Up until recently .com.au was the only domain extension that was associated with Australia. Now you can create a domain name using just .au. If you have an Australian business or an existing domain with .com.au, you have more than likely received a marketing email from your registrar trying to sell you a new domain name.
Here are a few considerations relating to buying a .au domain. Some will be relevant to you, some will not.
A .au domain may allow you to own the ideal domain name you couldn’t get previously.
If you already have an existing website or brand, but were unable to get the domain that you wanted, this would be the perfect opportunity to grab a new domain. Having a short URL closely related to your business name makes it easy for you to share your website address or email with your customers when speaking it or having it printed. So, for example, if you had to add “business” or “online” or use a hyphen (-) to your business name when purchasing your original domain name, then this would be a great opportunity to highlight just your business name without the clutter of other words.
The new .au domains may be short and easy to remember
The new .au domain is pretty straight forward and should generally allow you to purchase a shorter url which is easy to remember. Keep in mind that most consumers in Australia will still search for businesses using more traditional extensions such as .com.au and .net.au for a while. So if you are considering this during a new website launch, it may be worthwhile to get multiple.
If you focus on the Australian market a .au domain extension may be beneficial to your business.
If you are a global entity, planning to engage with markets all over the world, you may not want to consider the .au domain extension. If you are an Australian business just focusing on your online presence in Australia, then the .au domain extension would be worth considering. As I mentioned above though, most consumers in Australia will still search for businesses using more traditional extensions such as .com.au and .net.au for a while.
An ABN is not required to register .au domain.
To register a .com.au domain name, you must have an ABN, but that is not (yet) the case with .au domains. So this makes the registration process of .au domains a bit quicker.
Protecting your brand.
By owning a range of domain names, it gives users broader access to finding you online. If a customer remembers your business name, and types in an assumed extension, they may land on your website if you have multiple domains. This may help you to capture the customer whether they type .com , .com.au , .au or something else.
Having multiple version also prevents your competitors or others from buying up a domain name and directing it to a competition website, or a completely unrelated website.
It is an extra annual cost.
Domain names have an annual fee that average from $12 – $35AUD per year. The more domains you own, the more you have to pay annually for those domains. If you have the perfect short domain name (URL) already, and are not worried about your brand or competitors, then there may not be a reason for you to add this annual fee to your business expense.
What should I do when I buy a .au domain?
If you have purchased the domain name, be sure to configure it to point to your existing website or online presence. Owing the domain and having it just go to the default page your registrar sets up defeats the purpose. GoDaddy and Crazy Domains are very bad at this. You do not want them to get your business! So if you do buy one, be sure to set it up correctly, so anyone that types it in is able to contact you. If you need help with this, contact me and I can help.