Australian web addresses are about to get shorter, for the first-time people will drop the .com part and instead just use dot-au, for example blutonetech.com.au becomes blutonetech.au. A shorter domain is easier for clients to remember and can help to boost your search engine ranking, but failing to secure your .au equivalent could cause problems.
From 24 March, Australian entrepreneurs and businesses with an existing .com.au domain name can apply for priority status to register an exact domain name match with an .au extension (blutonetech.au). Eligible users have six months to complete the process before the .au domain name extension becomes available for the general population to purchase from 20 September.
At the dawn of the world wide web, early adopters bought up domain names which led to quite a few battles over everything from MTV.com to McDonalds.com. Decades on, auDA the organisation that manages Australian domains, has decided to do things differently and roll out this change in stages to make things fairer and guard against what’s known as ‘cyber-squatting’.
If someone else buys your domain name it’s near impossible to get back, could negatively impact your search engine rankings, and at worst someone else could use your business name for nefarious purposes. It’s expected that .au address will become the popular choice and securing your businesses digital identity as an earlier adopter could prove a competitive advantage.
auDA CEO, Rosemary Sinclair AM, says providing “…consumers the opportunity to licence shorter, eye-catching names brings Australia in line with most other country code Top Level Domains including the United Kingdom (.uk), Canada (.ca), the USA (.us) and New Zealand (.nz).
Adding “…the launch of .au direct is an exciting innovation, delivering enhanced opportunities for Australian Internet users”.
From Thursday, people who can demonstrate they or their business have a connection to Australia, or those holding .com.au equivalents, will be able to purchase .au domains. Blutone Technologies strongly advises protecting your brand, and purchasing this new shorter domain name, thus blocking any competitor from making use of it. Please call 1300 660 139 for help securing your web address.
