Have you heard of the recent union which involved a quintessential Australian characteristic and a domain name? In true Aussie fashion, a name has been shortened which will make our lives simpler and easier to remember. A bit like how we forget that Jono’s real name is Johnathan we can soon forget .com.au at the end of your website address, and just go with .au!

So, what does that mean to your current business’s website that may include:
.com.au
.org.au
.id.au
.net.au
.asn.au

Of course those domains will still exist, however you may also want to register your domain name with .au as well, to ensure that this remains as part of your company’s identifier and not in the hands of a competitor. You have up until September 20, 2022  apply for Priority Status after that it is open to the public. Should there be more than one business contesting for the rights of the .au domain, a dispute would have to be resolved with the Domain Administration (auDA).

Even though you do not have to be an Australian resident or citizen to apply for a .au domain to be eligible, you must have a presence in Australia. This can be verified by your ABN, CAN, business registration number or a registered Australian trademark.

So, still thinking about whether you want to run with the new kid on the block .au or stick with the traditional .com.au who has been around since 1986 (don’t get me wrong, a lot of cool things came out of the 80’s)? We aren’t saying you should break up with .com.au, but maybe an open mind to having a second level domain as well might be a good option too. We are not the first country to roll out the second level domains, they have been very successful in New Zealand, Canada, China and the UK.

Remember .au shortens your website, making it easier to remember, and less likely for clumsy fingers to miss type your website ensuring all the intended traffic ends up at your destination and it also looks sharp and fresh on marketing material. It will also give you the global presence and credibility that your business deserves. So whether you are a new or old business its worth registering for .au domain name.

If you are an existing business and you don’t register for .au and it is taken by someone else, it could affect your SEO and google rankings that you have carefully curated over time.

Some things to consider when registering your domain name:

• Check if it is available via the WHOIS database
• Keep it short and simple and timeless
• It is best practice to use the correct spelling of the word
• Avoid numbers 

If you need some help when it comes to creating your domain, or your website please book a call here we are actually pretty awesome at it.