.com.au vs .au vs .com: Choosing a Business Domain

Quick answer: If your customers are mainly in Australia and you have an ABN or ACN, make .com.au your primary domain, because it's the extension Australians recognise as local. Register the matching .au as well so nobody else can, add the .com if it's available, and redirect the extras to the one you use.

Most Australian businesses face this question twice. First when they register a domain for a new website, and again a few years later, when a renewal notice arrives for a domain nobody remembers buying, or a competitor picks up the .au version of their name. Choosing well takes ten minutes. Keeping control over the next decade is where businesses slip, so this guide spends as much time on ownership as on the extensions themselves.

What's the difference between .com.au, .au and .com?

All three work identically in a browser. The differences are who may register them and what they signal to customers.

The .au direct namespace launched in March 2022, letting businesses register names like yourbusiness.au without the "com". Both .com.au and .au are administered by auDA, the policy body for Australia's country-code domains, and sold through accredited registrars.

Who is eligible to register a .com.au or .au domain?

For .com.au you need an Australian presence, a commercial entity, and a domain that matches or closely relates to your business. Per auDA's rules, the name must be an exact match, abbreviation or acronym of your registered name or trade mark, or otherwise closely and substantially connected to you, for example a product or service you offer.

In practice, Australian businesses usually qualify using their ABN or ACN, which the registrar checks at the time of registration. The registrant details should match that record exactly.

The rules for .au direct are looser: you need an Australian presence, but the name doesn't have to relate to your business.

Two points to note:

• Overseas businesses can meet the Australian presence test by holding an Australian trade mark or application. In that case, auDA requires the domain to match the trade mark exactly.
• Rules may tighten. auDA's 2025 Licensing Rules Review recommended narrowing which names can be allocated under .com.au, but no final decision had been made at the time of writing, and auDA proposed that existing licences continue under the current rules. Check auDA's website before registering anything unusual.

Does the domain extension affect Google rankings in Australia?

Only as one geographic signal among many. Google treats country-code domains such as .com.au and .au as an indication that a site is aimed at that country. A .com is treated as generic, so Google works out its audience from other signals: your content, address, phone number, links and your Google Business Profile.

That means:

• A .com.au or .au gives a clear local signal from day one
• A well-built .com can rank perfectly well in Australia with local content and a strong Business Profile
• There's no ranking difference between .au and .com.au, since both are Australian country-code domains
• Local map results depend mostly on your Business Profile, reviews and proximity, not your extension

Choose the extension your customers will trust and remember. Our deeper look at .com.au vs .com for SEO covers international targeting in more detail.

Should you register more than one extension?

Yes, if the budget allows. Domains are cheap compared with the cost of someone else using your name. A sensible set for most businesses:

1. Your .com.au as the primary domain for the website and email.
2. The matching .au, redirected to the primary.
3. The .com, if available at a fair price, also redirected.

Rules for the extras:

• Use permanent 301 redirects so visitors and search engines land on one primary domain
• Don't host copies of the site on several domains
• Keep email on the primary domain only
• Renew the extras alongside the main domain so none lapse unnoticed

How should you register a domain so you keep control of it?

Register it to your business entity, in an account your business controls, with renewals on autopilot. Domains are lost far more often to admin gaps than to disputes.

• Register under your own ABN or ACN, never your web designer's or a staff member's
• Open the registrar account with a shared business email, not a personal inbox
• Turn on two-factor authentication and record who holds the login
• Switch on auto-renew with a payment card that won't expire soon
• Send renewal reminders to at least two people
• Keep a short register: domain, registrar, expiry date and DNS host
• Give your developer delegated access to manage DNS, not ownership

The same thinking applies to the rest of your digital estate; our article on owning your digital assets covers code and content ownership, and our website handover checklist lists every login to collect at the end of a project.

What if the name you want is already taken?

1. Check who holds it. A WHOIS lookup shows the registrant for .au domains. It may be a business with a genuine claim, or a name parked and unused.
2. Consider an approach. If it's unused, the holder may agree to transfer it. Some registrars offer brokerage services, and any transfer must still meet eligibility rules.
3. Check your rights. If someone registered it in bad faith using your trade mark, the .au Dispute Resolution Policy (auDRP) may apply. Get advice first.
4. Add a modifier. A suburb, city or trade word, such as yourname-plumbing or yournamesydney, often works well.
5. Avoid confusing choices. Multiple hyphens, odd spellings and numbers that sound like words cause lost emails and mistyped visits.

Before settling on a new name, search IP Australia's trade mark records to avoid stepping on someone else's brand.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an ABN to register a .com.au domain?

Most Australian businesses use an ABN or ACN to meet the eligibility rules, and the registrar checks it at registration. An overseas business can instead rely on an Australian trade mark, in which case the domain must exactly match that mark. Sole traders with an ABN are eligible.

Is .au better than .com.au for SEO?

No. Both are Australian country-code domains, so Google treats them the same way for geographic targeting. Choose the one your customers will recognise and type correctly, and redirect the other to it.

Can an overseas business register a .com.au?

Yes, if it meets the Australian presence requirement, usually by holding an Australian registered trade mark or a pending application. The domain must then match the trade mark exactly. Alternatively, it can register through an Australian subsidiary with an ACN.

Should I redirect my .au domain to my .com.au?

Yes, if .com.au is your primary domain. Use a permanent 301 redirect so visitors and search engines all end up on the same address. Avoid running the same website on both domains.

What happens if my domain expires?

Your website and email stop working, which can cost you enquiries within hours. Renew immediately through your registrar; if the renewal window passes, the domain can be deleted and released for anyone eligible to register. Auto-renew and two reminder contacts prevent this.

Get your domain and launch set up properly

We register or transfer domains into your business's name, configure DNS and email, and redirect every extension to one primary site as part of our website setup and launch work. If you're planning a new site, our guide to website costs in Australia explains what to budget, and you can see how GRWW for Australian businesses works.