Domain provider GoDaddy is urging eligible Australian entrepreneurs and small businesses to register for a .au domain as a way to protect their brand and digital identity.
From 24 March, Australian entrepreneurs with an existing .com.au domain name can apply for priority status to register its exact domain name match with a .au extension through GoDaddy. Eligible users have six months to complete this process before the .au domain name extension becomes available for the general population to purchase from 20 September. Domain customers can also register a .au domain if the corresponding .com.au, .net.au or .org.au is not already taken.
Tamara Oppen, Managing Director of GoDaddy, Australia said that a .au domain is shorter and, therefore, easier for consumers to remember, and can also help to boost a business’ search engine ranking.
“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for Australian businesses, entrepreneurs and side-hustlers,” Oppen said. “A domain name is the heart of a local business’s digital identity, and the new .au extension can be essential in helping Australian businesses feel inherently Aussie, and stand out in a market that is proud and passionate about supporting local.
“By registering your .au domain, entrepreneurs are not only enhancing their brand and local digital identity, they are also preventing a competitor from taking that domain name, and potentially some of their customers, too,” Oppen added. “To create a strong online presence, it’s incredibly valuable to have a diverse range of domain extensions, and few are more exciting, valuable and local than .au. We’re proud to be working with auDA (.au Domain Administration Limited) to make these local domains available to existing and aspiring Australian entrepreneurs, small businesses and side-hustlers.”
According to GoDaddy’s Entrepreneurial Pulse research, 27 per cent of entrepreneurs and small business-owners cited competition, second only to the global pandemic, as their biggest challenge for 2022. They believe that having a local .au domain can be a crucial competitive advantage when standing out to the millions of consumers who engage with local businesses online.
