NEW domain names have launched!
From March 2022, websites in Australia have a new domain option of .AU
You could be at risk of losing your brand identity if you do not secure ownership of your .AU domain
Ownership of your .AU domain is not automatically secured.
YOU need to ACT to register and secure your DOMAIN NOW.
Servo, Maccas, snag, barbie – Australians are no strangers to shortening words and now there is an opportunity to shorten something else! There have been recent changes to domain names and registration in Australia, with the opportunity to now register a shorter domain name ending with “.au”, such as mama.au!
You may think this is the domain registration companies wanting to make more money, however this also presents an opportunity for your competition to buy out your domain name if you do not act upon it. Another risk is for cybercriminals to steal your domain and misuse it by conducting fraudulent activities. This is why it is important to secure your .au domain as soon as possible to mitigate the risk of your domain being taken and exploited by competition or cybercriminals.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Any person or organisation with connections to Australia can register .au domain names.
If you already have a domain name with an existing .au family domain (e.g. mama.com.au, mama.net.au, mama.org.au), you can apply for priority status within the next 6 months.
From 24 March 2022, you can apply:
- to register names that are not registered in any existing .au namespace (e.g. .com, .net, .org) and;
- for the exact match of any existing .au domain name you are the existing registrant of (e.g. .com.au, .net.au, .org.au). These names will be allocated according to the Priority Allocation Process.
WHY SHOULD YOU REGISTER?
Protect your domain from competition and cybercriminals stealing it. If successful, someone could register yourbusines.au and use the domain to conduct fraudulent activities. Therefore, it is important to register before the priority status to mitigate the risk of your domain being taken and misused.
Adding .au to your domain name can increase credibility and trust from local Australians.
Shortening the domain url means that is is easier to remember and type – talk about increasing band recall!
Increase your website SEO, as Australian domain names show up higher in local search engine results.
Lastly, who doesn’t love embracing the Aussie spirit with shortening absolutely EVERYTHING.
HOW CAN YOU REGISTER?
If you have an existing .au family domain (e.g. com.au, .net.au, .org.au), you will be able to apply for Priority Status until 20th September 2022. You can do this via your registrar, or any other accredited registrar offering .au direct domain names, during the Priority Application Period.
If you do not have a domain name with an existing .au family domain (e.g. mama.com, mama.net, mama.org), you can apply to register a new .au domain.
Source: https://www.auda.org.au/
