The newest top-level Australian domain name is now available, and with it comes the opportunity for all Australian businesses to secure their brand online by registering their business name with the .au domain extension as quickly as possible.
So why .au?
It’s good practice for Australian businesses to register their domain name with what has been the standard for quite some time now – the .com.au extension. But with this new domain comes the opportunity to drop the .com and shorten your domain name so that your brand is even more memorable in your customers minds.
These statistics suggest that longer domain names are less likely to be memorised by potential customers, which is why it’s suggested that your domain name is within X amount of letters. This doesn’t include the domain extension, but it’s not hard to see why the shorter the name the more easily potential customers will be able to retain your name and services in their mind.
There’s a reason why you don’t see domain names such as jimsmithsamazingfurnitureandupholsterystore.com.au!
Why now?
With the new domain now available, priority registering for Australian businesses that already have claim to their original .com.au is closing.
According to an email sent by the South Australian Small Business Commisioner, not registering your business name in the .au extension within that period opens up the opportunity for other people not associated with your business to register your business name with the .au extension, possibly damaging your reputation and causing confusion with those who may visit your site using the new extension.
You can register your .au domain at any of the leading registrars.
It’s a simple process – you don’t have to create a whole new site, you can easily have it redirect to your existing business website for anyone who may use it and it safeguards your business from potential scammers. You certainly don’t want scammers sending anyone harmful content from a .au variant of your own domain!
For example, if you visit redmoth.au, you will notice that because I’ve secured my .au extension that it redirects to the homepage of this website. And if you’re not sure how to do it yourself, there is services available to have a tech person set up this redirect for you.
What’s the difference to my .com.au?
There isn’t anything functionally different – but if you’re an Australian business who have a website or are looking to invest in a website, it’s a good move to secure your .au domain now. If your customer base is primarily Australian, it should be no surprise that .com.au domains or similar top-level Australian domains (such as .org.au, net.au etc) instil a higher level of trust in readers searching for Australian businesses. If you’re looking to reach an Australian audience and make it clear that you are based here, it’s always a good idea to register top-level Australian domain names.
How?
You can register yours at any trusted domain name registrar, where you will need to provide evidence that you have a connection with Australia per the registration terms.
If you would like to know more, feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
