.com vs .com.au: How To Decide What’s Best for You

When you’re first starting out with domains (and there’s no getting around domain name registration if you want a website) the question quickly arises as to whether one domain is “better” than another. If you’re in Australia, there’s two domains that you’re probably trying to figure out which one is better, .com vs .com.au.

Should you choose the evergreen .com or go with a bespoke .com.au domain? Obviously, there’s no simple right or wrong answer. It all depends on the nature of your business. But to save you from flipping a coin, let’s see if we can shed some light on which option between .com or .com.au is right for you.

When To Use .com.au?

The main reason to use a .com.au website is that it instantly identifies you as an Australian-based business. Australian domain names have historically combined the “au” with generic top-level domains such as .net.au (for internet service providers), .org.au (for non-profit organisations), .gov.au (for the government), .asn.au (for associations), .id.au(for individuals) and .com.au (for e-commerce).

Is That All You Needed to Hear? Register Yours!

Unlike .com, there are criteria you must meet to register a .com.au. You can apply for a .com.au if:

• you are a company registered in Australia.
• you operate under a registered business name in an Australian state or territory.
• you are an Australian partnership or sole trader.
• you are a foreign company licensed to trade in Australia.
• you are an owner/ applicant of an Australian Registered Trade Mark.

Basically, if you can show that you are a commercial entity in Australia. The full list of requirements can be found here.

These strict rules may seem a little intimidating at first, but they protect consumers from dodgy offers so have become a symbol of trust. Over 90% of Australian sites are registered under the .com.au domain, which speaks for itself.

Registering .com.au domain names also helps search engines like Google drive traffic from Australian visitors to your website. You show up in more local search results, thus a .com.au domain can really boost your local business.

Did you know? In March 2022, auDA – the .au registry introduced the shorter and sharper .au extension. So, if you want to focus entirely on the Australian market or don’t meet the above criteria, you can register your real Australian domain name under .au. Read all about the shiny new country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) here.

When To Use .com?

The term “com” stands for “commercial” and is supposed to be used worldwide for business or commercial websites. So, in theory, a .com website should indicate to your visitors that you have something to sell. With over 161.1 million domains registered, .com websites account for almost half (!) of all web addresses.

When people think of web addresses, .com is probably the first thing that comes to mind. If a customer wants to look up the website of your jewelry brand Emerald Seas, they will most likely type emeraldseas.com into the search bar. Especially since most mobile devices even have a dedicated button for that TLD.

You should consider a .com if…

• you sell products or services for profit.
• you just started a blog or a small business and are looking for credibility.
• you are an NPO selling items in an online shop.

If you offer a product or service that is available internationally, a .com domain is a smart choice. Even if you are not yet sure about expanding your business to a global scale, it may be best to register it before your competitors do.

The Final Showdown: .com vs .com.au

Before we look at the pros and cons of the TLDs in direct comparison, have you checked whether the domain name you want is available at all? We know, stupid question, but it’s forgotten very often. A quick way to find out is to do a WHOIS query or search for your desired name in the OnlyDomains domain search.

Pro Tip: If you find that your .com and .com.au domain are already taken, a local domain extension like .Melbourne or a generic top-level domain like .biz may be a suitable alternative.

That said, here’s your overview:

If both .com and .com.au are relevant and available, you don’t have to pick just one. In fact, if you have the option (and budget), we recommend choosing both. Obviously, we would. It’s our business. But there is a good reason why having multiple domain names can benefit your business.

Unless you skipped everything, you should now have a better idea about whether your next domain should be .com or .com.au (or both). Just remember that your domain name isn’t the only thing that matters for website traffic. Your content, usability, and site speed are crucial factors in how your website ranks in search engines and is perceived by customers. Your online business won’t succeed or fail purely based on which domain extension you choose, but every little bit helps. Good luck!