanian internet is growing thanks to the .lt domain and artificial intelligence
Last year, the Lithuanian internet reached the limit of 250 thousand registered .lt domains, and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions facilitated the creation of websites and e-shops significantly, both for businesses and residents of the country. We discuss changes in the domain market, their impact on the development of the Lithuanian internet, and the use of popular AI tools with Tomas Mackus, Head of the Internet Service Centre DOMREG at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU).
– In 2025, the growth of registered .lt domains increased by as much as 4.4%, and it was the largest increase in the last decade, except for the boom during the quarantine. At the end of last year, the number of domains reached 250 thousand, and the total number of .lt domains was 10 thousand more than in 2024. What were the reasons for this growth?
– The growth in the number of .lt domains was mainly determined by the country’s economic stability and the increased number of domain renewals. There were significantly more domain renewals in 2025, compared to previous years. Domain renewal rates probably increased because people and businesses began to feel more stability in terms of their future or business prospects. When the war in Ukraine began, we saw a completely different situation: many domains were not renewed, and new domain registrations decreased dramatically.
Tomas Mackus, Head of KTU Internet Service Centre
– How much impact did the services based on AI solutions offered by accredited .lt domain registrars have on the development of the internet in Lithuania?
– I am happy to know that registrars are using AI and creating user-friendly domain and server administration tools that allow users to create standard websites and e-shops without any programming knowledge, and to use email and other services conveniently. Now, all you need to do is write a few sentences to a chatbot and the desired website is installed instantly. This ensures a more rapid and higher-quality development of the Lithuanian internet.
If we talk about .lt domain registrars, most of the .lt domains (about 48%) are administered by “Interneto vizija”. However, last year, we noticed a particularly rapid growth of “Hostinger”, whose .lt domain portfolio grew by as much as 36% over the year. I really hope that Lithuania will be known not only for its unicorns like “Vinted” and “Nord VPN”, but also for “Hostinger”, which is growing rapidly worldwide.
“Telia” and “Domenai.lt” also remained active registrars in the Lithuanian market last year. A total of 109 accredited Lithuanian and foreign registrars offer registration services for .lt domains.
– The number of national domains has been decreasing in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium over the last few years. How do the Baltic countries look in the European context?
– In some Western European countries, the number of registered national domains was decreasing last year, and this market stagnation probably indicates a high saturation of the Western European domain market and economic problems.
Meanwhile, the domain market in all Baltic countries was growing in 2025, i.e., the number of national .lt, .lv, and .ee domains increased. Last year, Lithuania reached the significant milestone of 250 thousand registered .lt domains, Latvia ended the year with 146 thousand registered .lv domains, and Estonia had 182 thousand registered .ee domains.
Although we can be happy that Lithuanians have the highest number of domains in the Baltic context, if we look at the number of registered domains per 100 residents, it is clear that we are behind the Estonians. According to data from the CENTR organisation, the .ee domain in Estonia has a smaller market share (50%) than the .lv domain in Latvia (52%) or the .lt domain in Lithuania (60%). However, Estonia has managed to present a better image as a digital economy country, focusing particularly on the development and export of electronic services. It is probably thanks to a more active digital business ecosystem in Estonia that they have 12.6 registered domains per 100 residents, compared to only 8.3 in Lithuania and even fewer (7.6 domains) in Latvia.
– Do you think that the growing popularity of AI tools and chatbots will replace traditional internet searches, or so-called googling, which requires domains and websites?
– I think websites and domains will not disappear, because AI needs to be trained, and that requires information and data. Just like internet search engines, AI tools also search, index, and use information available online. AI must be trained continuously; otherwise, the information will become outdated. Therefore, AI tools need domains – addresses where the necessary information can be found.
Another important issue is the still unresolved problem of AI chatbot hallucinations, which is why it is necessary to carefully check the sources – links to websites that AI chatbots rely on when answering questions. The domain can be used to determine if the source is reliable: whether it is a media outlet, a scientific journal, or a fake website created by scammers.
– In 2025, the average annual renewal rate for .lt domains increased to 88.04%. What led to the improvement in renewal rates, and what are the main risks associated with non- renewal of domains?
– Domain renewal has probably improved not only because of a more optimistic assessment of the economic situation, but also because of the growing awareness of domain holders. They are beginning to understand that once a domain is deleted and deregistered, anyone else can re-register it and use it for their own purposes.
If a domain name has been used for a long time, it is natural that a certain amount of visitor traffic or sending customer emails to former mailboxes may remain after the domain is deleted. Therefore, it is very important to keep the domain for as long as possible, thus avoiding the risk that someone else who has registered the same domain name will take over customer emails and redirect visitor traffic to a new website that can be owned by competitors.
There are quite a few cases where customers say that they had a domain that they no longer needed and did not renew it because they started using another one. However, the former domain was registered by another person and another website with misleading information, and sometimes even an identical fake website is operating at the former address. In such cases, the former domain holders are very dissatisfied that someone else is using their former domain. But the domain was not renewed, and after its deregistration, another person could register the domain.
– What steps would you recommend when changing a label?
– If you are changing a label and the old domain becomes no longer necessary, I would recommend renewing the domain for at least a year or two and redirecting it to the new domain with access to the new website. Such a domain can be deleted only after making sure that there is no longer any customer traffic to the website at the old address and there are no emails with the old domain name.
It is also important to remember that various systems and social networks use an email address to identify users. Once the domain is deleted, and if malicious individuals re-register it and create the previously used email addresses, it becomes possible to take over social network and other accounts, as malicious individuals controlling the relevant email address can easily impersonate the account holders.
– Why do so-called “domain snatchers” hunt for domains that are not renewed?
– Some domains are “snatched” because they have a beautiful, unique, short, or otherwise valuable domain name that can later be sold at a higher price, i.e., transferred to a company or individual who wants it.
“Snatchers” like domains that have not been renewed because of their high visitor traffic, i.e., if the domain had many links from other websites, had high rankings in search engines, or was well known in the market. After registering such an unrenewed domain, the new owners take over all of the former traffic of the website’s visitors and redirect it elsewhere. In this case, former customers and former visitor traffic must be the most valuable assets.
Thirdly, unrenewed domains are registered to deceive search engines by recreating a website that is confusingly similar to the former one but adding new links. In this way, the providers of SEO optimisation services try to take advantage of the former domain’s reputation and traffic.
Sometimes, expired domains are registered by fraudsters. The most dangerous cases that can become particularly damaging are those when a fraudster registers an expired domain and creates a fake website. Unaware of the fraud, former customers allegedly purchase goods by transferring large sums of money to the fraudsters.
To protect both your business and your customers, I recommend renewing the domain until there is no longer any visitor traffic. When there is no longer any traffic, there are far fewer opportunities to use the domain or commit fraud.
– Many Lithuanians have various creative hobbies and small businesses alongside their work. 2026 began with higher taxes for persons engaged in individual businesses, because this income will be added to other types of income and taxed at a single resident income tax rate. Will this discourage Lithuanians from starting a business?
Changes in the tax environment may have a negative impact and reduce the motivation to start additional businesses that require a domain and a website or e-shop. But I think that the desire to start a business will be most influenced by people’s mood and their pessimistic or optimistic assessment of future prospects.
Many people sometimes have dreams of what it would be like if they did not work for someone else but had their own business or activity where they could freely plan their time, be independent, and create, produce, or consult at their own pace. The easiest way to test your dreams or business ideas is to start operating online without a large investment. That is why many businesses take their first steps online, and all you need is a domain and a website.
– Thank you for the interview.
Published 2026-03-02
