Over recent months you may have seen news coverage, and you’ve probably seen and heard ads, about the new .au domain. This gives you the possibility to register your business name ending .au instead of just as .com.au or .net.au
The Australian Domain Administration (AuDA) has created this new domain level. They claim that it has been introduced after extensive market research and an overwhelmingly positive response.
So What Does This New .au Domain Name Mean For Me?
We’ve had a huge number of clients reach out to ask. They want to know the process of .au domain registration for their website. They’ve seen plenty of ads online and heard ads on the radio whilst they are driving their car into work.
It is fair to say that these ads have painted a picture of a doomsday scenario. Many of these ads suggest that if you don’t register the .au version of your domain name it will definitely be registered by a competitor of yours and they will definitely end up stealing customers from you.
To this we say – there’s no real harm from registering the .au version of your domain purely from a risk management perspective, but it may not be doom and gloom as the ads portray.
If you have a unique name, or a unique industry with minimal competitors, you may not need to register these domain names. However, if you are in a more competitive industry, or there are businesses that have a similar name to yours, then you might want to consider adding this name to give yourself better protection.
So What Has Been Happening To Date With .au Domain Names?
As the creation of the .au domain administration name level was created, hosting providers can be reaching out to those that had already registered a .com.au or .net.au domain name prior to March 24, 2022.
The owner of these .com.au or .net.au domain names were given priority access to register the .au version of their registered domains. This priority period ended on September 20, 2022.
With the ending of this priority allocation period, we are in a transition period where many of these domains will now move towards being publicly available.
I’m Registering A New Domain Name. Should I Choose .au?
If you are stating out in Australia, with a business that will predominantly have an Australian connection, then the .au domain ending may be the right option. With more domain options available it’s possible you’ll get a shorter domain name – something that is easier for potential clients to remember wherever they see your marketing or advertising.
I May Have Missed The Priority Allocation Period. What Should I Do?
If you are worried about your brand identity and whether you should register the .au version for your business, please get in touch for a chat. We can help you navigate this process.
If you have any other questions about domains, hosting, websites or digital marketing in general please get in touch so we can have a no obligation chat.
