Australian businesses can now opt for shorter domain names by dropping the .com, and replacing it with the new .au domains. But the launch of .au domains in Australia and New Zealand has left a lot of business owners scratching their heads as the recent offering has them asking a bundle of questions.

 

So, what does the launch of these shortened domains mean for your business? Should you jump in and buy yours?

 

The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. Read on to find out why, plus learn the essentials of getting your .au domain. 

 

From late March, any business with a physical presence in Australia has had the opportunity to register a .au domain – complete with a custom URL suffix that matches the business name. The new domains will eventually be an optional extra for businesses that don’t want to use .com.au. 

 

Currently, entrepreneurs and small businesses with an existing .au domain name only, such as .com.au, are eligible to register their .au domain. They can also register for a .au domain if it’s an entirely new domain, i.e., no domain name already associated with .com.au, .org.au or .net.au. Learn more about this priority order further on.

 

Here’s what you need to know:

  • .au direct was launched, 24th March 2022
  • You can only register with accredited vendors- https://www.auda.org.au/accredited-registrars
  • Offers the option of a shorter, more memorable domain name, ie. peachit.au
  • Owners of existing domain names will have 6 months to register the .au version of their domain, before it is opened to the general public

 

Eligible users have six months to complete this process before the .au domain name extension becomes available for the general population to purchase from September 20th. Domain customers can register an .au domain if the corresponding .com.au, .net.au or .org.au is not already taken.

 

Weighing up the pros and cons

 

Across social media many businesses have been weighing up the pros and cons of nabbing their .au business domain. 

 

When the option was first released back in March, there were a few kinks and bugs that needed ironing out, but thankfully these have now been fixed. 

 

Several benefits are quite clear. First, there is the matter of protecting your brand and ensuring a competitor doesn’t secure the .au version of your domain. Also, it offers a shorter, more memorable domain name. Secondly, after September 20, there may be an option to nab an in-demand domain name where the “.com.au” has not been available for many years. 

 

On the flipside, don’t expect this to have a huge impact on rankings, especially if you are not a local business. Whilst the jury is out on whether an .au domain can outrank a .com, it is well-known that many top level domains do not rank anywhere near as well as a .com or .net. Time will tell. 

 

In terms of pricing, they seem to be around the same price as your standard .com.au domains, although some registers have had some launch sales. 

 

The Technical Stuff

 

In some cases, there may be two businesses eligible for the .au version of a domain. This is likely because two different entities own a domain, one which might be a .com.au and one which might be a .net.au

 

There is a priority application process for these which is summarised by auDA in this link: https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/au-direct/priority-allocation-process

 

In a small fraction of cases there is the potential that more than one person will apply for the same reserved .au direct name. This may occur where different registrants hold the same name in different namespaces . This is known as a contested name.

 

For example:

  • Tina is the registrant of getyour.com.au
  • Gene is the registrant of getyour.net.au 

Both are eligible to apply for getyour.au

 

In these cases the .au direct name will be allocated according to priority categories determined by the existing domain name licence creation date and the priority cut-off date of 4 February 2018. See below for more information on contested names.

 

Don’t forget, once you’ve purchased your .au domain, you will need to set up a redirect to go to your main domain, so your potential customers don’t get lost in the maze of the interwebs. 

 

Are you unsure or worried about how this process might be done? If you’re lucky enough to have a digital marketing agency like PeachIt onboard, you can trust your team to ensure this gets done right, giving you a seamless, disruption-free experience for your peace of mind. 

 

P.S, don’t forget, the closing date for the priority application is 20 September 2022

 

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