Choosing a TLD: Why do I need a .com.au when I’ve already got a .net.au?

22/07/2016 // Domaining // Rene Anthony

In our last article, we discussed what you should consider when looking to choose the right domain name. In doing so, we touched on the importance of having your chosen name on the most appropriate top-level domain (TLD), something we’ll now cover in more detail.

It should come as no surprise that few people, if any, visit www.google.net.au or www.facebook.net.au. After all, .net.au domains are often perceived as playing second fiddle to .com.au in Australia. Not only are web users less receptive towards them, people are typically less likely to remember or click on them. Whereas a good .com.au domain exudes authority and credibility to prospective customers, a .net.au domain suggests the website is unlikely to be the leader in their field, and may be a late entrant.

More importantly, if you use a .net.au domain to run your website, you are likely to leak traffic and potential customers. The extent depends on your industry and how you use your website, however, such a choice will have a significant impact on any offline marketing that you do – whether it be word-of-mouth, print, or radio. Tell 100 Australians to go to www.yoursite.net.au and 15-20 of them will go to www.yoursite.com.au. That’s 15-20% of potential customers not finding you but even worse, they may be going to a competitor instead!

Then there’s email – how many emails are you likely to miss because people make the mistake of typing .com.au out of habit? It’s unlikely you’d ever know the number but you can bet it happens – a lot!

Running a site exclusively with a .net.au domain can cost you opportunities year in, year out. Of course, having strong keywords in the title, or optimising your SEO, can mitigate these losses. However, even then, it’s like owning a great shopfront but you’ve leased a property out the back of Bourke! Therefore, should you have a personal preference for .net.au, run with that by all means – but at the very least, make sure you also acquire the .com.au equivalent and point it at your existing website.

The same can also be said for .com domains, particularly if you are operating a site that is targeting audiences outside of Australia. By capturing the major TLD variants, this will help you establish a unique and unified brand. Users searching for your website via Google, or looking for your presence on social media, are less likely to be confused, and more likely to remember you.

In terms of less common TLDs, these are typically restricted to niche users, including: .org.au for non-commercial businesses, associations, unions, and sporting clubs; .gov.au for government bodies; and .edu.au for educational providers. Meanwhile, localised domains, such as .melbourne or .sydney, have had little traction in gaining popularity thus far, and have their own difficulties because most users are unfamiliar with them.

Given the ease of redirecting multiple names or TLDs to the one site, there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t seek to protect your brand. And in today’s day and age, where premium names are becoming increasingly scarce, you have every reason to do so.

That’s it for this occasion, stay tuned for the next of our educational articles, where we’ll cover the importance of domain pointing.

Best wishes,
The Netfleet Team

http://www.netfleet.com.au